Dean Raymond Tymas-Jones recently discussed his vision for the College of Fine Arts with Outlook. This is part of a series giving deans an opportunity to share their thoughts with the Ohio University community.
What is your vision for the College?
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| Raymond Tymas-Jones |
The College of Fine Arts is a professional college in the arts devoted to the training and development of professional artists, educators and scholars, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, in the disciplines of the fine and performing arts: visual arts, dance, film, music and theater. The college is committed to create a culture of accessibility to vibrant and inspiring arts offerings that will enliven the entire community and region. Achieving this mission requires the collaborative efforts of the College of Fine Arts, the Edwin L. and Ruth E. Kennedy Museum of Art and the Performing Arts Series, the three principal arts units at Ohio University. It is my mission that the arts are central to Ohio University and that the artistic and cultural offerings of the College of Fine Arts' faculty and students continue to be recognized as the highest caliber among universities and arts institutions. As dean of the college, I am privileged to observe the full spectrum of a continuous evolution of the arts at Ohio University through the creative and scholarly research among faculty and students.
During your tenure as dean, has your vision for the college changed and/or adapted?
If anything, it is crystallizing. The fundamental mission of the college is two-fold: the development of our students and encouraging creative and scholarly research as a fabric of their artistic lives and the artistic and cultural environment of Ohio University.
What opportunities are you focusing on?
The focus is on technology. The use of technology in the creative world, in the world of the arts, as in society, has become a central component of life as we know it. Today, with the use of technology, there are far greater opportunities for the exploration of art making. With the incorporation of technology as an important component of the art making process, it is essential that technology is broadened within the context of our curriculum.
In the last year, we have begun to provide even greater support to enhance creative and scholarly research for both faculty and students. For several years, the college has allocated resources for our undergraduate and graduate research funds. This past year, I established special funding to support scholarly and creative research projects among the faculty with the College of Fine Arts Scholarly and Creative Research Grant Award program. The awards are granted on a competitive basis and all Group 1 faculty are eligible to participate.
What are the college's strengths?
The faculty has to be at the top of the list. Our strength lies in our resource of practicing artists and scholars who are engaged in the development and training of artists and the students of Ohio University.
Our programming is strong, not only in terms of the current opportunities we provide for students but in the fact that the faculty are consistently searching for and seeking ways to assure the currency of our programs and ensure that our graduating students become full participants in the professional world of art.
Specifically, I certainly have to mention our outstanding ceramics program, with its recent recognition in U.S. News & World Report's 2004 Graduate School rankings.
What are your most significant accomplishments?
Well, I think one accomplishment that I would champion is a greater sense of community within the college itself. Both faculty and students are cognizant of and appreciate the interconnections of being within a college of the arts. And that sense of community has come from efforts such as our Annual College Convocation, interdisciplinary projects and the like.
With regard to our international focus, there has been an explosion, if you will, of international opportunities spearheaded by faculty who are providing greater cultural and artistic exchange with China, Argentina, Croatia, Italy and Germany, just to name a few. We are also in the midst of forming a new study center in London.
What challenges are ahead?
Budget. That's the only word.
We have been very successful this hiring season to attract and hire faculty who bring a high level of experience as artists and educators from other prestigious programs who want to be a part of this college. My challenge is being able to keep the momentum, the synergy and the energy of the college moving forward during a time when we are facing budget reductions that have not been experienced in recent decades.
