Announcement: School of the Arts Dean

To the Emerson community:

We are writing to share exciting news as the College continues to build its leadership team. Dr. Kate Eichhorn, current Dean and Professor of Culture and Media Studies at The New School in New York City, has accepted our offer to join Emerson College as our next Dean of the School of the Arts in the Fall 2024 semester.

We would also like to extend our deep gratitude to Dr. Maria Koundoura, who has graciously served as interim Dean of the School of the Arts for the last year during this transitional period. We also sincerely thank Dr. Anthony Pinder and the entire dean search committee, with support from Opus Partners search firm, for their excellent work on this important search.

Kate comes to Emerson with 16 years of experience leading departments and divisions in the arts, media, and humanities fields. At The New School, she served as Dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, Chair of the Culture and Media Studies Department, and Chair of the First-Year Writing Program. She also has a successful history of leading initiatives related to diversity, student success, and student and faculty mentorship.

Working at the intersection of cultural studies and media studies, Kate is the author of six published and forthcoming academic and trade non-fiction books, including The End of Forgetting (Harvard University Press, 2019) and Content (The MIT Press, 2022). Her writing on technology, youth cultures, and education can also be found in publications such as the MIT Technology Review, Wired, and Lit Hub. In addition to her contributions as a cultural critic and media theorist, she has authored and edited several literary collections, held a variety of positions in the publishing industry, and worked as a consultant in the design and technology sectors.

She holds a BA in English and Women’s Studies from Trent University, an MA in Education from Simon Fraser University, and a Ph.D in Language, Culture, and Teaching from York University. Prior to joining The New School in 2008, she spent five years teaching in the Department of English and Arts & Contemporary Studies Program at Toronto Metropolitan University.

“I am thrilled to join the creative community at Emerson College and to help successfully position Emerson to continue its longstanding tradition of educating and mentoring emerging writers, filmmakers, performers, artists, and critical thinkers,” she said.

We are delighted for her to join our community of thought leaders as we work together toward the future of excellence at Emerson in the arts and communication.

Sincerely,
Jay M. Bernhardt, President
Alex Socarides, Provost Designate
Jan Roberts-Breslin, Interim Provost