Jill Beck

Jill Beck (born 1949) is an American dancer, scholar, administrator and educator. She was the 15th president of Lawrence University. On February 2, 2012, Beck announced her intention to retire from the position of University President, effective June 30, 2013.

A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, Beck received a B.A. in philosophy and art history from Clark University, an M.A. in history and music from McGill University, and a Ph.D. in theatre history and criticism from the City University of New York.

As dean of the School of the Arts at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) from 1995 to 2003, she instituted a strategic planning process and led a capital campaign that contributed to the school's endowment, facilities, educational mission, and outreach activities. Under her leadership, the school was named the Claire Trevor School of the Arts and undergraduate applications increased by more than 70 percent over four years.

During her tenure as dean, Beck founded the ArtsBridge outreach program in art education, with Professor Keith Fowler as its initial administrative director. Now named ArtsBridge America, the program is an arts partnership between universities and the K-12 community. The program offers hands-on experiences in the arts to school-age children, placing university students in K-12 classrooms as instructors and mentors. Beck also established the da Vinci Research Center for Learning Through the Arts, an interdisciplinary center for research focused on learning across disciplines.

...
Wikipedia