On June 9, 2021, Executive Dean and Vice Provost Gretchen Ritter sent the following message to Arts and Sciences faculty and staff.

Dear Colleagues,
 
I am pleased to share that I am appointing Lisa Florman, professor and chair of the Department of History of Art, as the college’s first Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies and Community Engagement.

In this new position, Lisa will provide strategic oversight to several of our college’s interdisciplinary centers, programs and initiatives — where disciplines boldly come together to explore new ways of thinking, creating and innovating. In addition, she will work across the college to foster outreach and community engagement that strategically aligns with our mission as a top land-grant institution. These are areas where we have great potential in advancing our education, research and creative excellence in service to Ohio, the nation and the world.

Over her nearly three decades on the Ohio State faculty, including seven years as a department chair, Lisa has worked to enhance coordination and collaboration among departments and centers, particularly in the arts and humanities. She has facilitated many collaborations with the Wexner Center for the Arts and has served on oversight committees for the Humanities Institute and Urban Arts Space. She also has been an early champion for the Arts District and its potential as a thriving ecosystem that welcomes the community to campus. As part of her new position, Lisa will provide vision to the Arts District and its potential, especially as we look ahead to the completion of the Timashev Family Music Building next year and the Theatre, Film, and Media Arts building in 2023.

I am looking forward to Lisa’s work with colleagues and partners to foster a culture of ambition, collaboration and interdisciplinary excellence, which will grow our impact in teaching, research, creative inquiry and community engagement. As Lisa moves to the dean’s office, we will work in the coming weeks to identify an interim chair of the Department of History of Art.

Please join me in congratulating Lisa and welcoming her to this exciting new role on the college’s leadership team.
 
Best wishes,

Gretchen Ritter
Executive Dean and Vice Provost