News

Barbara A. Sestak, interim dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Portland State University, has been named dean of the school.

Barbara Sestak brings with her over 25 years of Portland State experience including teaching, research, and administration. Her plans for the School of Fine and Performing Arts call for renewal of professional degree programs, including new programs in dance and film, and support for K–12 arts education. Sestak will also oversee the upgrading and renovation of both Shattuck and Lincoln Halls, home to the University’s Architecture, Art and Performing Arts programs.

“Barbara Sestak has done an outstanding job over the past year as interim dean,” said Provost Roy Koch, “and I am confident that she will provide effective leadership for enhancing academic programs and building support with the external community.”

Barbara Sestak replaces Robert Sylvester who left the position in October 2005. Prior to her role as interim dean, she was the associate vice provost for Sponsored Research at Portland State from 2000–2005; chair of the Department of Architecture from 1995–98; and both associate dean and interim dean for the School of Fine and Performing Arts from 1995–1997.

Sestak is a registered architect and was in private practice before joining Portland State University in 1982. She has been president of AIA/Portland and currently serves, by appointment of the governor, on the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners.

In 1995, the Women in Architecture Committee of AIA/Portland named Sestak Woman Architect of the Year. She has served on the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Prize for the Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy for five years and helped initiate a new NCARB Prize Grants program that was awarded for the first time last year. Sestak holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington.

School of Fine and Performing Arts
The mission of Portland State University's School of Fine and Performing Arts is to strengthen Portland's extended cultural community by providing outstanding professional training and education in the performing and visual arts in partnership with the region's working artists and cultural institutions. With strong ties to community, culture and business, the School of Fine and Performing Arts at PSU is the region's primary institution for preparing talented young people for leadership in creative careers. Located in the heart of Portland, the school's faculty and students provide a significant cultural trust for the Northwest, with scores of concerts, workshops, lectures and exhibitions throughout the year. The School consists of the Departments of Art, Architecture, Music and Theater Arts.

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Source: Donna Bergh (503-725-5256)
Office of Academic Affairs