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, Filed Under: From the Dean

An Update in the Department of Art and Art History

Dear Advisory Council members,

I am writing to let you know that Jack Risley will be stepping down as chair of the Department of Art and Art History on Aug. 31, 2019.

Jack and his wife, Professor Amy Hauft, will be moving to St. Louis, where Amy has accepted a position as the director of the College and Graduate School of Art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University. Please join me in thanking and congratulating them as they embark on this new chapter in their lives.

Continue Reading An Update in the Department of Art and Art History

, Filed Under: From the Chair

Fall 2018 Message from Sara Hallam

Dear Friends,

It was great to see so many of you at the fall meeting in October. Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend. For those of you unable to join us, please take a moment to read the meeting overview below. There are many exciting opportunities on the horizon, and we will need the help of the entire council to make them a reality.

One item of business we always discuss in the fall meeting is nominating new members to join next year’s council. Our council has always been unique at UT thanks to the dedication and strong support of its members, and we are excited to welcome new friends to continue that tradition.

Continue Reading Fall 2018 Message from Sara Hallam

, Filed Under: Development Updates

Fall 2018 Update from Sondra Lomax

Dear Friends,

What a great gathering on campus in October for our fall council meeting!  My appreciation to all who attended. Since that meeting, the development officers have been traveling around the state to meet with members individually to ask how you might wish to become involved with our college’s campaign initiatives. Please welcome them when they reach out. Lots of exciting projects happening college-wide!

As Doug Dempster stated at the meeting, “The time is NOW to address our facilities’ needs.” As you learned, COFA student enrollment has increased by 20 percent over the past two years, and we are expecting a 40 percent increase by 2021. Much of this growth is in disciplines that did not exist 50 years ago when our 20th century facilities were built.

Continue Reading Fall 2018 Update from Sondra Lomax

, Filed Under: Development Updates

Spring 2018 Update from Sondra Lomax

Dear Friends,

What a busy spring! The past few months have flown by with non-stop activity on campus, our ongoing regional Advisory Council meetings, and the hire of new development team members. Doug and I always enjoy traveling around the state to visit with you, and I want to extend my appreciation again to everyone who hosted or attended the regional meetings.

And now for some exciting news:  I am happy to report that this year will be the most successful fundraising year for the College of Fine Arts since Ernest and Sarah Butler made their landmark $55 million gift to name the School of Music in 2008.

Continue Reading Spring 2018 Update from Sondra Lomax

, Filed Under: From the Chair

Spring 2018 Message from Vicki Bartholow

Dear Friends,

I imagine that you, like me, are getting ready for a summer full of travel, rest, and relaxation. So I ask that you to take a moment to confirm that our fall Advisory Council meeting is on your calendars for Friday, October 12. I hope that you will make every effort to attend. It is such an important opportunity to hear from Doug and Sondra, meet students and faculty, and of course, visit with your fellow council members.

Thank you to everyone who attended the regional meetings in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio this spring. Doug’s update about the School of Design and Creative Technologies and growth throughout the college, including his efforts around creating successful college-to-career transitions for Fine Arts students, was informative and inspiring.

Continue Reading Spring 2018 Message from Vicki Bartholow

, Filed Under: Development Updates

Winter 2017 Update from Sondra Lomax

Dear Friends,

One of our biggest changes this past year is an internal one: the reorganization of the college’s development operations. We now share resources and staffing with the University Development Office and have hired several new team members.

First, many of you already know Andrew West from his previous position as Director of Development for the Butler School of Music. He will now be the college’s new Director of Principal Gifts. In this well-deserved promotion, Andrew will be focusing on the highest level of gifts across the college while working closely with Doug and me, plus the Chairs and Directors, on COFA’s top fundraising priorities. Andrew has more than 10 years of fundraising experience, along with an impressive track record for his recent successes with the Butler School and the Longhorn Band.

We also have two new gift officers who have recently joined our team, Marcela DeFaria and Alex Scull. Please read more about them below. Our appreciation to Vice President for Development Scott Rabenold for his support in this expansion, which will allow us to greatly increase our fundraising for the benefit of the college and the university.

Continue Reading Winter 2017 Update from Sondra Lomax

, Filed Under: From the Chair

Winter 2017 Message from Vicki Bartholow

Dear Friends,

It was wonderful to see so many of you at this year’s fall meeting in October. Thank you to everyone who attended. We on the council support the College of Fine Arts with our time, talent, and treasure, so I appreciate those of you who were able to give us your day. If you were unable to come this year, see below for a full recap. I hope you all will save the date for our fall 2018 meeting on Friday, October 12.

As you know, we also used the fall meeting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Fine Arts Advisory Council. It was so fun to see photos of our cohorts from 10 to 30 years ago and reminds me how we are part of an ongoing tradition of arts advocacy. The council has a great track record of recruiting outstanding members, so as we honor the past, I can’t help but be excited about where we are heading.

Continue Reading Winter 2017 Message from Vicki Bartholow

, Filed Under: From the Dean

Announcing the New School of Design and Creative Technologies

Dear Friends,

As Advisory Council members, you are by now familiar with my refrain: technology, globalization, and new forms of creativity are rapidly changing the arts, artistic practices, the way we access and participate in cultural activities, the commerce of the arts, and the way “creatives” can and must make a living in the cultural and creative industries. And it’s incumbent on a public university arts college to adapt to those changes as rapidly—and radically—as our students need.

With that in mind, I am excited to share news of the creation of the new School of Design and Creative Technologies, a fourth major academic unit of the College of Fine Arts that will include a new Department of Design, a new Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies, the Design Institute for Health, the Center for Integrated Design, as well as a new creative entrepreneurship and innovation initiative.

Continue Reading Announcing the New School of Design and Creative Technologies

, Filed Under: From the Chair

Summer 2017 Message from Vicki Bartholow

Dear Friends,

What a busy spring it has been! I appreciate all of you who were able to join us for the regional meetings in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, I’d like to share some updates on the college and its current initiatives.

Now that students have left campus, major construction has begun in the Level 4 renovation project in the Fine Arts Library. Over the next three months, this 9,000 square foot space will be transformed from library stacks to a newly renovated, state-of-the-art workspace for the extremely popular and ever-expanding Arts and Entertainment Technologies and Design programs.

Earlier this year, the Executive Committee had the opportunity to tour the renovation area, and I can tell you these facilities will provide current and future students with the technology, equipment, and space they need to get a world-class education and flourish in their professional careers. Please join me in supporting Level 4 renovation.

Continue Reading Summer 2017 Message from Vicki Bartholow

, Filed Under: Development Updates

Summer 2017 Update from Sondra Lomax

Dear Friends,

How wonderful to see so many of you at the spring regional meetings around the state! Special thanks again to our hosts: Margaret Gunn in San Antonio, Ginger Head Gearheart in Fort Worth, Vicki Bartholow in Dallas, Mimi Smith in Austin, and Melissa Ison in Houston. We look forward to these small, more intimate gatherings every year, as they give us an opportunity for more personal and in-depth conversations regarding current affairs in the College of Fine Arts.

I also want to share a university-wide change that will impact the college. Under the recommendation of our new Vice President for Development, Scott Rabenold, the UT Austin Development Board recently approved new endowment levels for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

Continue Reading Summer 2017 Update from Sondra Lomax

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