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CAPITAL CAMPAIGNFact Sheet
TheFlorida State University
CAPTURETHE VISION
Jack Haskins had a vision!
In 1947, the Florida State University “Flying High” Circus was created. Jack’s vision was to create an out-of-
class activity to integrate men and women shortly after FSU became a co-ed institution. Today the Circus remains as perhaps the most unique activity for male and female students on the FSU campus. Rivaling many professional circuses, the FSU Circus is primarily an aerial and stage presentation with three rings of spellbinding entertainment for everyone. Student performers rig their own equipment, help sew their own costumes, produce lights and sound for performances, and set up the Big Top tent on campus. The Florida State University Circus is widely recognized. During its 60+ year history, the FSU Flying High Circus has appeared in Europe, Canada, the Bahamas, and the West Indies in addition to hundreds of performances throughout Florida and the Southeast. Over its history, the Circus has received numerous awards and has been featured on national, regional and cable television networks.
The uniqueness of the FSU Flying High Circus lies not in the fact that it is the only tented collegiate circus in the world but rather in how this activity impacts the lives of its student performers. While alumni have gone on to perform professionally with productions such as Ringling and Cirque du Soleil, the vast majority become professionals in their respective areas of study- business, education, medicine, physics, aviation, finance and engineering. The skills of teamwork, perseverance, creativity, dedication and hard work prepare them to become successful leaders in their professions. It has been said that having experienced success in high risk activities, one is prepared to succeed in other areas as well. This is the essence of the Flying High Circus at FSU. It prepares ordinary students to achieve success beyond their wildest dreams.
The FSU Circus would not be in the position it is today were it not for the vision and generosity of others. Whether it was the generosity of other circuses who understood Jack Haskins’ vision and provided equipment in the early days to create the vision, or major national corporations recognizing the uniqueness of the Circus and lending their support to sustain the vision, or an alum who subscribes each year to provide a gift to allow the Circus to venture beyond the constraints of its budget, the achievement of excellence at the FSU Circus has always been the result of individuals who share the unique vision we call the FSU Flying High Circus.
H istory
WhatNow in its sixty second year, the FSU Circus has reached a point where the possibilities that lay ahead of it are brilliant in their scope.
While based on the vision on which it was founded, the current strategic plan has developed an enhanced vision for the Circus far beyond what could have been dreamed of a half century ago. The strategic plan, adopted this year, outlines the plan to manage the dramatic growth in student participation, increases in patronage, and numerous requests for shows beyond the campus in Tallahassee. The strategic plan is based on the mission statement of the Flying High Circus: “To develop and maintain a premier circus show comprised of FSU students in a coeducational environment by teaching students physical circus acts, teamwork skills, and leadership skills. Our core values focus on safety, development, professionalism, and community.”
To achieve the goals of the Flying High Circus and its strategic plan, we are in the early stages of a major gift campaign that will focus on two categories-equipment and facilities.
This plan speaks to the ever-present need for well trained coaches for student performers, all weather rehearsal areas, ongoing monitoring for a safe practice and performance environment, quality performance areas with modern sound, lighting, and production capabilities and enhancing the student experience on the circus lot.
The Circus’s strategic plan recognizes the need for funding in a time of economic uncertainty. Today’s need of revenue sources exceeds that of the past 62 years.
Ticket revenue, donations and performance fees all play an important role in the Circus’s ability to grow and fulfill the vision of its founders and its contemporaries.
The FSU Flying High Circus is embarking on a campaign to fund its strategic plan. This campaign will be called “Capture the Vision.”
The Circus will be seeking the support of its alumni, of corporations who want to partner with the success of the Circus, of communities who want to introduce the uniqueness of our Circus to their citizens, and of those who recognize the value of the vision of the FSU Circus.
To completely accomplish the Circus’s strategic plan will take many years and tens of millions
In order to develop and maintain a premier circus show where safety is of paramount importance, it is necessary to invest in state-of-the-art circus equipment. All equipment has a certain lifespan, some longer than others, but in all instances, equipment must be replaced prior to failure and on a regular basis. Additionally, we need to purchase equipment to support the development of new acts. From the most mundane to the most elaborate, circus equipment for training and performing is expensive.
The immediate need for equiptment includes such items as: tight wire rigging, mini-trampoline, aerial safety net, Russian bar, Spanish web, walking globe, outdoor trapeze rig, German wheel, double/triple trapeze, sound and lighting enhancements, costuming, saftey mats, and large skill cushions.
of dollars. For that reason we have broken down the plan into phases.
We are presently beginning the first phase, the details of which are outlined below. We plan to accomplish this phase in approximately three years by raising 3.8 million dollars.
The future of the FSU Flying High Circus is dependent upon the accomplishment of its strategic plan and the implementation of its strategic vision This vision is complex and has many parts, the largest of which is a new facility from which to base all of the Circus’s activities. It also includes new designs for enhanced productions and the training of new or perhaps forgotten circus skills.
Specifically What
museum, rest rooms, storage, locker/dressing rooms, student lounge/study area, private training and rehearsal rooms, workshop for tools and set building, offices for circus staff. This facility would be approximately 15,000 square feet in size, or about three times the size of our current facility.
Perhaps one of the most enduring portions of the vision of Jack Haskins is that the Circus takes all who want to participate and finds a way to help them meet their circus dreams.
The Flying High Circus does not specifically recruit stars on which to build a show nor does it specifically train its performers to go on to a professional circus career. That it has stars or that some choose to perform professionally is more of an outgrowth of the vision than the basis of the vision. As one student performer said when asked if he wanted to become a circus professional, “Circus is a four year deal, then you go out and make your mark in the world.”
At the FSU Circus, whether one is ordinary or exemplary, the dream of being a star is always within your grasp. That is the magic unique to the FSU Flying High Circus. It is the vision we all work towards. Whether we are students, parents, coaches, community believers or administrators, when you see the Circus you learn its vision.
It is now up to all of us to do our part to further the vision of Jack Haskins, the vision of participation, the vision of opportunity, the vision of teamwork, the vision of excellence, the vision that is the FSU Flying High Circus.
Equipment needsover the next five years
$300,000
New performance tentwithin five years
$500,000
New teaching/practice facilit ywithin ten years
$3,000,000
Why
This equiptment will require an immediate investment of approximately $100,000 with an additional $30,000-$50,000 annually.
Within the next five years, the current tent will need to be replaced. The design will maintain its traditional three ring concept but will incorporate new-state-of-the art materials and construction techniques. A new tent will require an initial investment of approximately $500,000.
Another important component of our strategic plan is to upgrade/replace the currently outdated Circus Hut. A new building would include: indoor practice facilities, wardrobe and costume construction rooms, laundry room, exercise area, box office, concessions and merchandise, conference room, circus library/
WhereIt is anticipated that as part of the University’s Master Plan, within the next ten years the Circus will be relocated from its current location to one closer to the center of campus to the middle of the new student life corridor. It will be located very near the location it enjoyed in the 60’s and early 70’s. The plan calls for a new teaching and rehearsal facility and adequate space for its three ring tent.
HowAn effort of this magnitude is new to the Flying High Circus. To achieve success it will build a comprehensive campaign organization to lead this effort. It will develop a dedicated fund raising effort that will work with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations. This effort will have the full support of the FSU Division of Student Affairs. A full campaign plan will be developed to include an adequate timetable and full adherence to an established campaign calendar.
WhenBeginning immediately with the required planning, the Flying High Circus anticipates that this effort will require several years to complete.
WhoThe Flying High Circus has always received a great deal of mostly indirect support from the University. It receives donations both large and small from its circus alumni and from its friends and supporters. Such important supporters as the Student Government Association and the Circus Alumni Association also play a vital role in the on going operation of the Flying High Circus. Performance fees and ticket revenue support much of the Circus operation.
In the upcoming campaign, the Flying High Circus will be looking to all sources, including those highlighted above and others, to participate in meaningful ways. It will look to these groups and to individuals to provide leadership and provide financial support to accomplish the important goals of the “Capture the Vision” campaign.
Even though we are only in the earliest stages of this campaign, several outstanding alums have already stepped forward to pledge their support. We sincerely hope you, too, will join us in our campaign to Capture the Vision.
