Roundtable Presentations 2019
as part of our 56th Annual Conference
AT&T Conference Center
Austin, Texas

Bullying in the Higher Education Workplace: Defining, Confronting and Curtailing Undesirable Behaviors

This roundtable session explores various aspects of this common problem, including:

• Defining and identifying bullying;
• Creating efficient mechanisms for employees to report bully behaviors;
• Best practices for creating anti-bullying policy statements;
• Implementing effective deterrents for mitigating such behaviors.

Finally, this discussion explores the “soft skills” that an administrator must develop in order to confront bullies and to promote civility in the workplace.  While confronting bullies can be a difficult undertaking, taking such steps may lead to happier employees, a more positive culture, and an environment more conducive to learning.

Michael Thrasher, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies
College of Music
Florida State University
(850) 644-5848
[email protected]

Caring Climate: Addressing Microaggressive Behaviors to Improve Campus Environment

Microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative . . . slights and insults” (Sue, Derald Wing, et al., "Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life," American Psychologist 62.4 [2007], p. 271). This session will outline a campus program that 

was designed to improve campus climate by raising awareness of microaggressions that can occur in the campus environment, while introducing microresistance strategies for addressing them.  This program utilizes a "train the trainers" model to cost-effectively raise awareness across the university in multiple spaces.   

Melissa Berke, Associate Dean
College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media
University of Nebraska at Omaha
(402) 554-3609
[email protected]

Cynthia Ganote, Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology
University of Louisville
(502) 852-2089
[email protected]

Creativity in Higher Education

There is a growing question about the 20th century's psychological concept of creativity, almost 100 years since introduced, and its relevance in preparing students to thrive in a world whose problems exceed the limits of creativity in any single discipline. There is a need to take a good hard look at the question and asks, how can the concept of creativity be understood from an individual, internal process into a force that also generates between people? For example, how creativity differentiates the different degrees of collaboration from pure networking to team working to a highly convergent form of collaboration (group/community creativity). Also, the question of how collaboration should work from the viewpoint of different disciplines in the arts.

Academic deans need to understand how and why universities are reimagining creativity for the 21st century. It makes a compelling case for administrators to question the traditional structures in higher education and to become change leaders in preparing students for a future through collaborative creativity. Therefore, we are witnessing a new era of creativity in arts administration is beginning to take shape.

These topics came up as part of the new ICFAD book Leonardo's Children: Stories on Creativity by Fine Arts Deans that will Blow your Mind edited by two presenters. This book is a collection of 13 articles by 19 authors from the U.S. and Europe explores the role and value of creativity in bringing people together from across disciplinary boundaries to solve problems in today's hyper-connected and complex world.

Steven J. Peters, Dean
College of Fine Arts 
University of Montevallo
(205) 665-6663
[email protected]

Aldemaro Romero Jr., Dean
Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
Baruch College
(646) 312-1000
[email protected]

Developing a Plan for Increasing Student Retention Rates

As state funding formulas have shifted from a focus on enrollment to retention and 6-year graduation rates, universities have begun to experiment with strategies aimed at increasing student retention. This session will describe specific strategies we have implemented in the College of Communication and Fine Arts at the University of Memphis with special focus on the use of EAB® Navigate.

Ryan Fisher
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
College of Communication and Fine Arts
The University of Memphis
(901) 678-3196
[email protected]

Evaluating Faculty Engaging in Interdisciplinary Activities, Arts Integration, Community Engagement and Public Research.

“I can perform in a favela in Brazil, but if I do the same performance that engages with my home community, it is not recognized for promotion and tenure or in my performance evaluation,” so commented one of our arts colleagues. This roundtable will explore ways to encourage and reward interdisciplinary activities, arts integration, community engagement and public research. How are collaborative activities and those that span the boundaries of research and creative activity credited?  What is the significance of self-produced work that impacts the community or scholarship that speaks to a public, non-academic audience?  How do we count research and creative activity that appears or is cited in online venues that lie beyond the markers of traditional publication or the institutional gatekeepers of cultural opinion? Rather than merely ask questions and describe the problem, this roundtable seeks actionable insight to advance these issues within our universities’ evaluation processes.

Kevin Hamilton
Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
[email protected]
(217) 332-5833

Barbara Oliver Korner
Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture Emerita
Pennsylvania State University
[email protected]
(814) 865-2591

Chuck O’Connor
Dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
[email protected] 
(402) 472-9339

George B. Stauffer
Dean Emeritus
Mason Gross School of the Arts
Rutgers University
[email protected]
(848) 932-9360

Faculty and Student Wellness:  Creating a Culture of Self-Care

Our students come to us with varying abilities to meet challenges, cope with anxiety or self-advocate.  University services are stretched beyond capacity.  Our faculty face ever-increasing demands on their time and energies while also dealing with rising numbers of students in crisis.  How do we promote a culture where faculty model self-care and students learn the necessary skills for self-care and self-advocacy?

Tameka Ellington
Associate Dean, College of the Arts
Kent State University
[email protected]
330-672-4646

Sandi Randulic
Director of Advising, College of the Arts
Kent State University
[email protected]
330-672-2780

Cynthia R. Stillings
Associate Dean for the College of the Arts 
Kent State University
(330) 672-0119
[email protected]

Hiring for 2040: Creating the Future of the Arts through Faculty Recruitment

In 2016 the Florida state legislature allocated 500 new faculty lines to the University of Florida, to be filled over the course of two years. Through a university-wide proposal process, the UF College of the Arts was able to secure 29 of those new faculty lines and fill them over the course of two annual waves. The first wave of hires addressed many of critical "holes," and allowed cleaner curricular operation. In an effort to strategically utilize the second wave, the College of the Arts' Deans team worked with departmental leadership to create bottom-up methods through which faculty and staff could help shape our shared vision for this wave. The result has been a dramatically more diverse pool of candidates than we had accessed to date, and a radically inclusive and progressive approach to search committee structures and process, which yielded shifts within departmental cultures and elevated college-level identity. 

Anthony J. Kolenic
Assistant Dean of Research, Technology and Administrative Affairs
College of the Arts
University of Florida
(352) 273-1484
[email protected]

iArt, a New Approach to General Education

Recognizing that our typical approach to Fine Arts General Education is essentially a humanities course, our faculty set out to produce a different approach.  The result, iArt, is an exploration of the creative process through four arts disciplines:  visual art, dance, music, theatre.  This approach is engaged learning at its best and offers many fringe benefits including interdisciplinary collaboration among fine arts faculty.  A roundtable discussion would include a general description of the approach, initial results, and discussion of lessons learned going forward.

Jeffery W. Jarvis, Dean
College of the Arts
Dixie State University
(435) 652-7792
[email protected]u

Living on the Edge (of Campus)

We frequently find that College & University campuses are being pushed to broader geographical boundaries, repositioning their campus ‘edge’ and leveraging new connections with their neighbors and other local institutions. The arts are often at the forefront of this expansion as pioneers of experimental space and as ambassadors through public engagement. Through this lens, we will explore two recently completed projects: the MIT experimental theatre and the Seton Hill University Arts Center both or which were built at the edge of their respective campuses. We will discuss how locations for an arts building at the edge of campus can be leveraged to create identity for the programs within, engage the local community, and provide opportunities for collaboration with other community stakeholders. Attendees will better understand how to take advantage of boundary edges on their campus through programming and design to strengthen both their arts programs and community relationships. Additionally, attendees will be able to:

1. Identify programs that can succeed at boundary edge conditions

2. Identify boundary edge sites that present opportunities for growth

3. Engage local communities through planning

4. Leverage design to amplify other objectives

Sam Batchelor, AIA, Partner
designLAB architects
principal in charge for MIT Theater Arts Building
(617) 350-3005
[email protected]

Sara Brown, Senior Lecturer
Assistant Professor with MIT Music and Theater Arts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(617) 253-0862
[email protected]

Curt Scheib, DMA
Dean, College of Fine Arts
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA 15705
(724) 357-2397
[email protected]
[former Dean - School of Visual and Performing Arts at Seton Hill University]

Ben Youtz, AIA, Partner
designLAB architects
principal in charge for Seton Hill Arts Center
(617) 350-3005
[email protected]

Network Connections - Finding Common Ground

This roundtable will focus on creating awareness among participants about a variety of arts administration networks and resources that could be useful to ICFAD members and conference attendees. Led by two arts administration faculty who are running arts administration programs on the undergraduate and graduate level, participants will be introduced to (or reminded of) a number of available networks and resources for higher education administrators, faculty and students. Roundtable facilitators will also aim to gather feedback from ICFAD members about the utility of existing networks, and what needs exist for additional resources that could support the work of arts administrators in higher education.

Travis Newton, Associate Professor
Director, Undergraduate and Graduate Arts Administration Programs
Director, Le Moyne College Symphony Orchestra
Le Moyne College
(315) 445-4201
[email protected]

Rachel Shane, Associate Professor, College of Fine Arts
Associate Professor, College of Business and Economics
University of Kentucky 
(859) 257-7717
[email protected]

The Promise of University Public Art: Building Landmarks

This roundtable session explores various aspects of crafting a successful university public art program, including:

• Overcoming skepticism: methods for establishing a percent-for-art policy and making a compelling case
• Checks and balances: establishing favorable review and approval processes
• Long-term loans: how borrowing an established collection can kickstart a public art program  
• Curating a collection: how to build curricular relevance and foster cross-campus collaborations
• Conservation: transforming an ongoing need into learning opportunities

Andrée Bober, Founder and Director of Landmarks,
the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin
(512) 495-4315
[email protected]

Should We Stay or Should We Go: Renovate or Build New?

This roundtable discussion will provide you with information on the age-old debate on whether to renovate, add on or build new. Led by a dean who’s been through several building projects, with context provided by an architect experienced in leading renovations, additions and new building projects, we invite you to share your stories, questions, and advice. Considerations we will discuss include:

• Leveraging use of existing resources
• Sustainability and environmental factors
• Accessibility, access and inclusion
• Accreditation requirements
• Program disruption and swing space
• Budget factors
• Funding strategies, including donor considerations
• Campus politics

Please join us to share your story with your ICFAD colleagues and hear advice on how to support decision-making at your institution.

Eric W. Unruh, Dean
School of Fine Arts and Humanities
Casper College
(307) 268-2537
[email protected]

Roxanne Nelson, AIA, LEED AP, Arts Studio Principal
HGA Architects and Engineers
(612) 758-4342
[email protected]

So, You Are Building a New Visual Arts Space… Lessons Learned

This session will elucidate some of the known unknowns and some of the who ever heard of such a things arising from visual arts building projects including renovations, small-scale builds, and large-scale builds. Discussion will include relationships between various roles such as design architect, build architect, project manager, builders, subcontractors and processes ranging from program planning to “value engineering” to move in and beyond. Those welcome include administrators moving into a new construction project or those willing to share the wisdom from their experiences.  

Denise Amy Baxter, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs
College of Visual Arts and Design
University of North Texas
(940) 565-3986
[email protected]

Eric Ligon, Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs
College of Visual Arts and Design
University of North Texas
940-565-4001
[email protected]

Greg Watts, Dean
College of Visual Arts and Design
University of North Texas
(940) 565-4003
[email protected]

Sustainability in the Arts: Beyond One Fed-Up Designer, or Implementing Institutional Change for Social and Environmental Impact in the Arts.

Sandra Goldmark will present on emissions reduction and social impacts through "circular design and production." How can we create an institutional rationale - and a simple easy-to-use toolkit - to leverage and adapt our current design, budget, and production practices?  How can we create art that is responsive and responsible not only in terms of product, but also process?

Sandra Goldmark
Associate Professor of Professional Practice and Director, Campus Sustainability & Climate Action
Barnard College
[email protected]
(212) 854-6863 

Curtis Kasefang
Theatre Consultants Collaborative
[email protected]
(919) 546-0288