Three candidates, all with extensive experience in administering higher education arts programs, have been selected for on-campus interviews for the post of West Virginia University’s dean of the College of Creative Arts.
They are: C. Cameron Jackson, executive director of the School of Theatre at Florida State University; Paul K. Kreider, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western Illinois University; and Michael Nash, provost of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pa.
WVU Provost Michele Wheatly called the present “an exciting time in the College of Creative Arts.”
“International and interdisciplinary opportunities abound, and the completion of the art museum in the next few years will give the new dean the tools to lead the college into a new decade,” Wheatly said. “The innovation that will be required to move West Virginia University ahead will offer abundant opportunities to engage the creative talents of the faulty, staff and students in the college.”
College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Dean Dana Brooks, who is chairing the dean search committee, said he is pleased that WVU attracted such a large pool of applicants.
“The three candidates invited to campus for the position of the dean of the College of Creative Arts have a wealth of administrative experiences, a demonstrated record of commitment to teaching and learning, and a proven track record of scholarship and engagement,” he said.
The candidate visits will begin Feb. 23 and will conclude March 14.
C. Cameron Jackson
Jackson, executive director of the School of Theatre at Florida State University since 2005, also serves as an associate professor where he teaches a variety of classes at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Prior to his position at FSU, Jackson was director of Production Services at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park; production manager and head of stage management and adjunct professor at the Department of Theatre at Arizona State University; production manager and head of stage management and adjunct professor at the Department of Theatre at the University of Tennessee; and chair of the theatre department of the Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jackson has acted in, directed, produced, stage managed and held a variety of roles in many productions, including several world premiers. He has produced several national music theatre and acting showcases in New York and California and holds multiple roles in the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
Jackson earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting at New York University and his Master of Fine Arts in stage management at the University of Alabama. He also attended Mars Hill College in North Carolina to study musical theater.
Paul K. Kreider
Kreider, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western Illinois University, has served as a professor and administrator and has performed across the world in famous operas.
Before his post at Western Illinois, he was the chair of the Department of Music at Northern Kentucky University; associate dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; chair and assistant chair of the Department of Music; coordinator of Vocal Studies and director of Opera Theater at the department of music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and instructor at West Chester University.
Krieder co-founded the Southern Nevada Opera Association, won a Teacher of the Year award at UNLV and is a Distinguished Alumnus from the University of Arizona School of Music.
He has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Landestheater Salzburg, the Vienna State Opera, Maggio Musicale, Opera Theatre in St. Louis and Atlanta Opera, as well as with symphonies including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Austria’s Mozarteum Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Kentucky Symphony.
Kreider earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and received his master’s degree in music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Arizona. He also studied music and theater at Mankato State University.
Michael Nash
Nash currently serves as provost of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pa.
He has served as dean and chief academic officer of The Boston Conservatory; director of external programs and special assistant to the vice president for academic affairs for international and external programs at Emerson College in Boston; chair of the division of performing arts at Emerson College; producing artistic director of the Porthouse Theatre Company and director of the School of Theatre at Kent State University; and producing artistic director for the Central Casting Theatre Company in Ithaca, N.Y.
Nash has also taught at the Dutch National Theatre School “Toneelacademie Maastricht” in The Netherlands, the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, the Conservatoire Royale de Liege in Belgium, Bates College in Lewiston, Maine; and the Institut des Arts de Diffusion in Belgium.
He has directed plays throughout the U.S. and in Belgium and has served on a variety of associations and committees. He is currently a critic-evaluator in regions III and I of the American College Theatre Festival and a member of the advisory board to the American High School Theatre Festival in Charlottesville, Va.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and English Literature from Cornell University and received his master’s and Ph.D. in Theatre and Drama from the University of Kansas.
WVU faculty may meet with the candidates at scheduled times listed below. Staff and students are also welcome to the forums.
Jackson
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Art Museum of WVU Education Center, Grand Hall
Kreider
Thursday, March 3, 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Art Museum of WVU Education Center, Grand Hall
Michael Nash
Monday, March 14, 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Art Museum of WVU Education Center, Grand Hall
Evaluation forms will be provided at the sessions and an online evaluation and candidate curriculum vitae will be posted on the College of Creative Arts website. Forums specifically for students and staff will be listed on the college’s website and will be available from the main page: http://www.ccarts.wvu.edu/
For each visit, the candidate will meet with President Jim Clements, Provost Michele Wheatly, associate provosts, deans, campus leaders, administrators at the College of Creative Arts and search committee members. The new dean is expected to be in place by July 1.
WVU’s College of Creative Arts includes the divisions of Art & Design, Music, and Theatre & Dance, all professionally accredited and nationally recognized programs in the arts. The college is made up of more than 100 faculty and staff and nearly 800 students.
-WVU-
dm/02/10/11
CONTACT: University Relations/News
304-293-6997
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.