Message to USC Roski School of Art and Design Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, and Friends
From: Michael W. Quick, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
May 30, 2018
Dear Roski community,
On behalf of President Nikias, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Haven Lin-Kirk as dean of the USC Roski School of Art and Design, effective July 1, 2018.
After an extensive national search for a new dean to carry on the school’s legacy of excellence, we found Ms. Lin-Kirk to be an exceptional choice to lead USC Roski as it continues to advance its already-outstanding scholarship and influence. She was previously Vice Dean of Design at the USC Roski School.
Ms. Lin-Kirk has been a member of USC faculty since 2001. She earned an MFA at Claremont Graduate University. She has had exhibitions at The Brewery Project, Bank Gallery and POST Gallery in Los Angeles; Ruth Buchofner Gallery in Santa Monica; and Otak Gallery in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Ms. Lin-Kirk has received eight Maggie Awards for Best Overall Design. She was also Vice President of Education, AIGA Los Angeles Education Committee and is currently on AIGA’s board of advisors. She is a member of the advising faculty at the Iovine and Young Academy. To our knowledge, Ms. Lin-Kirk will be the first person of color to lead the Roski School.
USC Roski has continued to grow its esteemed faculty by appointing some of the most eminent artists and scholars in the country. These hires affirm the importance of the school’s traditional disciplinary core, while adding renown in such new areas as critical studies, public and social practice, and performance. The MFA and MA programs are attracting full cohorts of top artists and scholars to study at the school, and the school’s first new graduate program in many years, the MFA in Design, has admitted its first cohort this fall.
I would like to recognize and thank Erica Muhl for her dedicated and tireless leadership as dean of Roski School since 2013. Under Dean Muhl’s leadership, USC Roski made outstanding hires and offered a generous merit aid program for graduate students, which was further augmented by a number of new gifts.
I would also like to thank the dean search committee for their outstanding work. I was grateful to have as co-chairs Elizabeth Graddy, vice provost for academic and faculty affairs, and David Bridel, dean of the USC School of Dramatic Arts. They were joined by Robin Romans, associate vice provost for academic affairs, and Professors Edgar Arcenaux, Nao Bustamante, Andrew Campbell, Sherin Guirguis, Suzanne Hudson, and Ewa Wojciak. In addition, I would like to especially thank Gayle Garner Roski for serving as special advisor throughout the process. Her insight and wisdom were extremely valuable.
Please join President Nikias and me in extending warm congratulations to Ms. Lin-Kirk.
Cc: C. L. Max Nikias
Gayle Garner Roski
Roski Board of Councilors
Academic Senate
Academic Deans
President’s Cabinet
Provost’s Cabinet
Search Advisory Committee