This is a stupid question, but I need research help.

(This one is for you research junkies. I'm NOT a very good researcher at ALL, so PLEASE don't give me the cold shoulder...:D)

I'm doing a speech for my communications course comparing and contrasting the art programs of two universities. One is the University of Minnesota, and I cannot find info on a good large college that's sub-par at art. That's the one I will be comparing it to. I tried desperately to find something for hours online in some college rankings by department JUST SO I could find a comparison school, but I couldn't find any rankings on art.

What I'm finding specifically is links to online publications (two of them that can also be found in print) that:

1) Give the art department budgets of each university
2) Give rankings in the art departments of the colleges
3) Give criteria for a student joining each undergraduate art program

Now I'm not asking ANYONE to write this speech.:-) It's just that I'm absolutely HORRIBLE at researching, and I've tried so hard, and just ended up nowhere. This is one of my educational weaknesses. Also, this is something that I really don't like doing anyway, but I've got to get that B in that class.

But just to let you know again, I spent two and a half hours scanning the web on Sunday afternoon and evening both at the library and on my PC trying desperately to find something relevant. That's the problem with me, I can't find anything relevant.

Any help is IMMENSELY appreciated. I don't have to have this done until next Wednesday, so I got some time. The more links you got, the better!!!

PLEASE don't think that I'm mooching!! This is basically my last resort.

why don't you look for a university that has the words "technical" or "agriculture & mechanical" in its name?

...and he said it has to be a comparable large university. He said that it would be detrimental to the speech if I used a crappy comparison.

I'm thinking along the lines of Michigan State (real party school), but their art site wasn't much help at all, and I STILL need budget figures.

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Why don't you lay off the assinine comments. Kay???

"uncle"

I think you'll have a hard time finding either budgets, or rankings. How does one rank art departments? It's not the same as competetive sports. I don't think budgets would be generally publicised.

You could probably get enrollment criteria, probably.

Since you have Uof M as one of your choices, search their web site for as much info as you can; then pick another school and do the same search of their web site.

:shrug:

I only searched for a couple minutes; it didn't seem very promising to me.

sorry.

Check with your local research librarians in both the college library and the town ones. Research librarians have enormous resources. Research librarians are your best friends when you're serious about something.

Find an art museum, or the art department in your own college, and a curator, or teacher, or grad student... who might be able to help. You're right-- nobody should write your paper, but everybody loves to talk about their fields. Ask properly, and you'll likely get all sorts of good stuff.

Web searches are great, but it helps when you have a place to start.

Who would know more about their schools budget or the rankings of various schools?

Try asking the "art department" at the Minnesota Daily.

Send out alot of emails, one might hit. Some graduate student or prof has done some kind of study on that. Hit the library and try their professional journals.

I decided to do a comparison to Michigan State. I'll need to e-mail a professor about the budget info.

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/links/college.html

funding

http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=college+art+department++funding

comparisons

http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=college+art+department++comparisons&btnG=Google+Search

One of the best in the country for arts.