School of Design announces new faculty, department heads for 2024-25 academic year

The Stuart Weitzman School of Design announced new faculty members and department chairs for the 2024-25 academic year.

According to a June 25 announcement from the School of Design, the school is welcoming seven new faculty members and two new department chairs for the upcoming school year. In the announcement, School of Design Dean Fritz Steiner said that the “newest faculty members share our school’s commitment to working across disciplines and cultural divides to make progress on both fronts.” 

Sharon Hayes, a professor of fine arts, will be the new chair of the Department of Fine Arts.

Hayes has been with the School of Design since 2015, before which she worked at The Cooper Union for seven years. Her work has been featured at the Whitney Biennial, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim Museum. 

Megan Ryerson, the UPS Foundation Chair of Transportation and a professor of city & regional planning and electrical and systems engineering, will serve as the new chair of the Department of City & Regional Planning. 

Ryerson, who was the School of Design’s first associate dean for research, has been part of the faculty since 2013. Ryerson was recently awarded a $6 million NASA University Leadership Initiative award to, according to the announcement, “study, develop, and deploy solutions for aviation system resilience.”

Previously, the chair positions of the departments of Fine Arts and City & Regional Planning were held by Ken Lum and Lisa Servon, respectively.

The list of faculty members include Laurie Olin Professor of Practice in Landscape Architecture Michelle Delk, professor of practice in historic preservation Jules Dingle, assistant professor of city & regional planning Xiaoxia (Summer) Dong, visiting professor of architecture Andrew Holder, assistant professor of city & regional planning Xiaojiang Li, Carrafiell Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Ani Liu, and assistant professor of landscape architecture Jessica Varner.

As the announcement notes, academic appointments are subject to review and approval by the School of Design, provost, and the University Board of Trustees.