Dean, Herron School of Art + Design

Dean, Herron School of Art + Design Position Description Indiana University Indianapolis

Indianapolis, Indiana

Bring on Tomorrow

THE SEARCH

Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indianapolis) seeks an accomplished and visionary leader to serve as the next Dean of the Herron School of Art + Design.

Herron seeks a leader who appreciates the many ways that art, music, and design contribute to campus life, student growth, and the advancement of the State of Indiana. The next Dean will build on more than a century of operation and engagement in downtown Indianapolis.

HERRON SCHOOL OF ART + DESIGN

The John Herron Institute was founded as a private institution in 1902, at the time housing an art school and museum, located just north of downtown Indianapolis. In 1967, the Museum separated to become the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the school joined Indiana University. Two years later, Herron and other professional schools joined to create Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

In 2005, Herron relocated to its current home, Eskenazi Hall adjacent to the museums of the White River State Park and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.

Herron is home to more than 50 full-time faculty and 20 staff and has an annual operating budget of over $9 million. At the start of the Fall 2026 semester, 676 students were enrolled at Herron (12 doctoral students, 50 masters students, and 614 undergraduates). The school offers fifteen undergraduate majors, nine minors, two certificates, and eleven graduate degrees and certificates across four departments.

Herron also has distinctly unique offerings in Music Technology and Music Therapy programs.

Herron is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Art Therapy Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE). The Department of Music and Arts Technology is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

The music therapy program is approved by the American Music Therapy Association.

Members of the Dean's Advisory Board offer their insights into immediate goals and long-term planning for Herron School of Art and Design. The Board brings together community leaders, business professionals, artists, educators, philanthropists, alumni, and other advocates who share a commitment to Herron and its future. Up to 22 community members are chosen for the Dean's Advisory Board each year for their outstanding professional or personal affiliations and accomplishments.

The Board is currently helping advance planning for Herron’s 125th Anniversary, an important opportunity to celebrate the school’s history while increasing awareness, engagement, philanthropy, and enthusiasm for its future.

Herron spans three buildings on the IU Indianapolis campus—a total 215,000 square feet of studios, galleries, music practice rooms, and other inspirational spaces.

• Eskenazi Hall houses the majority of Herron’s art and design studios, a 240-seat auditorium, three galleries, an internationally recognized art library, a 3-D printing lab, a school-wide shop, outdoor sculpture gardens, student exhibition spaces, and a Grand Hall for public receptions and events.
• The Eskenazi Fine Arts Cetner (located about a mile away) houses Herron’s sculpture and ceramics programs, two more exhibition galleries, graduate studios, classrooms, critique spaces, and a large, multipurpose fabrication space.
• The Music and Arts Technology department is located in the Informatics and Communications Technology Complex. Students working in these spaces have access to practice rooms, recording studios, and the Critical…