Stephen Beal named CCA President . . . Watch the video!

San Francisco, April 30, 2008

Stephen Beal has been named president of California College of the Arts (CCA). The announcement was made today by Ann Hatch, chair of the college's Board of Trustees. Currently provost of CCA, Beal will assume his position as the school's ninth president on May 1, 2008.

"I am delighted that Steve has accepted the position as president," commented Hatch. "We are very fortunate to have such exceptional talent already in place at the college. His clear understanding of the institution and outstanding record of leadership will allow him to hit the ground running as we develop a new five-year strategic plan. In so many ways Steve is the clear choice to guide CCA. A product of art schools, he possesses a true passion for the kind of education we offer, combined with the financial acumen he's gained as provost. Steve's presidency will ensure a dynamic and sound future for the college as we fulfill our mission to educate those who shape our culture."

"I'm thrilled to become president of CCA, and I'm grateful to Ann Hatch and the Board of Trustees for their confidence," remarked Beal. "In the past decade CCA has achieved an unprecedented level of national renown, becoming an important part of the cultural landscape. At the core of this is our commitment to creating and supporting an exceptional learning experience for our students. I am looking forward to working with the creative and dedicated faculty, staff, and board members to fulfill the promise of this great institution."

As CCA's chief executive officer Beal will be responsible for all of the college's academic and financial activities, including management of a $55 million annual budget, fundraising leadership, supervision of senior academic and administrative staff, and development of a 34-member Board of Trustees. He succeeds Michael S. Roth, who served as CCA's president from 2000 to 2007 and is now president of Wesleyan University.

About Stephen Beal
Stephen Beal has been provost at CCA since 1997. He has played a significant role in the expansion of the college's programs and facilities and the implementation of key academic initiatives. Several academic programs have been added under his leadership, including the BA in Community Arts, the BA in Writing and Literature, the BA in Visual Studies, the BFA in Animation, the MA in Visual and Critical Studies, the MFA in Design, the MFA in Writing, and the MArch (master's degree) in Architecture. Two other recent additions have been the MA in Curatorial Practice and the MBA in Design Strategy, both the first programs of their kind on the West Coast. Also during Beal's tenure, CCA has made significant improvements to existing buildings and developed new facilities, including a new student residence facility in Oakland and a new Graduate Center in San Francisco. Overall enrollment at CCA has increased by 50 percent since Beal arrived in 1997.

As provost and chief academic officer of the college, Beal has made faculty development a priority. In the last five years the college has conducted more than 40 high-profile searches for full-time tenure-track positions, attracting top faculty from around the world. Initiatives have included improved faculty governance, implementation of a salary enhancement plan, and the introduction of a program assessment structure. Many curricular improvements have been made during Beal's tenure, including the establishment of the junior review, where third-year undergraduate students are required to present a body of work to a panel of outside artists and faculty from other programs. Substantial enhancements have also been made to the humanities and sciences curriculum, from which CCA undergraduates must take 51 units to graduate.

Beal came to CCA in 1997 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where he was vice president of academic planning and associate vice president of academic affairs. He was the lead academic administrator on the school's building and facilities projects, which included the acquisition of new property and major renovations of existing facilities. Previous to that he was chair of SAIC's graduate division, chair of its postbaccalaureate program, and a member of the painting faculty.

In addition to his academic career, Beal is a practicing artist, and his work has been exhibited in the Bay Area, Chicago, and throughout the Midwest. He serves on the board of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and he is board president of the internationally renowned Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, which fosters and promotes the art of people with physical, developmental, and emotional disabilities. He holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife, Dee Hoover, reside in the East Bay with their two children.

About California College of the Arts
Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts is noted for the interdisciplinarity and breadth of its programs. It offers studies in 20 undergraduate and seven graduate majors in the areas of fine arts, architecture, design, and writing. The college offers bachelor of architecture, bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, master of architecture, master of arts, master of fine arts, and master of business administration degrees. With campuses in Oakland and San Francisco, CCA currently enrolls more than 1,650 full-time students. Noted alumni include the painters Nathan Oliveira and Raymond Saunders; the ceramicists Robert Arneson, Viola Frey, and Peter Voulkos; the filmmaker Wayne Wang; the conceptual artists David Ireland and Dennis Oppenheim; and the designers Lucille Tenazas and Michael Vanderbyl.