Local architect to lead Fine Arts

The University named Patricia Conway, a founding partner of one of the nation's leading architecture and interior design firms, the new dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts Friday. Although the selection must still be confirmed by the Trustees Executive Committee at its meeting on April 26, administrators said last night they are pleased with the decision. Provost Michael Aiken and President Sheldon Hackney chose Conway from a short list submitted to them by the dean search committee. Conway, who was unavailable for comment last night, is currently president of the design firm Kohn, Pedersen, Fox, Conway Associates, Incorporated, which is also planning the campus center. But Hackney said yesterday the decision to nominate Conway as dean was unrelated to her involvement with the campus center, and added she will relinquish her involvement to other members of the firm of her own accord. "She has been working on that project, but she is not the primary designer," Hackney said. "She is now going to step back and no longer be involved in the project." The University has been searching for a new dean since GSFA Dean Lee Copeland announced last year he would step down from leadership of the school. Copeland, who said last night he will take a year-long "scholarly leave" after his term ends in June, said he was "delighted" to hear of Conway's selection. He said after his leave, he will decide whether he will continue teaching at the University or to return to practice architecture and urban design. The dean also said running GSFA is difficult because of its broad range of programs, from fine arts to urban design to government administration. "Any dean's responsibilities include being able to manage and nurture that complexity, facilitate the energies of the faculty and students, and provide leadership and vision," he said. Conway has a background in both design and planning. She received an M.S. in Urban Planning from the Columbia University School of Architecture, where she was a Mellon Scholar and also spent a year as a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. "She has an interesting background because she has a planning degree but has also spent most of her career in design, so she combines the two major thrusts of the school," Hackney said. "She should be able to integrate them very well." Conway will take over her post July 1, after spending some time with Copeland so she can become acclimated with the University and the GSFA. The GSFA currently serves 624 full-time and 282 part-time students in nine different programs. The dean-designate has also been the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the National Environmental Planning Award and Interior magazine's Designer of the Year. Hackney also lauded Conway's past leadership abilities. "She listens very well and has a nice way of learning very quickly and figuring out which way would be the optimum direction for both the school and her firm," Hackney said.

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