Accreditation     Administration     Board of Trustees     History of UArts     Mission     Nondiscrimination Policy

UArts Celebrates 140 Years of Making
140th Anniversary Gala: October 16; Inauguration of President Yager: October 17
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The University of the Arts

320 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 215.717.6000 or 800.616.ARTS | UArts Website
CEEB: 2664 | Title IV Code: 00350

The arts have the power to transform society. They play an essential role in ensuring and enhancing the quality of life.

Mission

The University of the Arts is committed to inspiring, educating, and preparing innovative artists and creative leaders for the arts of the 21st century.

The University of the Arts is devoted exclusively to education and training in the arts. Within this community of artists, the process of learning engages, refines, and articulates all of our creative capabilities. Our institution was among the first to contribute to the formation of an American tradition in arts education. We continue to develop interpreters and innovators who influence our dynamic culture.

We serve the community in which we reside, the professions for which we prepare new members and, ultimately, the society whose culture we both sustain and advance. The University’s goal is to direct each student’s quest for creative self-expression toward a productive role in society. Our programs develop the student’s talent, aesthetic sensibility, conceptual and perceptual acumen, cultural awareness, and professional expertise. The curricula integrate specific knowledge and skills needed for technical mastery of the various arts disciplines with a significant examination of conceptual and humanistic studies.

To this end, the University must gather and retain a distinguished teaching faculty offering a breadth of professional expertise. Their scholarly work and artistic exploration have national and international consequences for the institution. Our educational programs seek to stimulate and influence not only our students but the very disciplines that we teach.

History of the University of the Arts

The University of the Arts we celebrate today evolved from two century-old institutions: the Philadelphia College of Art (PCA) and Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts (PCPA).

PCA was established in 1876 as part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Together, they were originally known as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, created in response to the growing interest in art and art education stirred by the country’s Centennial Exposition. In 1949 PCA changed its name to the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, reflecting expanded programs that trained artists in a variety of areas. The school received accreditation as a college in 1959 and, in 1964, separated from the Museum to become the Philadelphia College of Art.

The performing arts programs of the University of the Arts date back to 1870, when three graduates of Germany’s Leipzig Conservatory opened the Philadelphia Musical Academy, one of the first European-style conservatories of music in America. The Academy became an independent college of music in 1950, one of only eight institutions in the nation to offer four-year Bachelor of Music degrees. The school changed its name to the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts (PCPA) in 1976. One year later, the Philadelphia Dance Academy became part of PCPA and, in 1983, the School of Theater was created, achieving the college’s ideal combination of dance, music, and theater arts.

In 1985 PCA and PCPA merged to become the Philadelphia Colleges of the Arts, a collaboration bringing the institution one step closer to becoming the nation’s first comprehensive arts university. After being granted university status in 1987, the University of the Arts became the largest institution of its kind in the nation, offering programs in design, fine arts, media arts, crafts, music, dance, and theater. In 1996 the University established the College of Media and Communication, offering degrees in Communication, Writing for Film and Television, and Multimedia.

The College of Art, Media and Design was formed in 2011 by joining the College of Art and Design and the College of Media and Communication.

Accreditation

The University of the Arts is authorized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to grant degrees in the visual, performing, and related arts and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; phone: 215-662-5606. The College of Art, Media, and Design is also an accredited institutional member of the National Association of the Schools of Art and Design and the School of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

Administration

President: David Yager
Provost: Patricia Kucker
Vice President for Advancement: Josie Burri
Vice President for Enrollment, Retention, and Student Affairs: Rick Longo
Vice President of Finance and Administration: Stephen J. Lightcap
Vice President of Technology and Information Services: Thomas Carnwath
Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness: Beth E. Frederick

Dean, College of Art, Media, and Design: Mark Campbell
Dean, College of Performing Arts: Marc Dicciani
Dean, Division of Liberal Arts: Jay Baker
Dean, Division of Continuing Studies: Erin Elman
Associate Provost: James A. Savoie
Associate Provost and Director of Libraries: Carol Graney
Registrar: Jeffrey Kisler

Associate Vice President for Academic Support:  Maria de Santis
Associate Vice President of Facilities Management and Operations: Desiree DeLuca
Associate Vice President for Human Resources: Christine Schaeffer
Associate Vice President for Student Services: Joshua Stern
Associate Vice President for University Communications: Paul Healy
Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Director of Student Financial Aid: Michael Light
Assistant Vice President and Controller: Ronald Pasceri
Assistant Vice President for Development: Andrew Pack

Board of Trustees

Chairman: Jeffrey A. Lutsky
President:  David Yager

Judson A. Aaron ‘81, Howard Belk ‘81, Karin Copeland ‘83, Eleanor L. Davis, Deanna S. DeCherney ‘66, Brian Effron, Eric Felix, William R. Gast ‘68, Amy H. Goldman, Nathaniel P. Hamilton, Jr. ‘07,  Scott M. Jenkins, Bruce Kardon, Gail Kass, Anthony G. Kyriakakis, Elaine C. Levitt, Karen Lotman, Jeffrey A. Lutsky, Seymour G. Mandell, Dr. Noel Mayo ‘60, Thomas M. Miles ‘75, Ronald Naples, Adolf A. Paier, Lawrence S. Reichlin, Alan I. Rubin, Stephen Sypherd, James P. Vesey, Laurie Wagman, Harriet G. Weiss

Life Trustees

Ira Brind, Dorrance H. Hamilton, Chairman Emerita, Sam S. McKeel

Trustees Emeriti

George A. Beach ‘58, Mary Louise Beitzel ‘51, Irvin J. Borowsky (deceased), Sondra Myers, Albert E.Wolf

President Emeritus

Peter Solmssen

Director Emerita

Susan Glazer

Faculty Emeriti

Professor Emeriti: Terry Applebaum, Jane Bedno, Donald Chittum, Sharon Church, William Daley (University Distinguished Professor), John DeWitt, Inge Druckrey, Richard Felton, Alida Fish, Kenneth Hiebert (Honorary D.F.A. – 2013), Steven Jay, Elsa Johnson, Lois Johnson, David Kettner, Richard Lawn, Gerald Nichols, Barry Parker, Tom Porett, Michael Rossman, Evan Solot, Peter Stambler, Robert Stein, Richard Stetser, Stephen Tarantal, Susan Viguers

Associate Professor Emeriti: Carole Moore, Andrew Pap, Fabian Ulitsky

Nondiscrimination Policy

The University of the Arts is committed to maintaining an environment in which students, faculty, and staff may pursue academic, artistic, and professional excellence. This environment can be secured only through mutual respect and unconstrained academic and professional interchange among faculty, staff, and students. Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, other state and federal laws, and the University of the Arts policy, the faculty, staff, and students of the University are entitled to participate in, and obtain the benefits of University programs, activities, and employment without being discriminated against on the basis of race, creed, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or military status.

This policy includes the rights, policies, and procedures set forth in the University’s anti-harassment policy, set forth in Section 3.14 of the Faculty Handbook.

The University also strictly prohibits any form of retaliation or reprisal against anyone reporting allegations of harassment or discrimination, or cooperating in an investigation of such a report. Such retaliation shall be considered a serious violation of the University’s nondiscrimination policy and shall be punishable by discipline up to and including termination, regardless of whether the charge of discrimination is substantiated. However, if an employee, student, or faculty member is found to have intentionally lied about a claim of discrimination, or brought a claim in bad faith, knowing that the allegation of discrimination is false, then that employee, student, or faculty member may be subject to discipline or expulsion.

Examples of prohibited retaliation include: threatening reprisals against the person who complained or cooperated in an investigation; unfairly changing a person’s evaluations, assignments, grades, or working conditions; or otherwise continuing any harassment or discrimination against such person.

The University of the Arts gives equal consideration to all applicants for admission and financial aid, and conducts all educational programs, activities, and employment practice in accordance with the policy as stated above.

Inquiries concerning the application of the laws and regulations concerning equal employment and education opportunity at the University of the Arts (including Title VI - equal opportunity regardless of race, color or national origin; Section 504 - equal opportunity for the disabled; and Title IX - equal opportunity without regard to gender) may be referred to:

The Office of Human Resources
The University of the Arts
Hamilton Hall, Room 260
320 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
personnel@uarts.edu

The Office of the Vice President for Enrollment, Retention & Student Affairs
The University of the Arts
Hamilton Hall, Suite 260
320 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-717-6618

This catalogue was updated as of June 2016. The University of the Arts reserves the right to revise any information herein at its discretion and without prior notice.

Trademarked names appear throughout this catalogue. Rather than list the names and entities that own the trademarks or insert a trademark symbol with each mention of the trademarked name, the publisher states that it is using the names only for editorial purposes and to the benefit of the trademark owner with no intention of infringing upon that trademark.

The University of the Arts® is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Reg. No. 2,341,258. UArts® is also registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Reg. No. 2,677,865.