I write to share the happy news that Michael Baker has been appointed chair of the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET), effective Sept. 1.
We’re grateful to Michael for his able leadership as interim chair of the department over the past two years. Leading a department is always a great challenge, but doing so during a pandemic year that upended our whole world is something none of us ever could have imagined when he stepped up as interim.
Michael’s calm, steady leadership brought a community focus to the department, building the faculty and steering conversations to converge on a shared vision for the future of an emerging department. He’s taken the lead in working with faculty and staff to update the AET curriculum to improve our student experience and to ensure that we’re preparing our graduates for excellent job opportunities as they move into their careers.
Michael has been a passionate advocate for building a pipeline of talent in the AET program that is more representative of our state and country. Under his leadership, the department has worked to remove admissions barriers and expand opportunities for students. AET is of the most diverse student populations in the college, and Michael has worked to support the student community through efforts like hiring new student community managers.
Michael joined the department in 2017 as an assistant professor of practice, bringing more than two decades of experience in the gaming industry to the program. As an experienced professional and educator focused on the convergence of real-time technology, mixed reality and immersive media, he’s exactly the right leader for the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies.
Please join me in congratulating Michael. I look forward to working closely with him as a member of our academic leadership team.
Sincerely,