About the College of the Arts

Welcome from the Dean

Thank you for visiting the College of the Arts at Montclair State University. I hope that you will find all that you need at our Web home whether you are a prospective student, enrolled student, alumnus, arts patron, donor/benefactor, or member of the community at large. I am eager to tell you about all of the wonderful changes that have been occurring as we develop programmatically and structurally to better serve you.

On July 20, 2006, we changed from the School of the Arts to the College of the Arts, reflecting my vision over the past several years. I pursued the vision by restructuring several units, including establishment of an Office of Education and Community Outreach in September 2003. Among other changes was consolidation of certain nonacademic units in August 2004 to establish Arts and Cultural Programming as a single division to handle all aspects of patron needs regarding performance presentations and original productions from performance selection to ticket sales, as well as building and opening the new 500-seat Alexander Kasser Theater, in October 2004. Part of the change was also the expansion of our University Art Galleries and art collections with the opening of the George Segal Gallery in April 2006, and the establishment of the John J. Cali School of Music in July 2006. In addition to a number of scheduled renovations, a new music building and 250-seat Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall is planned to open in spring 2008.

New academic programs have also been developed as part of our response to changing needs. Consequently, we have established majors in filmmaking, industrial design, and fashion studies, as well as a concentration in museum management within the Department of Art and Design; concentrations in Musical Theater within our music, theater, and dance programs; concentrations in public relations and in organizational communication within Communication Studies, and a concentration in arts management within the Department of Theater and Dance.

Indeed, over the past 6 years our institutional development has resulted in significant growth; increasing enrollment by 51% (counting 1,614 majors as of fall 2005), increasing student semester hours by 7,000 hours (achieving a total of 22,400 semester hours by fall 2005). We nearly doubled both full-time and adjunct/visiting specialist faculty, and added nearly a dozen half-time faculty members. We have further extended our reach through the growth in international opportunities for our students, fostering relations with 29 other schools of higher learning embracing 5 global regions: Eastern Europe, the South Pacific, Asia, Western Europe, and North America (Mexico).

As we continue to develop our college structure, we intend to further impact fields of art and communication by achieving greater professionalization; greater visibility; greater industry collaboration; greater national recognition; and greater internationalization of programs, faculty, and students. Please join the College of the Arts in making a difference in and through the arts and culture.

No Matter how you like to express yourself, or whatever your interests, chances are that the College of the Arts has a program for you. I hope that as you explore our Web site you will learn more about our college's many strengths and opportunities, and discover, as so many have, that the College of the Arts at MSU is "the place to be."

Geoffrey W. Newman, Dean, College of the Arts

Ask the Dean

 

College Overview

The College of the Arts offers more than fifty majors, minors and concentrations in art & design, broadcasting, communication studies, dance, music and theatre. Twice designated as a Center of Excellence, our college maintains a commitment to quality programs, providing professional training and education for students seeking careers as practitioners, educators, public servants and managers of the arts.

Students in the College study and create with some of the finest artist-teachers in the New York metropolitan area. Our faculty includes working composers, designers, fine artists, actors, musicians, directors, choreographers, conductors, broadcasters and communication specialists, including Fulbright, Guggenheim and Howard award winners. What's more, because we are only minutes from Manhattan, internationally recognized guest artists know the School well and come year after year to direct master classes, perform in staged productions, conduct student ensembles and teach what it takes to succeed in the arts.

For both our campus and community, CART provides arts events and community services, offering cultural enrichment of all kinds. The division of Arts and Cultural Programming produces programs that include the presentation of national and international artists plus contemporary works that challenge the boundaries of convention. Events can be found in as many as six professionally equipped performance facilities on campus, including the new state-of-the-art Alexander Kasser Theater - a venue like no other in the region, offering exceptional acoustics and an over-sized proscenium stage in an intimate and comfortable setting.

The Theatre and Dance Series and Music Concert Series likewise are vibrant presenters of the arts, as are the University Art Galleries, MFA Gallery and DuMont Television Center each showcasing works by our students, faculty and other artists of distinction. Art Forum and the MFA Lecture Series, moreover, invite not only professional artists to the campus, but critics, historians and museum curators. For pre-college students, the Preparatory Center for the Arts offers year-round instruction plus a summer music camp; while the Office of Educational Outreach provides programming in all disciplines for both school groups and individuals. For prospective students seeking admission to the College, the Office of Student Services also offers events, counseling, as well as good sound advice.

No matter how you like to express yourself, or whatever your patron or academic interests, chances are that the College of the Arts has a program for you. I hope that as you explore our website you will learn more about our school - its many strengths and opportunities - and discover, as so many have, that The College of the Arts at MSU is "the place to be."

ABOUT THE COLLEGE -
ACCREDITATIONS & AWARDS

The College of the Arts is recipient of many awards and distinctions. Nationally, it is among only a handful of colleges accredited by all four accreditation agencies in the arts.

National Accreditations

• National Association of Schools for Art and Design
• National Association of Schools for Music
• National Association of Schools for Dance
• National Association of Schools for Theatre

Sample Awards and Distinctions (recent)

• New Jersey State designated
  Center of Excellence in the Arts continuing status
• Gracie Allen Award for American Women in Radio & Television '02
• Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award '01
• Gracie Award '01
• Award for Creative Excellence,
  U.S. International Film & Video Festival '99
• Telly Award '99
• Grand Award for Excellence, Apex '96, '97
• Certificate of Merit, Admissions Marketing
  Report National Recruitment Video Competition '97
• American College Dance Festival
  National Recognitions '90, '92, '96, '00, '02
• American College Dance Festival Regional Recognitions
  '90, '91, '93, '94, '95, '96, '00, '01, '01, '02, '04
• American College Theatre Festival Regional Recognitions '03, '04
• National College Choreographic Initiative Grants '02, '04

University Accreditations and Memberships