NSU Fine & Graphic Arts

Leadership Philosophy
Integration: This is an under addressed issue in art education but one which I believe is key to a balanced approach. My graduate education provided no such model. Art students regularly matriculated through art history courses as a matter of requirement. Rarely was the reverse the case. To me, this produced an imbalance in the education of the art historian. Lacking was the intuitive sense garnered by the practical side of the discipline. Lack of intuition breeds poor criticism. The artist had learned that to be successful both sides of the brain had to be employed. I believe that such should also be part of a sound art history education. My own background is a model. I was first an artist then an art historian. I became an architectural historian and then degreed in architectural practice, not to be an architect (although I have worked as one) but to provide a greater insight into the critical processes necessary to understand architecture as both art and engineering. This does not mean that I wish the art historian to first be an artist but it does imply that I believe that some practical course work in art should be encouraged. This would be my model for a 21st century art/art history education.

Diversity and Academic Freedom: One of the greatest keys to a quality public education is diversity. What this brings to any campus is a sense that all cultures and opinions brought to the table hold equal weight. The value each brings to the debate can be tested then by a balanced set of both practical and studied viewpoints. The intellectual debate – the core of a sound higher education – enhances the pursuit of individual knowledge, gently guided by the professor, and can progress unabated to the betterment of the local community and society as a whole. This idea also provides complete academic freedom to the instructional staff acknowledging that balance is inherent in good teaching and the hiring of faculty. My leadership style fosters this kind of environment. The experience I have garnered from both my work in the academy and in business has informed this opinion.

Trust your experts: Simply put, there is an implicit understanding that the administrators and professors in the university are experts in their respective fields. Thus the best use of academic administrative time is to empower individuals to continue their work of instructing and mentoring forthcoming generations. In that empowerment is the expectation that each knows what they are doing in the classroom and the extent to which that expertise applies to their extra duties at the university. If advice is needed or sought in the management of such a group, I strive to approach it in the most honest and temperate way possible, respecting and honoring this expertise. It is then that the administrator can turn a focused attention to serving the student and producing long-term goals and results for the Dean, the Administration and Board of Trustees.

Visibility and Viability: Continued institutional development and refinement is a must. External fund-raising efforts grow principally from the pride expressed by alumni and unaffiliated businesses in accomplishments on the part of their alma mater or the graduates of this institution.

Previous instruction was controlled and narrow. Certain standards must remain to meet accreditation qualifications but more creative thinking is needed to educate the whole person. Continuing and extended education programs need to continually refined or developed. One of the keys to competitiveness in the current marketplace is the ability to provide an excellent education in this area. Most of the mature dollars that are being expended today are in adult, continuing and on-line education.

Finally, with regard to my second point, I also find that the more diverse the institutional and student population, the more people groups are affected by the school on multiple levels. Such diversity among faculty and students gives one entrée into addressing issues that impact cultures and communities heretofore ignored or unreached. It also invites people into the decision making process of education that have been previously marginalized or ignored. In my humble estimation the future growth of the College and the American “melting pot” demand nothing less.

This inclusive approach extends beyond cultural integration to the melding of diverse disciplines. Each a piece of a vast kit of parts that when assembled creates an instructional model for a new kind of citizen in the 21st century.