{"id":213143,"date":"2024-04-25T09:49:14","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T13:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=213143"},"modified":"2024-04-25T13:43:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T17:43:05","slug":"uconn-school-of-fine-arts-names-new-dean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2024\/04\/uconn-school-of-fine-arts-names-new-dean\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn School of Fine Arts Names New Dean"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UConn School of Fine Arts is delighted to announce the appointment of Deanna Fitzgerald, MFA, as its new dean, ushering in a new era of artistic education and creative excellence for the School.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald currently serves as Vice Dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona and has a multifaceted background as an administrator, as well as an artist and educator in the field of lighting design.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeanna brings an extensive background and record of achievement in managing complex budgets, overseeing endowment and scholarship distributions, and leading strategic initiatives,\u201d says Anne D\u2019Alleva, Provost and Executive Vice President for\u00a0Academic\u00a0Affairs. \u201cThis speaks to her ability to navigate the administrative challenges of higher education while remaining focused on the core mission of fostering student success and artistic excellence. Her reputation as a creative, transparent, empathetic, and pragmatic leader aligns well with the School of Fine Arts values and priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald\u2019s appointment begins August 1, 2024.<\/p>\n

\"Deanna
Deanna Fitzgerald (contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t be more excited to lead the next chapter of the excellent and important work being done in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut,\u201d says Fitzgerald. \u201cThe determination of the faculty toward student success and the institution\u2019s commitment to the Arts is indisputable. I look forward to getting to know all who are invested and dedicated to UConn SFA, and rallying them toward a bright future in which the Arts are integral to all that UConn does and the communities it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Academic Experience <\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitzgerald joins UConn School of Fine Arts with 20 years of experience in higher education. Prior to joining the University of Arizona in 2020, she served at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory as the Special Events Production Manager and the University of Utah\u2019s Marriott Center for Dance as the Resident Lighting Designer and Technical Director and as an assistant professor.<\/p>\n

Other academic ranks in Fitzgerald\u2019s career at the University of Arizona include Associate Dean for Academic and Student Success, Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Director of the School of Music, Associate Director for Theatre programs, and Interim Director of the School of Dance.<\/p>\n

She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree at Flagler College in Florida and her master\u2019s degree at the University of Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music in Ohio.<\/p>\n

Career in the Arts <\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitzgerald has contributed her lighting design skills to numerous domestic and international projects such as the premiere of the Las Vegas adaptation of STOMP Out Loud<\/em> and tours of the original STOMP<\/em> production, the Cirque Mechanics: Boom Town<\/em> tour, Erth\u2019s Dinosaur Zoo, La Boheme, <\/em>and more.<\/p>\n

She is a regular designer for the Rogue Theatre in Arizona and has created designs for the San Francisco Opera\u2019s Merola and Coconut Grove Playhouse\u2019s Young Artist programs. Fitzgerald also created original dance designs for choreographers including Deborah Hay, Ben Levy, and Andy Vaca.<\/p>\n

She is also a published author. Her works include the book \u201cThe Heart of Light: A Holistic Primer to a Life and Career in Lighting Design,\u201d and the articles \u201cAn Introduction to Neurodiversity for the Lighting Designer and Educator,\u201d and \u201cContemplative Practices for Designers, Technicians and other Theatre Professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Prestigious Roles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitzgerald currently serves on the Western Region Exam Committee for United Scenic Artists and as a General Editor for Theatre Design and Technology <\/em>magazine.<\/p>\n

Previously, she has served on the Boards of Directors for the University Resident Theatre Association and the United States Institute of Theatre Technology and fulfilled other roles with notable companies such as the Cincinnati Ballet, the Opera Theatre Music Festival in Lucca, Italy.<\/p>\n

Next Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitzgerald will take over for Interim Dean Alain Frogley, who served in the position for two years. Frogley will return to the position of SFA Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Research and Creative Practices full-time once Fitzgerald\u2019s appointment begins.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire SFA community is thrilled by the appointment of Deanna Fitzgerald as our new Dean,\u201d says Frogley. \u201cHer multi-faceted administrative experience and inclusive vision will be crucial as we enter a new era for the school and for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSincerest thanks to Alain Frogley for his dedicated service as Interim Dean of the School,\u201d says D\u2019Alleva. \u201cHis leadership has significantly contributed to the advancement and success of the arts at UConn over the past two years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deanna Fitzgerald brings an extensive background as an artist, educator, and administrator<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":213151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2275,1711,1914,2235,173,92,174,2225,90,2227,2233],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2349],"class_list":["post-213143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-affairs","category-arts-culture","category-sfa","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-avery-point","category-uconn-hartford","category-uconn-stamford","category-uconn-storrs","category-uconn-waterbury","category-uconn-edu-homepage","category-university-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-08 19:23:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/153"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213143"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213174,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213143\/revisions\/213174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/213151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213143"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=213143"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=213143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}