Dean of the College of Visual & Performing Arts
Reporting directly to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Dean is the leader of the college, overseeing a vibrant academic enterprise that serves roughly 500 undergraduate students in 18 program areas and 25 graduate students in 11 master’s programs each year. The College also serves roughly 60 online students each year and offers four post-baccalaureate certificate programs. The Dean leads, supports and advocates for a talented and diverse faculty of dedicated scholars, artists and teachers, comprised of 22 tenure-line faculty and 42 full- and part-time teaching faculty in three academic departments.
In keeping with UMass Dartmouth’s mission of promoting engaged teaching and learning, innovative research, and student success, the Dean of the College of Visual & Performing Arts will uphold high standards for academic programs, scholarship, creative work and research practice; advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the college and the university; promote sustained enrollment growth; and further strengthen UMass Dartmouth’s national profile and reputation.
To help identify candidates, the following search committee was formed:
- Amy Shapiro, Dean, Honors College (Chair)
- Tesfay Meressi, Associate Provost for Graduate Studies
- Ann Kim, Associate Dean, CVPA
- Melissa Leaym-Fernandez, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Art Education, Art History and Media Studies
- Suzanne Schireson, Professor, Department of Art and Design
- Jing Wang, Professor, Department of Music
- Arianne Driscoll ’25