Dear College of Fine Arts Colleagues,
Following a chair review process this past year, I write to share that Department of Art and Art History Chair Susan Rather has accepted a renewal of her appointment for three more years. I will launch an external search for a new chair during the third and final year of this appointment.
I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Susan for her hard work these past five years as chair. The department has benefitted from her strong work ethic, writing skills, organizational skills, responsiveness and close attention to detail. She served as a steady leader during the pandemic, brought transparency to operations in the department and has overseen a rapid transformation of the faculty body due to retirement and has worked with colleagues on a significant number of hires that position the unit for future success. An award-winning scholar in her own right, she’s also remained active in her research area of American art during her time as chair.
Susan will be on leave for the fall semester, and Art History Professor Penelope Davies will serve as acting chair, effective Aug. 1. Susan will return on Jan. 1. Penelope has been with the department for three decades, and she’s an internationally recognized scholar of Roman art and architecture who cares deeply about our disciplines thriving. I’m grateful to her for stepping into this short-term leadership opportunity.
Sincerely,
