Harvey Young, a former professor and chair of Northwestern University’s Department of Theatre, has been appointed the new dean of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts.
Young took on the position at the start of 2018 after approximately a year of interviews. University Provost Jean Morrison wrote in an email that Young is a highly regarded academic leader. He will hold joint appointments as a professor in CFA’s School of Theater and in the College of Arts and Science’s Department of English.
Young stood out from a wide pool of candidates, Morrison wrote. The administration conducted a search standard for recruiting new deans, which included a national level search. After reviewing the qualifications of multiple applicants, it became clear to the committee that Young “rose to the top.”
Young said he took on the position because he was impressed by the leadership and vision of Morrison and BU President Robert Brown.
“I agree with them that a fundamental part of every person’s college experience should be a meaningful engagement with the arts,” Young said. “I could not turn down the opportunity to join a team of very smart, highly talented, hard-working CFA staff and faculty.”
Young wrote that he is inspired by the community that the arts create and is excited to amplify this power across campus.
“The arts not only help us to express our thoughts and feelings, but also gift us with the opportunity to look through another person’s eyes,” Young wrote. “I want the Booth Theatre, The Stone Art Gallery, and the CFA to serve as inviting beacons to the campus-at-large.”
Young’s new role will require him to lead a variety of college-wide initiatives meant to advance the quality and stature of CFA. Young will be involved in hiring new faculty, working toward raising funds to help support the college and ensuring that CFA is deeply integrated in the BU community.
Benjamin Juarez, a professor of fine arts and a former CFA dean, wrote in an email that Young is a well-known scholar and theater theorist.
“His books are universally acknowledged as groundbreaking references,” Juarez wrote. “I look forward to his leadership to make CFA a more diverse and inclusive college and to find ways in which the arts can play a role in advancing the commitment of BU to be a more diverse and inclusive place.”
Becca Camillo, a first-year graduate student in CFA, said she supports the new dean despite lack of student involvement in the process.
“I’m sure it was in the works for a while, and I’m sure the higher-ups weren’t really looking for students’ approval for a dean,” Camillo said. “They’re probably looking for a whole list of things to check off, and we don’t really know anything about being a dean.”
Tyler Howie, a second-year graduate student in CFA, said he hopes Young fulfills the qualities of a good dean, including prioritizing students’ educational needs.
“[A dean] should be up to date with all the stuff that’s going on, so when issues come up with the budget it’s not just a bunch of faceless students with unclear needs,” Howie said. “It becomes an issue of getting a good education, rather than just the budget.”
Sophia Gore, a senior in CFA, said she attended a “bowling with the dean” event on January 24 to meet Young.
“He was really awesome,” Gore said. “He was a really good bowler, and we just mingled and got together and it was a cool way to do something for free that was a fun activity and also good to meet him and talk to him.”
Gore added that she hopes Young will bring cohesion to the assortment of programs CFA embodies during his tenure.
“I feel like I’m a student in [the School of Music Theory] and not a student in the CFA,” Gore said. “[I’d like] more cohesion amongst the different programs here, and majors, and maybe more ways that we can get to know each other across the board.”
Rachel Kelly contributed to the reporting in this article.
Isabel is a sophomore in the College of Communication and the Opinion Editor for Fall 2018. Follow her on Twitter @isabelcowens.
