Chancellor Kent Syverud has named Michael S. Tick, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), as the new dean representative to the Board of Trustees. He will serve a two-year term.
Insights from the dean representative are vital to the board as it supports the University in achieving its vision and mission.
Tick, who is also a professor of drama, came to Syracuse University in 2016 after serving six years as dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky and 11 years as the chair of the Department of Theatre at Louisiana State University. While at Louisiana State University, he was also the artistic director of Swine Palace, Louisiana’s premiere professional theater company. Tick earned an M.A. in performance studies from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in theatre education from New York University. He began his professional career working as an actor on the long-running sitcom “M*A*S*H.”
Under Tick’s leadership as dean, the college renovated its Office of Student Success to support expanded services for students, including additional professional academic advisors and new career coaches. In collaboration with the University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, he is overseeing a feasibility study to establish graduate online programs in art and music therapies. These programs would be part of a new Department of Creative Arts Therapies.
Tick is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. He currently serves as treasurer on the board of directors for the International Council of Fine Arts Deans.