Kayla Munecas, Contributing Writer
Bryer Haywood, Contributing Writer
VCU is pushing forward with mergers of five of its arts departments despite initial assurance from their dean that VCUarts would not be affected by the university’s academic repositioning initiative, according to faculty.
The Department of Dance and Choreography and the Department of Theatre will be merged into a Department of Theatre and Dance.
Additionally, the Department of Craft and Material studies, Department of Painting and Printmaking and Department of Sculpture and Extended Media are being consolidated into one Department of Fine Arts, according to a previous report by The CT.
VCU has consolidated several departments as part of an academic repositioning initiative, a move the school has described to be ensuring a more efficient and academically-focused university.
VCUarts was not explicitly mentioned in the final draft of repositioning recommendations shared by former Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos.
A slideshow outlining the goals of the initiative listed some objectives including restructuring the College of Humanities and Sciences and renaming it University College, but there is no mention of the school of the arts.
When Sotiropoulos solicited input from faculty during the repositioning process, VCUarts Dean Carmenita Higginbotham assured faculty that VCUarts would not be affected by the initiative, according to Lily Cox-Richard, an associate professor in the Department of Sculpture and Extended Media.
The repositioning website states the university planned to move forward with the initiative while prioritizing “trust and transparency.”
To do so, the university convened a task force to get the perspectives of VCU faculty members. It included over “50 faculty and staff members with more than 27,000 engagements, 1,300 attendees at in-person discussions and 2,500 written comments,” according to the Office of the Provost.
Some faculty claim there was limited communication from administrators, and other faculty were not consulted in certain decisions until it was too late.
Cox-Richard said the administration and VCUarts management have communicated only the bare minimum since talk of the repositioning arose.
“As faculty, we have received very mixed messages leading up to this,” Cox-Richard said.
Cox-Richard noted that VCUarts management repeatedly stated the repositioning would strictly bring administrative changes, and assured no faculty would lose their job.
“So far, neither of those things seems true,” Cox-Richard said.
In the midst of consolidation efforts, VCUarts paused admission to the furniture design graduate program and did not renew the contract of professor Annie Evelyn, the only full-time professor of the wood program.
When asked if VCUarts would hire a replacement, Higginbotham stated they are “unable to share updates on individual faculty employment matters.”
“The School of the Arts remains committed to the strength and continuity of our programs, and courses next academic year will be taught by qualified individuals while long term instructional needs are evaluated,” Higgenbotham stated.
Faculty were eventually told in October 2024 the restructuring would affect VCUarts, according to Cox-Richard.
The VCUarts Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC), which serves as a mediator between faculty and the dean, has worked to increase faculty involvement in decision-making, according to a VCUarts faculty member who requested to remain anonymous.
Most of the work has been put into revising the school’s governance document. In September 2023, FAC members voted to request that Dean Higginbotham refrain from making further departmental, administrative or organizational changes within VCUarts until the revised governance document was approved. The vote passed with 13 members in favor and one abstention.
The governance document had not been ratified by the date of this story’s publication.
“While exact details are still taking shape, we’re excited about the opportunity to work across programs to explore forward-thinking ways of sharing resources,” Higgenbotham stated. “This may include expanded access to facilities, specialized equipment, and learning opportunities. This exchange of ideas and expertise will ensure that students benefit from a broader creative community and are equipped with deeper interdisciplinary skills.”
While tensions remain between some faculty and administrators, some students said they look forward to the changes the department mergers.
Fourth-year theatre student Grace Taraschke said the consolidation felt like it was a “long time coming.”
“What we gathered is, it’s going to bring us as theatre majors a little more access to dance classes, which in the past haven’t been the most accessible,” Taraschke said.
Third-year theatre student Andi Landrum said they sensed some sort of consolidation would occur, but they were never officially notified.
“It kind of just happened. It was like, one of our classes is now at the dance building, which is super far and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I didn’t know it was an official thing,” Landrum said.
When asked about the situation, Faculty Senate president Kim Bridges noted recently proposed legislation to the Virginia General Assembly that would “increase faculty and student voice on boards of visitors.”
Both Taraschke and Landrum said they would become involved with the VCU Board of Visitors if they have the opportunity.
“Myself and my classmates are very proactive in making sure our education is what we want and deserve, and I know we would all be more than willing to participate if we had access,” Taraschke said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The CT made the decision to grant anonymity to a source in this story in order to protect them from possible retaliation.