Carnegie Mellon University
November 12, 2019

Dan Martin To Step Down as Dean of CMU’s College of Fine Arts

Jason Maderer
  • Marketing and Communications
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Dean Dan Martin has decided to step down as dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts (CFA). Martin will return to the faculty in the School of Drama.

On campus, Martin established an overarching operating structure within CFA, including facilitating the emergence of a transdisciplinary culture. Through this collaborative spirit, he developed a sense of cohesiveness among CFA programs while allowing each to retain its own unique identity.

Martin’s interdisciplinary approach also led to the expansion of the BXA Intercollege Degree programs. In particular, he oversaw the creation of the engineering and arts additional major, in which students with a primary major in engineering choose an arts concentration to complement their studies.

During Martin’s 10 years as dean, Carnegie Mellon became the first, exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards. Through the affiliation with The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, Carnegie Mellon and the Tony Awards annually present the Excellence in Theatre Education Award to a K-12 teacher who inspires students through theater arts education.

“I am grateful to Dan for his service as dean for the last decade,” said James H. Garrett Jr., Carnegie Mellon provost and chief academic officer. “His dedication has served to highlight and celebrate the impactful work of the remarkably diverse and high-ranking programs housed within the College of Fine Arts, increasing the visibility and reputation of CFA.”

CFA extended its resources during Martin’s tenure by acquiring the former home of Pittsburgh Filmmakers on Melwood Avenue. The college also expanded education and creative efforts around time-based art to create maker spaces for exploration and collaboration across the arts and media technologies. Martin’s leadership included procuring new equipment for the School of Music, additional operating support for the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art and the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, and expanding faculty and staff support within the School of Drama and School of Design.

Under Martin’s leadership, CFA also served as core campus partners in establishing the IDeATe program, in which undergraduates undertake significant integrative activities in digital media, media design, learning media and intelligent environments.

“I am honored to have served the College of Fine Arts’ interests and help chart its future,” Martin said. “These have been the best 10 years of my life. I love CFA and its people. It is tremendously rewarding to have supported and celebrated the remarkable and impactful efforts of the college’s staff, faculty and students and to have positioned CFA to make the leap into its second century of transformational research, education and creative practice.”

A national search to find Martin’s successor will be announced later this fall, with the goal of naming the new dean by fall of 2020. Martin will serve in his current role until a new dean is named.