Kavin Buck Named New Vice President for Enrollment Services at Pacific Northwest College of Art
August 29, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2011
Contact:
Becca Biggs, Director of Communications
Pacific Northwest College of Art
bbiggs@pnca.edu, 971 255 5511
Kavin Buck Named New Vice President for Enrollment Services at Pacific Northwest College of Art
PORTLAND, OR – August 29, 2011 – Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kavin Buck as Vice President for Enrollment Services.
“Kavin brings to PNCA more than twenty years of professional experience in art school admissions at top level institutions,” said Tom Manley, President of PNCA. “He has been recognized for his exceptional work in the enrollment management field both with awards and leadership positions in professional organizations. Added to these qualifications is Kavin’s reputation for collegiality, hard work, thoughtfulness, rigor and a sense of humor.”
Buck’s deep experience with arts admissions began in 1994 at Otis College of Art and Design. Since then, he has served as Director of Admissions at Otis, Director of Recruitment and Outreach at UCLA’s School of Art and Architecture and most recently, as Director of Enrollment Management and Outreach at UCLA’s School of Art and Architecture where he is also a member of the Dean’s Cabinet. His own undergraduate and graduate training at Otis and at Cal Arts, respectively, enabled him to launch and maintain his own studio practice, to operate a gallery, to actively exhibit and to mentor young art students as a faculty member at Santa Monica College.
His students from the Arts Mentor Program at Santa Monica College, a program that Buck currently helms, describe Buck as, “extremely knowledgeable, and [as someone who] genuinely, genuinely cares about his students. Part of what makes him such an excellent teacher is that he doesn’t tell you what to do. He guides you to find your own voice. He is a true inspiration.”
In 2008, Buck published A Guide to College Choices for the Performing and Visual Arts. The guide has been described as “a model of clarity, this easy-to-use manual illuminates key concepts and offers concrete strategies for students and counselors alike.” Buck regularly lectures on college admissions and the arts at conferences around the country. He has also served on the executive board of and as President of the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling.
“I have a deep admiration for the unique nature of visual and performing arts students as a whole,” Buck writes, “and I feel that I can assist in finding bridges that are attractive to potential students and beneficial to both current students and to the institution as a whole.”
Tom Manley says, “We think he is just the person to help PNCA realize its bold vision to become a school of influence and look forward to welcoming him to the College and to the Portland community.”
As Vice President for Enrollment Services, Buck will be a critical part of PNCA’s senior leadership team. Buck will work with the President, the President’s cabinet, faculty, staff and Board of Governors in order to determine short and long term enrollment goals, admissions criteria, financial aid policy, retention strategies and how the College is represented regionally, nationally and internationally. Buck will help PNCA continue to grow into a premier art education institution, shaping trends in art, design and culture, in Portland and beyond.
“I am very excited to be joining Pacific Northwest College of Art as the institution looks towards the next decade with its eye on campus expansion, increasing its curricular offerings and addressing diversity within the student body,” Buck says. “I am impressed by the vision of the faculty and staff and look forward to being apart of PNCA and the greater Portland community as PNCA becomes a leader in arts education not only on the West Coast, but both nationally and internationally.”
In addition to more than a decade of significant work at UCLA’s School of Art and Architecture, Buck continues to maintain an active studio practice. Works at recent shows in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Seattle have been reviewed as “extremely sophisticated, even jewel-like.” Others describe his work as “turning stereotype on its head,” an examination of a “profound and original idea.” Buck is represented by LA Contemporary Gallery in Los Angeles.
Buck begins work at PNCA on October 31, 2011. Before that point, he will make several visits to campus for strategic planning sessions and join conferences via telephone at other times as needed.
About Pacific Northwest College of Art
Since its founding in 1909, Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) has been an active center for innovative art and design education. At PNCA students learn about the practice of creativity and then carry those lessons into their personal and professional lives. In addition to its nine Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, PNCA offers four graduate degrees under the auspices of its Ford Institute for Visual Education (FIVE): An MFA in Visual Studies, a Low-Residency MFA in Visual Studies, an MFA in Collaborative Design, as well as an MFA in Applied Craft and Design developed with the Oregon College of Art and Craft, the first inter-institutional degree of its kind in the US.
PNCA is actively involved in Portland’s cultural life through exhibitions and a vibrant public program of lectures and internationally recognized visiting artists, designers and creative thinkers. With the support of FIVE, the College has an operating partnership with the nationally acclaimed Museum of Contemporary Craft. For more information, visit www.pnca.edu.