Pauley, who earned a master of fine arts in painting here in 1987, comes to the Kennedy from the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, N.D., where he is president and CEO. There, he secured $1.2 million toward future capital improvements, achieved American Association of Museums accreditation for the museum and implemented a Visitors Experience Task Force.

"I look forward to returning to Athens, Ohio," Pauley said. "The Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University has an outstanding staff and extraordinary collections. The enthusiastic support expressed for the museum by the dean of the College of Fine Arts, Chuck McWeeny, and university President Roderick McDavis is very important and significant. They, along with others I met during my interview, comprehend what great potential there is for the museum to be a premier visual arts institution in southeast Ohio."

As director, Pauley will work to ensure the museum's influence on the university and in the region through the arts and arts education. He will provide guidance and artistic direction for programs, exhibits and collections, and lead the museum's collaborations with other university programs and academic departments.

"A primary focus will be broadening and deepening the role (the) Kennedy Museum of Art plays within the university and community," Pauley said. "(That begins with) clearly communicating that the Kennedy Museum of Art is an excellent community asset as well as an accessible resource. Fortunately, we have significant collections and a highly professional staff in place."

Pauley said his immediate goals include hiring a curator, exploring ways to foster more student involvement and beginning the  American Association of Museums accreditation process.

Prior to his current assignment, Pauley served as executive director of the Cultural Center of Fine Arts in Parkersburg, W.Va.; executive director of the Black Mountain Swannanoa Center of Fine Arts in Black Mountain, N.C.; and director of education at the Huntington (W.Va.) Museum of Art.

"We are fortunate to get someone of Ed Pauley's experience to direct our Kennedy Museum of Art," said Chuck McWeeny, dean of the College of Fine Arts. "The museum is destined for great things in the near future, and I believe Mr. Pauley is the perfect person to take us there. He comes with a wealth of experience, he knows the region and he has a great vision for the museum."

More than 9,000 objects make up the museum's collections. The museum, which opened in 1996, houses the nationally recognized Edwin L. and Ruth E. Kennedy Southwest Native American Collection -- a unique and culturally significant collection of Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and other Pueblo weavings and silverwork -- as well as a renowned contemporary print collection.

"The museum has become an attraction for the university and an important cultural center for the region and has the potential to have an even broader sphere of influence," McWeeny said. "Edward Pauley's knowledge of museums and the arts and, as an alumnus, love of the institution will be an asset to our goals to create a model for integrating the museum and the arts into the academics and to continue the renovation of Lin Hall."

Pauley succeeds Sandra Sleight-Brennan, who has served as interim director of the museum since September. Sleight-Brennan plans to remain in Athens and continue her work as an independent radio producer and media consultant.