The College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin has appointed Professor Andrew Dell’Antonio to serve as its first associate dean of undergraduate studies.
In this newly created position, Dell’Antonio will lead efforts in the college to meet President Powers’ challenge to the university to improve the quality, accessibility and cost of undergraduate education. As associate dean, he will work toward improving four-year graduation rates, assist faculty in developing honors tracks throughout the college and oversee a faculty-staff working group tasked with creating a Fine Arts Office of Recruiting and Admissions to attract some of the most talented students across Texas.
“Andrew is one of our finest teachers and has been serving as the chair of the college’s Task Force on Undergraduate Studies since it was established in fall of 2009,” said College of Fine Arts Dean Douglas Dempster. “Under his leadership, the task force assembled a proposal for honors tracks in the academic units and advocated for and coordinated a new undergraduate professional development travel grant, which allowed students across the college to attend off-campus events and workshops that enriched their studies and had direct relevance to their future careers.
“He will be engaging the faculty on ways to improve course availability and sequencing so students can move more efficiently and affordably through their studies,” said Dempster. “This is a prodigious charge, and I’m grateful to him for his willingness to accept it.”
Dell’Antonio is a musicologist in the Butler School of Music and one of the college’s most recognized teachers. He was the inaugural recipient of the University of Texas Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award in 2009 and the College of Fine Arts Distinguished Teaching Award in 2007.
