College of Fine Arts, School of Art, School of Music

Yuanyuan (Kay) He and Jeehey Kim will receive “Early Career Scholar Awards,” the University of Arizona announced on April 25.

The Early Career Scholars Award recognizes early-career faculty members at the forefront of their disciplines for highly valued contributions to teaching, creative activity and service. The award includes a $5,000 prize.

“These awards are the highest faculty honors that our University bestows,” Liesl Folks, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, wrote in an April 21 announcement of the awards. “They allow us to recognize the contributions of outstanding colleagues who have had significant impacts locally, nationally and globally.”

The awards are presented annually by the Office of the Provost, the W.A. Franke Honors College, the Graduate College, the Postdoctoral Affairs office and the GIFT Center at the University of Arizona Foundation.

A recognition event is planned for the spring of 2024.

Kay He

Kay He, assistant professor at the Fred Fox School of Music, created the immersive, multimedia project StellarScape, a convergence research collaboration synthesizing science, humanity, music, visual art, and technology. She is also the founder and director of the TURN UP Multimedia Festival, which works to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, culture-connecting, and equality. She teaches composition, electro-acoustic music, multimedia, and orchestration.

Jeehey Kim

Jeehey Kim, art history assistant professor at the School of Art, researches the history of photography, visual culture, and film studies in East Asia. Kim is currently working on two book projects: Imagining Korea through Photography, on the history of photography in Korea, and Photography and Death: Funerary Photo-Portraiture in East Asia. In 2022, Kim created symposia, centered on the history and practice of photography in Korea (February), Taiwan (April) and Southeast Asia (November). Each symposium, hosted by the School of Art and the Center for Creative Photography featured scholars and artists from around the world.

Faculty Recognition

University-Wide Faculty Awards
Kay He, Early Career Scholar Award
Jeehey Kim, Early Career Scholar Award

Promotion to Professor
Amelia Kraehe, School of Art
Chad Nicholson, Fred Fox School of Music

Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor
Anna Cooper, School of Theatre, Film & Television
Carissa DiCindio, School of Art
Fanya Lin, Fred Fox School of Music (CT)
Daniel Linder, Fred Fox School of Music (CT)
Johanna Lundy, Fred Fox School of Music
Karin Nolan, Fred Fox School of Music (CT)
Cynthia Stokes, Fred Fox School of Music
Matthew Williams, Fred Fox School of Music

John Milbauer portrait

John Milbauer, who has served as the College of Fine Arts Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs the past two years, has informed me that he has accepted the position of Dean for the School of Music at DePaul University in Chicago, beginning July 1. He has taught at the Fred Fox School of Music for 16 years as a professor of piano. Plus, during his time here, John sat on several university committees, including serving as our CFA Faculty Senator, the Vice Chair of the Committee of Eleven and chair of the Committee of Conciliation.

“Please join me in thanking John for his great work in the role and in wishing him the best in this next phase in his professional life,” said Andrew Schulz, dean of the College of Fine Arts in a message to staff.

Details on how the College will handle this important vacancy, in both the short and long term, will be coming soon.