“Ravi S. Rajan, the dean of the School of the Arts at Purchase College, State University of New York, was named president of the California Institute of the Arts on Tuesday,” writes Carolina Miranda in Tuesday’s (12/13) Los Angeles Times. “Rajan, a musician, teacher and administrator who has also worked in computer animation, will be CalArts’ fourth president—and its first Asian American head…. At SUNY Purchase College … he launched a $100-million capital renovation of the art and design facilities and helped strengthen the college’s philanthropic efforts. He also spearheaded the creation of a master’s degree titled Entrepreneurship in the Arts.… Rajan, the son of Indian immigrants, was born in Seattle and raised in Norman, Okla…. Rajan is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he studied education, and Yale University, where he earned a degree in music. A trumpet player, he has performed in musical ensembles of all sizes, including theater productions on and off Broadway…. Rajan will take over from longtime president Steven Lavine, who announced his retirement in 2015. Lavine, who has run the school for almost three decades, helped transform CalArts into an internationally renowned center … Rajan begins his tenure in June.”
Posted December 14, 2016
