Art Center Names New President: Lorne M. Buchman

Dr. Lorne M. Buchman has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Art Center College of Design on Wednesday, the school’s Board of Trustees announced this week.

Dr. Buchman, only the fifth president of Art Center since its founding nearly 80 years ago, will take office in October 2009, succeeding Dr. Frank L. Ellsworth, who has served as Interim President of the College since Fall 2008.

Dr. Buchman was unanimously selected by the Board following the enthusiastic recommendation of a committee of faculty members, students, trustees and staff that conducted an international search over the past ten months.

In making the announcement, Board Chairman John P. Puerner said, “I am confident that Lorne will ensure Art Center continues to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment and is able to maintain its leadership position at the center of excellence and innovation in higher education.  Our students’ experience will be elevated by his balanced approach to learning.”

Dr. Buchman’s presidency of Art Center marks his return to art and design education.  Previously, Dr. Buchman served as Provost, then President of California College of Arts and Crafts.  There he spearheaded the 1994 strategic plan that led to the creation of its renowned San Francisco campus and was instrumental in the success of the historic capital campaign that made the new facility possible. During his tenure at CCA, he also oversaw significant enrollment growth, launched a major public programs initiative, engaged in bold community service initiatives, and diversified the faculty with several new hires.

Most recently, Dr. Buchman served as President of Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center where he led the institution in a plan to transform from a graduate school to a multidisciplinary university. A trained theatre director and scholar, he has also held a number of faculty and administrative positions at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of a book on filmic adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.

“I’m thrilled to be joining this extraordinary community, and I look forward to the chance to build on its distinctive and distinguished history,” Dr. Buchanan said. ” Art Center has always been one of most highly-respected independent colleges of art and design in this country, and I couldn’t be happier about this opportunity. This is a fabulous moment in my life.”

Dr. Buchman serves as Principal and Founder of Buchman Associates, a private consulting firm he established in 2000 whose focus is identifying philanthropic and private investment sources to develop facilities for non-profit organizations. A principal project of Buchman Associates included his work as Executive Director of the highly acclaimed Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, California, an international center dedicated to disability rights and universal access that will be a home for people with disabilities to live independently and without discrimination.