Ithaca College Announces Inaugural Dean of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

Newswise — Longtime arts educator and administrator Anne Hogan has been named the inaugural dean of Ithaca College’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, joining the college on August 1. She has been the dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts (CCFA) at the University of Memphis since 2017.

In announcing Hogan’s appointment, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Melanie Stein called her an inspiring, strategic, and creative leader who will bring a distinctive vision for the future while maintaining an unwavering commitment to building upon the proud legacy of the college's founding as the Ithaca Conservatory of Music.

“She understands the necessity of engaging with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other stakeholders, and will work collaboratively to design and implement a strategic plan that will ensure the school’s long-term success and impact,” said Stein.

In addition to her current role as CCFA dean, Hogan was the founder and acting director of the University of Memphis Institute for the Arts and Health, designed to foster and secure funding for transdisciplinary research and community engagement bridging the arts, social sciences, humanities, and STEM disciplines. She previously held teaching and administrative positions at the Royal Academy of Dance, London Metropolitan University, London Contemporary Dance School, and American University of Paris, among other institutions.

Hogan says that IC’s excellent reputation for music and theatre arts is what first caught her attention.

“There are so many opportunities for the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance to explore, including more cross-disciplinary training and creative activities, both within the school and across IC, and in partnership with higher education and/or arts institutions, nationally and internationally,” said Hogan. “An essential opportunity will be to establish the school as a leader in diverse and inclusive practices in the arts and education, and as a school that at once respects the history and traditions of its respective disciplines and embraces novel directions and as yet unimagined possibilities for them. Promoting IC and the school, furthermore, as a place that empowers emerging artists to be agents of positive change will only accelerate its visibility and renown.”

Ithaca College had announced in January that two of its most renowned programs—the School of Music and the Department of Theatre Arts (currently located within the School of Humanities and Sciences)—will be joining together on July 1 to establish the new School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. The incoming dean will be supported by two associate deans, Ivy Walz from Music and Steve TenEyck from Theatre and Dance.

At the University of Memphis, Hogan led in the planning, development, and delivery of all CCFA programs and policies, and the formation and implementation of the college’s strategic plan. Additionally, she led efforts to ensure an inclusive learning community, including a series of professional development workshops for academic and non-academic staff, a comprehensive review of faculty search guidelines, and the implementation of a CCFA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

During her time as dean, the school increased enrolment, retention, and graduation rates as well as the diversity of the student body, and inaugurated new undergraduate majors and online certificate programs.

Hogan says she is eager to start her new position.

“The first order of business, and one I am really looking forward to, will be to engage with the people and the programs, and to work closely with the faculty, staff, students, and stakeholders to design and implement a strategic plan that will ensure the school’s long-term success and impact,” said Hogan. “A collaborative process will enable the school community to shape together an inspiring and sustainable vision and to clarify the finer points of what, exactly, success for the new School of Music, Theatre, and Dance will look like.”

Hogan received her Ph.D. and M.A. in English Literature from Brown University, and a B.A. in English Literature from Harvard University.

She has extensive experience as a performer, choreographer, and teacher of classical ballet; been a contributor to publications on the choreographer George Balanchine and theatre director and artist Robert Wilson; and has served as a member of the Memphis Cultural Coalition and Shelby County Schools Arts Advisory Council, and as a Board member of the community radio station WYXR, among other organizations.