A message from Interim Dean, David Roussève
Fall is a time of renewal – a time when our campus comes back to life as we reconnect with faculty, welcome new students and their families, greet returning students, and – collectively – set about our work making new connections, forging new paths, and, here in the arts, creating new knowledge through scholarly engagement, artistic inquiry, and creative production.
As many of you know, on July 1 after thirteen years of Christopher Waterman’s extraordinary leadership, I assumed the role of Interim Dean for the School of the Arts and Architecture—a position that I am immensely honored to hold. As professor of choreography in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance and as a working artist, I could not be more thrilled to be serving as interim dean in what promises to be nothing short of a milestone year for the school.
The Future of the School of the Arts and Architecture
The 2015-16 year is poised to be one of remarkable growth and change for the School of the Arts and Architecture as UCLA moves forward with its plans to formally establish the Herb Alpert School of Music as the UC system’s first independent music school. Pending approval from the UC Regents, which could occur in early 2016, our music and ethnomusicology departments will relocate from Arts and Architecture to what will be the UC’s first stand-alone music school (along with the department of musicology, which will relocate from the College’s humanities division). With this reorganization, the restructured School of the Arts and Architecture has the unique opportunity to stand even stronger as a collection of four of the most progressive, forward-looking departments on the UCLA campus—Architecture and Urban Design, Art, Design | Media Arts, and World Arts and Cultures/Dance. As we push the boundaries of our respective forms, we will be united by a common set of inquiries surrounding the role of creativity in our contemporary, transnational, and profoundly interdisciplinary world. Over the last many months, my colleagues and I have come together to share ideas and insights for the future of the School and will continue to work closely together to sharpen and strengthen our vision for what we believe will be an even more dynamic and vibrant School of the Arts and Architecture. I will also continue to work closely with Judi Smith, Executive Director of the Herb Alpert School of Music, and campus leadership to ensure a smooth transition for both Schools.
Engagement Beyond the Walls of the University
Engagement beyond the walls of the university will continue to be a centerpiece of the School of the Arts and Architecture as we move forward. On October 8, I proudly joined Barbara Drucker, Associate Dean for Community Engagement, at the annual UCLA in Downtown LA Reception where the School of the Arts and Architecture’s innovative Visual and Performing Arts Education Program (VAPAE) –designed by Associate Dean Drucker—was presented with the 2015 UCLA Community Program of the Year Catalyst Award. With this award, the school’s outreach to the greater Los Angeles community was honored for demonstrating a commitment to providing arts education to students, teachers, and underserved communities and for truly embodying UCLA’s tripartite mission of education, research, and public service in a single program.
This recognition is especially meaningful to me and underscores my own strong belief in the importance of engagement beyond the walls of the university – with both arts and non-arts based communities. As Interim Dean, I am committed to advancing this aspect of our mission even further and commend VAPAE for leading the way and providing a truly inspired model for community engagement through the arts.
Diversity
Alongside community engagement, diversity has been a longstanding priority for our School. Nearly a decade before UCLA’s College approved a proposal requiring all undergraduate students to complete a course focused on diversity in April 2015, our faculty established a diversity requirement for all School of the Arts and Architecture undergraduates (Fall 2007). As a community, we strongly believe that diversity is essential to the life of a university.
I look forward to working closely with Ben Refuerzo, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to find ways to expand diversity within our student body, our faculty and our staff. This commitment to diversity will extend to the many visiting artists, architects, and scholars whose contributions to the discourse and life of the school are so essential every year. I believe we will not only reach a broader audience and elevate the conversation around diversity but provide leadership and set an example as one of the premier higher education arts institutions in the nation.
As we settle in to the 2015-16 fall quarter, the future is bright. I cannot wait to behold what our students, faculty, and alumni will create and how their work will engage and enrich our community and the world beyond over the next year. The evolution of the School of the Arts and Architecture and the Herb Alpert School of Music will position UCLA as the premiere arts campus within the UC system and will enable us to capitalize even further on the momentum of the UCLA Centennial Campaign. With another four years left until we reach our centennial in 2019, I look forward to the continued contributions of our outstanding faculty, accomplishments of our talented students, and participation from those of you whose support we are counting on to help to keep the arts thriving at UCLA through the next century.
I am genuinely excited by the tremendous potential that sits ahead and look forward to a year rich with dialogue, collaboration, and fresh ideas that will inform the promise and potential of the renewed School of the Arts and Architecture. Together, we are poised to redefine the meaning and potential impact of an arts education in the 21st century.
The possibilities are, indeed, thrilling!
My best wishes to each of you for a wonderful fall season!
David Roussève
Interim Dean