PNCA Names Kate Copeland as Acting President
June 05, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore.—Kate Copeland, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, has been named acting president for Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). Copeland will serve in this capacity for the next couple of months. During this time, a Transition Planning Group will work to identify and name an Interim President. Former PNCA President Don Tuski announced his resignation in April to assume the role of President for Detroit’s College for Creative Studies.
“I’d like to thank Kate for stepping into this role and for her 12 years of devotion to PNCA,” said PNCA Board Chair Scott Musch. “She is well-respected by the faculty, staff and students, as well as our Board of Governors, and the arts education and design community. We believe Kate is the best person for the position and are confident in her leading the school until an interim president is named.”
The process to name an interim president is already underway. The college’s Transition Planning Group, an advisory committee to the Board of Governors, has been meeting since early May to lay out the process. Faculty, staff and students will continue to play an important part in the selection of both an interim president and a new leader to fill the role long-term.
The Transition Planning Group has begun the process to identify candidates for an interim president, select members for the president search committee to name a permanent president, and find a search firm for the new president. The Transition Planning Group is committed to having a focus on equity and diversity in the search for both an interim and permanent president.
The Board anticipates that it will name an interim president this summer.
“PNCA is in a strong position for this search,” Musch adds. “We are optimistic about the future of the college as well as the team we have in place during the transition period. My North Star, and the Board’s, is to prioritize what’s best for our students so they have the highest quality arts education and experience that PNCA can offer.”
This fall, PNCA has enrolled a record incoming class, will launch new minor programs, complete the build-out of its new Glass Building, and continue PNCA’s Teach Out program for former Oregon College of Art and Craft students.
About Pacific Northwest College of Art
Founded in 1909 as the Museum Art School, PNCA has helped shape the region’s visual art landscape for more than a century. Today, PNCA offers 11 Bachelor of Fine Art programs in art and design, eight graduate programs including Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts programs within the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies, a Post-Baccalaureate program, and Community Education courses for artists and designers of all ages. For more information, visit pnca.edu.