Administration

Search underway for new dean of the College of Arts and Architecture

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has launched a national search for the next dean of the College of Arts and Architecture. Hari Osofsky, dean of Penn State Law and the Penn State School of International Affairs, is chairing the search committee.

Barbara Korner, who has led the college since 2007, announced in March that she will retire as dean on June 30, 2019.

“Our College of Arts and Architecture has grown substantially in the past decade, with a robust community of faculty and students engaged in several highly acclaimed degree programs,” said Nick Jones, Penn State’s executive vice president and provost. “We expect the college’s next dean will build on its many successes and further support our strategic priority to advance the arts and humanities across the University.”

Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture is a comprehensive arts community with approximately 200 full-time faculty, 60 part-time faculty, 120 full-time staff, and nearly 1,500 students, and academic programs in music, theatre, visual arts, art education, graphic design, art history, architecture, and landscape architecture. In addition, the college is home to several research centers and institutes, which help to foster a vibrant culture of inquiry that promotes excellence within the arts and design disciplines, while leveraging the potential of a comprehensive research university.

As one of the major cultural centers between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the college also includes the Center for the Performing Arts, the Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State Centre Stage, and Penn's Woods Music Festival, which serve as important cultural resources that provide educational outreach programs for Penn State and area communities.

Reporting directly to Provost Jones, the dean serves as the chief academic and administrative officer of the college. The dean will foster expectations for high-impact scholarship, research and creative work; effective undergraduate, graduate and professional education; service to the local and state community; and collaborations with other University units. The dean also has the leading role in building alumni relationships and will be engaged in significant fundraising efforts within the professions and creative communities represented by the college.

Nominations and applications will be held in strict confidence and reviewed immediately. Applications should include a detailed resume and a letter of interest that addresses the responsibilities and requirements, as well as the applicant’s motivation to apply. 

Inquiries, nominations and applications should be submitted electronically to psu-CAAdean@kornferry.com. The search will continue until an appointment is made.

Members of the search committee are:

  • Kathy Bieschke, vice provost for faculty affairs
  • Booker Stephen Carpenter ll, interim director, School of Visual Arts, and professor of art education and African-American studies
  • Christine Cooper, administrative support coordinator, art history
  • Felicia Davis, associate professor of architecture, Stuckeman Center for Design Computing, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
  • William Doan, professor of theatre, School of Theatre
  • Jose Duarte, Stuckeman Chair in Design Innovation and director of the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing
  • Amina Faye, undergraduate student, musical theatre
  • Don Lenze, director of development, College of Arts and Architecture
  • Stephen Mainzer, assistant teaching professor, landscape architecture
  • Keri Mongelluzzo, graduate assistant, art history
  • Hari Osofsky, search committee chair, dean of Penn State Law and the Penn State School of International Affairs
  • Marica Tacconi, professor of music and associate director of the School of Music
  • George Trudeau, associate clinical professor, College of Arts and Architecture, and director of the Center for the Performing Arts
Last Updated December 21, 2018