As some of those posting here have said, those who donated the artwork are very unhappy (except those who are safely dead, like the original Rose whom the museum honors). Trust the Wall Street Journal to discover some disgruntled donors:
"Jonathan Novak and David Genser, said they were shocked by the decision and hadn't been alerted in advance. "It's an absolute travesty," Mr. Genser said. 'I'm heartbroken. I would think that anyone who has any feeling for Brandeis or the Rose Museum is devastated by this.'"

But I am not at all surprised. The relationship between Brandeis administrations and this museum has been a vexed one. The renovation referred to above was needed because the museum had been physically neglected for years. I seem to remember that in the 90s there was talk about closing the museum, with others voicing the comment that one administrator made in the recent press release, "the Museum is peripheral to the University's mission." I do remember that the Art History department when I was a student didn't play well with the Abstract Expressionist emphasis of the Museum. There's a more canonical and enthusiastic history at http://www.brandeis.edu/rose/aboutus/history.html
Ironically: it's written in anticipation of the institution's 50th anniversary,as though it were already 2011.