Robert F. Olin, Ph.D.

Dean and Professor, College of Arts and Sciences

Robert F. Olin is dean of The University of Alabama’s College of Arts and Sciences, UA’s largest division with 521 faculty, 10,000+ students, and an annual budget of over $100 million.

Olin is known nationally for his innovations in educational technology. He is the recipient of the national 2002 Virginia B. Smith Innovative Leadership Award given to individuals who demonstrate their ability to foster changes in higher education that result in substantial improvements.

Olin began, the Alabama-Cuba Initiative, that, to date, has partnered some 150+ University faculty members with faculty members at the University of Havana in research and creative collaborations.

A goal of Olin’s administration has been to elevate the regional and national profile of the College’s fine humanities and fine arts programs. Most recently, he was successful in obtaining the gift of the $10 million Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art for the University, one of the largest and most representative collections of African American art in the world and, in 2011, opening the Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in downtown Tuscaloosa.

Olin is a strong proponent of the humanities and fine arts and has served on the board of the Alabama Humanities Foundation. He obtained private support for and initiated the SummerTide Theatre in Gulf Shores, Alabama, a six-week long professional theatre presented by the College’s Department of Theatre and Dance. He established the annual UA New York Showcase, an off-Broadway production by UA musical theatre students that showcases their talents to employers.