U of U's Raymond Tymas-Jones Elected President of Internation Council of Fine Arts Deans


RAYMOND TYMAS-JONES
ELECTED PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL
COUNCIL OF FINE ARTS DEANS


For Immediate Release
Contact Sara Pickett or Liz Garman 801.581.6764
sara.pickett@utah.edu or
Liz.garman@utah.edu
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January 7, 2011 – Dean Raymond Tymas-Jones has been elected as the President of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans (ICFAD), effective November 1, 2010. The International Council of Fine Arts Deans is an alliance of arts administrators representing institutions of higher education.

Tymas-Jones has served as a board member of the Council since 2006 and as Secretary the year prior to this appointment. His active role in the council has shown him to be visionary in his approach to arts administration and an imaginative thinker and problem solver. In the position of President, Tymas-Jones will continue to provide leadership in arts education and promote the critical partnerships that the arts serve and thrive within. "Dean Tymas-Jones' outstanding leadership will well serve ICFAD as it is currently expanding it's mission to become the voice of the arts in higher education,” says Liz Cole, Executive Director of ICFAD. “His prominence in the field of arts leadership, his ability to articulate the tenets of the organization and his insightfulness into the many possibilities ICFAD can offer both locally, nationally and globally, make him a perfect choice for the role he is assuming."

Tymas-Jones, currently serves in a dual appointment at the University of Utah. As Dean of the College of Fine Arts he provides academic and administrative leadership for six units in the College of Fine Arts: Departments of Art & Art History, Ballet, Film & Media Arts, Modern Dance, and Theatre, and the School of Music. In addition to his responsibilities in the College of Fine Arts, Dr. Tymas-Jones also serves as Associate Vice President for the Arts and is the chief administrative officer for the Kingsbury Hall, Pioneer Theatre Company, Tanner Dance, and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Prior to his current administrative appointments at the University of Utah, Dr. Tymas-Jones served as the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Fine Arts at Buffalo State College (1990-93), Director of the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls (1993-98) and the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University (1998-2005). He received a Ph.D. in Performance Practice: Voice and a Master of Music degree in Conducting and Voice from Washington University (St. Louis) and a Bachelor of Music degree from Howard University.

“I am honored to have such an opportunity to continue working with the ICFAD board and its members to further the great work that has come before me in recognizing the importance and necessity of the arts in our world,” say Tymas-Jones. “This council of leaders, artists and forward thinking people has been a driving force for the arts in academia.”

The International Council of Fine Arts Deans is a vehicle through which members share information and ideas that enhance the leadership of arts units. Founded in 1964, the ICFAD membership is comprised of over 442 arts deans throughout North America and around the world. ICFAD is the only organization focusing exclusively on issues that impact all creative units in higher education including fine and performing arts, arts education, art history, architecture and communication. The Council works to provide a foundation that allows arts administrators to do their job better and to expand their circle of contacts with people who share common challenges and experiences.


ICFAD's international efforts are expanding and upcoming events will focus increasingly on innovative international programs and exchanges. A summer international symposium, which focuses on specific international arts issues, is held every three years with the most recent program held in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2008. The next symposium will be held in Florence, Italy in June 2011.