Dean's Messages Archive

As has been my experience, the start of a new academic year brings with it a palpable energy in college towns in late August. This year, I sensed that same energy in State College. Busy streets and campus walkways. Bustling big-box stores with shelves wiped clean of convenience foods. Congested apartment and residence hall parking lots. The students have returned. For many students, as well as faculty and staff, this month marked their first time back on campus since March 2020. For first-year students, this was the beginning of their academic journey. And while Penn State is still carefully navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the delta variant, WE ARE … back on campus and in residence.

I am embarking on my first full in-person year as dean of this amazing college. Since I took on this role in January 2020—and especially over the past 18 months—I have been amazed by and grateful for the dedication, work ethic, and innovation shown by our college community. Creative practice and thinking germane to each of our disciplines has translated into creative approaches to the ways we teach, learn, perform, and research. We have all learned lessons during this pandemic. Yet despite the incredible challenges, stress, and losses we have faced, I think it’s safe to say we have also learned positive lessons that influence our lives every day.

In early summer, we began planning in earnest for the fall—from in-person classes and studios to performances, recitals, and exhibitions. The rapidly changing nature of the pandemic meant we had to adjust some of our plans. We have had to take the guidance from the University and translate much of it for specific situations in our studios, stages, and performance spaces. I want to assure you that the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and patrons have been our highest priority. We are so excited to see you back in our spaces—when it feels safe for you, and you are comfortable to do so. As you plan to attend any events on campus, please be sure to review Penn State and college-specific guidelines before you arrive. Please keep in mind those guidelines are updated frequently.

Last week we celebrated an incredible milestone for the college and the University—the groundbreaking for the new Palmer Museum of Art, to be located at The Arboretum. As I said in my remarks during the ceremony last Friday, my hope is for Penn State to become not only a cultural destination, but also a cultural epicenter of arts and design. The new Palmer Museum of Art is poised to become a place from which ideas and possibilities activated through the arts and design can play a role in changing the world for the better.

Construction of the new museum will take place over the next two years. In its current location, the Palmer will continue to offer both in-person and virtual programming, as will the Center for the Performing Arts, Penn State Centre Stage, the School of Theatre, Penn’s Woods Music Festival, and the School of Music. We also will have a slate of virtual and in-person lectures from the Stuckeman School, School of Visual Arts, and Department of Art History (see the college website for details). As we slowly and carefully resume some of our in-person offerings, we are using the lessons we have learned during the pandemic to continue to offer robust virtual options to allow us to safely stay connected with our college community locally and beyond. Thank you, as always, for your support. I hope to connect with you soon!