Installation Ceremony Officially Welcomes CFA Dean, Heads

Mary Ellen Poole was officially installed as Carnegie Mellon University's 13th Stanley and Marcia Gumberg Dean of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) in Kresge Theatre on Thursday, Sept. CFA also welcomed new heads in the schools of architecture, drama and music at the afternoon ceremony, which was attended by a large crowd of family, friends, colleagues and students. Provost James H. Garrett Jr. called the event "a true celebration of the arts" during a week that CFA announced the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art's future move , the dedication of the Jill Watson Studio in the School of Architecture, and the dedication of the Joseph Ballay Center for Design Fusion. Before her own installation, Poole, who joined the college slightly more than a year ago from the University of Texas at Austin, introduced and welcomed three new heads to the CFA family. Omar Khan , head of the School of Architecture , joined the college in fall 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was causing restrictions related to in-person classes and events. Khan, who came from the Department of Architecture at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, overcame the challenges the pandemic brought and began working on ways to expand research and develop new curricula, among other focal points.