Barbara Oliver Korner

Dean, Penn State College of Arts and Architecture

As dean of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture, Dr. Barbara Oliver Korner oversees multiple academic units plus the Center for the Performing Arts, Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State Centre Stage, and Music at Penn’s Woods. Before coming to Penn State in June 2007, Dr. Korner, who holds the rank of professor of theatre, served as associate dean for academic and student affairs in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Florida for seven years. Her other academic administrative experience includes serving as dean of fine and performing arts at Seattle Pacific University and special assistant to the chancellor at the University of Missouri at Columbia. 

Dr. Korner holds a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary fine arts from Ohio University, a master’s in theatre performance, and an undergraduate degree in theatre production. She has been recognized as a distinguished alumna of the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University.

With Carla Waal, Dr. Korner is the co-editor of Hardship and Hope: Missouri Women Writing About Their Lives. She is the writer/performer of Responding to the Call: African-American Women Preachers.

Dr. Korner holds a certificate from the Institute for Management and Leadership at Harvard University and is the co-director of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Leadership Institute, which she co-founded. She has held leadership positions in ATHE and the International Council of Fine Arts Deans, and currently chairs the Executive Committee of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), of which Penn State is a founding partner.