Beauvais Lyons, Chancellor’s Professor in the School of Art, will serve as the inaugural divisional dean for arts and humanities in the UT College of Arts and Sciences.
Since 1985, Lyons has taught printmaking at UT. Working with his colleagues, he has helped elevate the MFA printmaking program to its current third-place ranking among public universities by U.S. News & World Report.
“Universities are people-centered enterprises, creating opportunities for faculty to advance their scholarship and creative work while connecting these activities to our teaching and service commitments,” Lyons said. “As a divisional dean, I look forward to collaborating with the new leadership team in our college, supporting the arts and humanities, while also advancing shared goals.”
Lyons’s leadership and service to the university include two terms as president of the Faculty Senate, as well as extensive involvement in efforts to revise the faculty handbook and to ensure college and department bylaws comply with it. He represented the campus on the UT Advisory Board and served three terms on the UT System University Faculty Council. He helped to establish Mic/Nite 10 years ago.
Professionally, his one-person exhibitions have been presented at more than 80 galleries and museums across the United States. He has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in Poland, the Santo Foundation Artist Award, and the Southeastern College Art Conference Distinguished Teaching of Art Award.
Lyons will begin his appointment July 1, 2023. As divisional dean, Lyons will work with faculty, departmental administration, and members of the college office to develop and implement faculty affairs policies and procedures that support the faculty’s central role as scholar-teachers in the mission of the college and the university. Divisional deans will serve as advocates for the units and faculty, staff, and students in their divisions. In his role, Lyons will collaborate with members of the college office to build and maintain an environment that enables and empowers world-class research and creative activity, teaching, and engagement.
“The arts and humanities are vital to being a comprehensive university,” Lyons said. “The visual, written, and performing arts enliven and foster empathy and positive change, just as scholarship in the humanities provides deeper contexts for understanding our diverse heritage, traditions, history, and culture. Together, these are key to the education of our students, preparing them to lead purposeful lives as engaged citizens.”
About the College of Arts and Sciences Divisional Structure Pilot
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 July 1, 2023, 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. The divisional structure is a pilot and its effectiveness will be assessed after two years. RJ Hinde is the interim executive dean working with the provost, college leadership, faculty, and staff to create a divisional structure designed to meet the various needs of the college. Read more about the pilot on our website.