The American Associations of Museums has spoken out about Brandeis University's decision in the face of economic hardship to close its Rose Art Museum and sell off its collection of more than 6,000 artworks, reports Lee Rosenbaum in her CultureGrrl blog.

In a statement released yesterday, the AAM said it was "alarmed and dismayed" by Brandeis's move, which it called a "fundamental violation of the public trust responsibilities it accepted the day it founded the Rose Museum" and a "betrayal of the donors, who generously gave art for the benefit of the students and the public, not for paying bills."

The association suggested that if Brandeis "cannot afford to maintain and exhibit its collection," worth an estimated $350 million, it should "seek another steward of it."

"There are many fine museums in the region capable of caring for these works, even on a temporary basis, while the university explores other options," the statement read.

According to Peter French, Brandeis's chief operating officer, however, selling the collection is the best option Brandeis has.

Speaking with the blog The Daily Beast, French said that the university is facing a projected deficit of $79 million over the next six years, a tapped out reserve fund, an endowment that's already shrunk from $712 last June to $530 million now, and "quite a number" of big donors rocked by the Bernie Madoff scandal, including major givers Carl and Ruth Shapiro, who reportedly lost $545 million in the Ponzi scheme.

French said Brandeis has already cut expenses and staff in the past year or so and raised tuition and fees. He said the school could have closed 40 percent of the university's buildings and laid off 200 of 360 faculty members, drastically changing its mission, but "we'd rather use the Rose."

Museum supporters, students, and locals are seeking to stop the sale, but director Michael Rush, who was told of the decision shortly before it was announced, says the damage has already been done. “The Rose as we’ve known it is over,” he said yesterday at a protest at the museum attended by about 200 people, the Boston Globe reports. Even if the university were to reverse its decision, he added, donors would be hesitant to give artworks and funds after what has happened.