Janet Hethorn
Dean, College of the Arts and Media
Central Michigan University

Janet Hethorn began serving as Dean of the College the Arts and Media in August, 2015.  As CAM dean, she leads six academic departments and schools – Department of Art and Design, School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts, Department of Communication, Department of Journalism, Department of Theatre and Dance, and the School of Music – and in addition, oversees three interdisciplinary programs: Integrative Public Relations, Multimedia Design, and Music Theatre. 

Under Dean Hethorn’s leadership, the college is energetically pursuing new strategic initiatives in order to advance the reach and relevance of programs, enhance student experiences and grow faculty research and creative activities.  Collaboration emerged as a top CAM priority in support of cross-disciplinary action and innovative processes. 

Hethorn implemented a new Leadership Fellow program, launched in 2017, with the goal of increasing international presence for students and faculty.  The 2018 Leadership Fellow focused on increasing public engagement and developing external partnerships.  Hethorn worked along side other CMU deans to create the Center for Interdisciplinary Community Health and Wellness, a five-college effort that collaborates with partners statewide.

Prior to joining CMU, Hethorn was a professor at the University of Delaware where she served as chair in the Department of Art in addition to leadership roles at the university’s Center for Material Culture Studies and the Center for Historic Architecture and Design. She also was the founding director of the Delaware Design Institute.   Hethorn earned a doctoral degree in design from the University of Minnesota and is active in research on visual style in everyday situations and the issues that emerge from diverse aesthetic responses and perspectives. Her studio work integrates these findings and incorporates the core values of design thinking, user-centeredness and sustainability.

She co-authored Sustainable Fashion, What’s Next, published by Bloomsbury, NY, and speaks often on sustainable design practices.