Vice Dean Deanna Fitzgerald has been appointed Dean of the University of Connecticut School of Fine Arts. She will begin her new role on Aug. 1.
Message from the Dean
Earlier today, the University of Connecticut announced that Deanna Fitzgerald has been appointed Dean of the School of Fine Arts.
For those of you who might only know Deanna casually, I’d like to share few highlights from her time at the University of Arizona. After several years as a professional lighting designer for live performance, Deanna joined the faculty in 2008 as assistant professor of lighting design and was promoted to associate and then full professor. She served TFTV as associate director (2016-18), before spending a year as interim co-director (2018-19). She went on to serve very ably—and on short notice—as interim associate director of the School of Music (2019-20) and as interim director of the School of Dance (2021-22), in both cases paving the way for the successful hiring of permanent directors for those units.
At the college level, Deanna has served with incredible effectiveness as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Success (2020-22) and most recently as Vice Dean of the college (2022-present), all the while maintaining an active presence as a lighting designer, a leading figure in national organizations, and the author of a highly regarded book in her field.
When asked about her departure, Deanna offered the following thoughts: “It is with bittersweet reflection that I bring to a close my 16 years at the University of Arizona. Our many accomplishments in the Arts, and most importantly the former students I see out in the world doing the meaningful work they want to do gives me a rewarding pause. I know that this is not the end, as all of us will need to work together across the country to collectively grapple with the challenges to higher education and the Arts. I will see you all in the next part of that journey.”
Since my arrival in 2018, Deanna has, more than any other individual, been essential to the successes we have enjoyed as an organization. I have valued her calm demeanor, wise counsel, and invaluable sense of humor. I look forward to continuing and deepening our professional relationship as she takes on this new leadership role, for which she is so well equipped.
Deanna will be with us through July before beginning her new role at UConn on August 1.
In the coming weeks I will appoint an interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Success, with the aim of allowing that person to transition into the role under Deanna’s guidance.
Please join me in thanking Deanna for all her great work at the University of Arizona and in wishing her the very best as she embarks on this exciting next phase of her career.
Warm Regards,
Andy Schulz
Vice President for the Arts
Dean, College of Fine Arts