College of Fine and Performing Arts Renamed
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The College of Fine and Performing Arts at Youngstown State University has a new name. The college, composed of the departments of art, communication, theater and dance and the Dana School of Music, is the College of Creative Arts and Communication.
“In essence, all of the disciplines in this college are about creativity and communication, so it is appropriate that the name of the college reflects that mission,” said YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson in a prepared statement.
The College of Fine and Performing Arts, housed in Bliss Hall, was founded in 1974. For many years the college consisted of three departments: art, communication and theater and the Dana School of Music. In 2007, the department of communication and theater was divided into two: communication and theater and dance.
“In the previous name, there was a bit of an identity crisis for the department of communication,” said Bryan DePoy, dean of the college. “Although communication is an important part of the college, as it encompasses artistic components and awareness, the field is not best conceptualized as a ‘fine and performing art,’ such as art, music or theater and dance disciplines. Accordingly, by name, the department of communication is rather marginalized.
“Our college is truly a hub of creative education, scholarship, and community engagement, and having the name ‘creative arts’ is more reflective of that attribute," he continued.
DePoy said his office held several meetings and consulted with several individuals, both inside and outside the university, and that the consensus was the a new name offered a means of modernizing the college and an opportunity to enhance its exposure. “So while it was agreed that a change in name is appropriate,” DePoy said, “the predominant challenge then became choosing the name.
Similar colleges at other universities have adopted names that are more inclusive, accurate and contemporary, the dean said. “We are certainly not an outlier by selecting the college of creative arts and communication,” DePoy remarked.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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