Beauvais Lyons to Lead New Division of Arts and Humanities
In September 2022, the UT Chancellor announced a plan for establishing a divisional structure within the College of Arts and Sciences. Under the model, beginning on July 1, the college will be organized around three broad divisions: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Each division will be led by a divisional dean who will report to the executive dean, RJ Hinde. The divisional structure is a pilot and its effectiveness will be assessed after two years.
This week, the College of Arts and Sciences announced that the Division of Arts and Humanities will be led by Chancellor’s Professor Beauvais Lyons, energetic leader of the UT School of Art Printmaking area. Lyons’ leadership and service has long extended beyond the bounds of the School of Art. He has served two terms as UTK Faculty Senate President, as chair of the UTK Faculty Senate Faculty Affairs Committee, three terms on the UT System University Faculty Council, on the UTK Advisory Board, as well as task forces and committees that have supported the broad work of the university. Through these forms of service leadership, he has built strong working relationships with colleagues across the institution.
In contemplating the challenges of leading the Division of Art and Humanities, Lyons stated, “The success of the College of Arts and Sciences is essential to our university, and the arts and humanities are key components of this work. The visual, written, and performing arts enliven, foster empathy and positive change, just as scholarship in the humanities provides deeper contexts for understanding our diverse heritage, traditions, history, and culture. Together, both the arts and humanities are key to the education of our students, preparing them to lead purposeful lives as engaged citizens. The Divisional Dean for Arts and Humanities needs to tell this story in advocating for our work.”
The School of Art will certainly miss the day-to-day impact that Lyons has always brought to his work as a faculty member, colleague, and mentor. Christopher McNulty, Director of the School of Art, reflected, “Over the last 3 decades, Beauvais’ energy and passion for the arts and printmaking have contributed significantly to the visibility of the School at UTK and the national ranking of our programs. We look forward to working with him in his new role as he extends that commitment across all of the arts and humanities.”
In a letter to the School of Art faculty and staff, Professor Lyons stated, “As I take this next step in my career, I am thankful for the deep personal and professional connections that have been formed since joining the faculty in 1985 with colleagues in the School of Art, at UTK, and across our profession. I plan to rely on these connections as I take on my new duties. I hope you will find me to be an effective advocate for our creative work/scholarship, teaching, and service.”