Scott Lindroth, chair of the music department, will become the University's first vice provost for the arts July 1, Provost Peter Lange announced last Thursday.
"I am most pleased that Scott has accepted my invitation," Lange said in a statement. "Such an effort requires focused and innovative leadership and that is just what Scott will provide."
Lindroth will advise the provost with regard to arts on campus. His duties will include overseeing Duke Performances, performing arts venues and arts facilities.
"A vice provost of the arts offers the arts community at Duke a real voice in the University administration," Lindroth wrote in an e-mail. "I hope to harness the tremendous creative energy that already exists in arts departments and programs on campus and find ways for the arts to achieve a greater impact at Duke and beyond."
He said the arts are an effective ambassador to the local community and added that he hopes to expand Duke's outreach efforts.
Lindroth, who has worked as a music composer with many other performing arts departments at Duke, said he will draw upon his past experiences to help increase collaboration among arts departments and between the University and the Durham community.
"These collaborations have been enormously stimulating," he said. "At the same time they have made me aware of opportunities to 'connect the dots' between arts programs so that our efforts would have a greater impact locally and nationwide."
Richard Riddell, special assistant to the president and Mary D. B. T. and James H. Semans professor of the practice of theater studies, said Lindroth will work with deans in various schools to develop ways to further bring arts into undergraduate education.
Aaron Greenwald, interim director of Duke Performances, said the new post will also help facilitate communication on campus.
"The perception is there's not a lot of art going on at Duke, which is not accurate," he said. "Because people are not in solid conversation with one another they don't know what everybody else is doing. So my hope would be that the vice provost will alleviate that bottleneck... so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts."
In his new position, Lindroth will help the University realize its newest strategic plan, "Making A Difference," which has art as one of its six major themes. The plan-approved in September-calls for a transformation of arts at Duke through enhanced programming, more curricular opportunities and the improvement and expansion of art facilities.
The addition of the position will also highlight Duke's commitment to arts, Riddell said.
"For the arts it's a strong signal that the president and provost are quite serious about moving forward, making arts an even more important part of the Duke experience," he said.
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