KU closes in on filling Strong Hall, fine arts openings

Kentucky, Arkansas State administrators among finalists in search for dean

The deans of the fine arts colleges at the University of Kentucky and Arkansas State University are finalists to lead the Kansas University School of Fine Arts.

Robert Shay, from Kentucky, and Daniel Reeves, from Arkansas State, will be on campus next week for interviews and to give public presentations.

Shay, in his position since 1998, previously was dean of the Herron School of Art at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis and graduate chairman for the Department of Art at Ohio State University.

Shay will give a public presentation at 3:15 p.m. Monday at Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall.

Reeves has been at Arkansas State University since 1999. He previously was associate dean of the School of Fine Arts, interim chairman of the Department of Music and chairman of the Department of Art Education at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. He also directed the doctoral program in art and graduate studies for the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Ball State University.

Reeves’ public presentation will be at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, also in Swarthout Recital Hall.

Five finalists are scheduled to interview on campus. The only other announced finalist is Donald Van Horn, dean and professor of art at the College of Fine Arts at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. He was on campus Sunday through Tuesday.

The new dean will replace Toni-Marie Montgomery, who announced in December she would leave in June to become dean of the School of Music at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.