Dean Brandt retiring from Meadows school

This past Monday, Dr. Carole Brandt, the Meadows School of the Arts dean, announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Brandt has served as dean of Meadows since 1994 and was the first woman to be named dean of a school in SMU history.

“I’ve been the first woman in every job I’ve had,” Brandt said, “so I guess I don’t feel it’s been a factor while I’ve been here.”

Brandt said that she began thinking about retiring two and a half years ago, and that it took a long period of time for her to decide what she wanted to do.

“I’ve watched other colleagues at other institutions leave one at a time, and it finally got to the point where I felt like it was time.”

Brandt says she missed directing and writing and wanted to be able to do those things while she is still healthy and has the ability to travel wherever necessary. She directed a play during her first summer as dean, but said the time commitment to the play and the workload of being dean was draining.

Brandt is also considering work as a consultant in her post-Meadows life in addition to the two commitments she already has as president of both the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the National Theatre Conference.

Brandt said that she is most proud of the restructuring that occurred in the Meadows school concerning the communications area. Disciplines such as Radio/TV/Film, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs and Journalism were separated from each other and allowed to exist on their own and gain their own identity.

“It had a profound impact on each of them,” Brandt said.

In terms of facilities, the building of the Meadows Museum was a crowning achievement because it became a business opportunity as well as an artistic and academic one. Brandt also mentioned the creation of the Belo journalism complex because it gave the department new opportunities that did not exist before.

When asked about the high turnover rate in directors of the Meadows Museum, Brandt said the museum’s Spanish art focus makes the job more challenging than normal.

“Often we have to have multiple searches for directors because we don’t find the right person. That’s why we have had people working for us sometimes on an interim basis.”

Brandt said that former director Ted Pillsbury was a “perfect fit” for the museum and that the relationship was like a “perfect marriage.”

She also said that the museum is like a new house, and that it takes time to find out what it takes to make it work.

The search committee will decide on finalists for the job in early October.

As far as her successor is concerned, she hopes the person will be someone who “wants to raise money and enjoy it.” Brandt said that plans are underway for a $60 million renovation and addition to the Meadows complex.

“We have a written comprehensive plan for the next ten years – each of the units have big plans and in my mind they are right on target.”

She also hopes that it is someone who enjoys the job as much as she has.

“I think this job has been really fun, and I hope they do too.”