California College of the Arts
1111 Eighth Street
San Francisco CA 94107
California College of the Arts (CCA), located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is seeking a Dean of Fine Arts. With two beautiful campuses in Oakland and San Francisco, CCA is a leading art and design college renowned for its interdisciplinarity and breadth of programs and its commitment to students and faculty dedicated to “making art that matters.” The dean joins the institution at a time of substantial opportunity and change, and will play a key role in elevating and growing the Fine Arts Division, while also serving as a lead partner in campus planning and build out of a single campus arts institution with contemporary art and craft making at its core.
Established in 1907, CCA is home to a dynamic and energetic community of artists, architects, designers, writers, curators, and scholars. The college offers 28 programs in four disciplines: fine arts, architecture, design, and writing. CCA enrolls approximately 1,500 undergraduate and 450 graduate degree-seeking students, employs more than 500 faculty and 250 staff, and boasts more than 15,000 alumni. The college’s graduate fine arts program is ranked in the top ten by U.S. News & World Report and CCA has been recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the “greenest colleges in America” for its commitment to environmental sustainability in and out of the classroom.
CCA has ambitious and bold plans for the future. The transition to a one-campus model has already begun and exciting branding activities are under way. The college has newly acquired property to develop, an engaged set of community partners to work with, and will be embarking upon a new capital campaign shortly. Furthermore, the Fine Arts Division is the largest division of the college in terms of programs and supports a diverse and incredibly talented set of faculty and students. The dean will be a key part of the college’s leadership team, will work to amplify and redefine arts education and practice for the 21st century, and will build and design the campus facilities of the future to support this cutting edge transdisciplinary work successfully.
The ideal candidate will be a practicing artist and organizational leader with strong experience in culture change and institution building. The ingredients are there and CCA is poised for its next iteration of growth. To be successful, the dean must address a number of key opportunities and challenges, including:
–craft a compelling vision and growth strategy for the division that articulates the value of a fine arts education and further positions CCA as a leader in 21st century contemporary art and craft making
–bring new thinking to what is needed to achieve, and what constitutes, a creative fine arts education
–marshal and lead San Francisco campus consolidation efforts
–build visibility for the fine arts locally, nationally and globally
Review of confidential nominations and applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries, nominations, and applications, including a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and list of professional references (with full contact information), should be submitted in confidence to: Regan Gough and Courtney Wilk, Isaacson, Miller, at www.imsearch.com/5700.
CCA is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity.
