The College of the Arts Celebrates its 40th Anniversary
Sculpture,
circa 1968
Sculpture,
circa 2006
“The time is ripe for the arts.”
That’s what Andy Broekema said in 1976 when he succeeded Lee Rigsby as second dean of the College of the Arts. In 2007, I can say with certainty that once again the time is ripe for the arts, as we continue to build on our already outstanding programs and flourish in an energized atmosphere on campus. As we celebrate our first four decades, we move forward with increasing activities in our communities and internationally. We strive to create and renovate arts spaces on campus and off that foster our students’ blossoming creativity. And we reach out to big cities and small towns everywhere to recruit the best and brightest students. This 40-year milestone gives us a chance to look back with pride . . . and to look forward with much excitement and anticipation.
Karen A. Bell, Dean
Just the beginning
In 1968. the College of the Arts is formed as one administrative unit to give more attention and focus to the arts. Though the arts date back to the early years of the university in the late 1800s, this is the first time they are together in one, cohesive organization. The college is comprised of Art, Art Education, Dance, Design, History of Art, Theatre and Music. Lee Rigsby, former director of the School of Music, is named dean. At the same time, Design goes from being a division in Fine Arts to a stand-alone department.
Over the next 40 years, each department in the College of the Arts will distinguish itself among other colleges and universities nationwide. This effort has lead to #1 nationwide rankings for the Graduate Art Education and Dance programs, #2 nationwide ranking for the Undergraduate Dance program, and top ten rankings for Graduate Design, Product Design, Art-Ceramics, and Art-Sculpture. Click here to see a complete list of rankings.