Dear Cornish Community,

Welcome back to campus after what I hope was a restful and productive summer. I want to extend a special welcome to our over 200 new students, 25 new faculty, and 5 new staff members. It was definitely an eventful summer in the provost’s office, and I’d like to bring you up to date with some of what we’ve accomplished. This is also our 110^th Anniversary and it is destined to be an exciting year. I want to provide you with some important efforts where I will welcome your involvement.

Campus Renovations

First off, three floors of our main academic building (MCC) have been completely transformed. The rolling, partial walls dividing the open floor plans have now been replaced with permanent, floor-to-ceiling walls. This will mitigate sound bleeding between classes and project spaces, and at the same time add a significant amount of critique space.

On Level 1 of MCC two movement rooms have been combined into one large dance studio to accommodate our dancers coming to MCC from Kerry Hall. New dance spaces will have mirrors, barres, and professional sprung dance floors. Unfortunately, the floor manufacturing has taken much longer than anticipated, but the rooms will be ready in October.

In addition, the Annex building on Virginia St. now has a percussion room and a recording studio, and by the end of September, we will have new practice rooms with sound insulation installed.

Strategic Planning Update

The 2024-2027 Strategic Plan that our community developed last year is in the final stages of being approved by the Board of Trustees. I encourage you to keep an eye out for opportunities coming soon to help us prioritize the goals you identified during the development process, and to bring creativity and innovation to how we implement these goals. We are also in the process of reaffirming our mission statement and will be seeking everyone’s input to refresh our mission.

NWCCU Mid-Cycle Review

Over the summer the Northwest Commission for Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) voted to remove a sanction previously placed on the college. The removal was due to improvements we’ve made since our last reaccreditation review. This is fantastic news, and I expect to keep the positive momentum going as we move into our Mid-Cycle Review in the spring. NWCCU’s Mid-Cycle Review is focused on mission fulfillment, student achievement, and program assessment, so you can anticipate collective conversations on these topics in the months ahead. Our institutional report is due in February, and we will have an evaluation site visit in late March. Again, please watch for opportunities to engage with this process.

Inclusive Democracy

As you know this will be a presidential election year. In the weeks leading up to the election there will be potential for conflict within our community, between the Cornish community and the community around us, and even between our community members and their loved ones. Student Affairs and student leaders (including the Cornish Inclusion Team, Orientation Leaders, and Cornish Student Senate) will be undertaking an initiative to support the campus before, during, and after the election. Anyone interested will be able to join group conversations aimed at breaking down polarization through active listening and openness to diverse worldviews. This approach will also be reinforced in our new first-year program, Emerging Artists.

Leadership Retirements

I want to acknowledge and celebrate two major retirements that occurred over the summer, President Raymond Tymas-Jones, and Vice President of Finance and Operations Debbie Treen. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to know and work with both Raymond and Debbie, even if only for a short time. Their leadership is part of the legacy of this strong 110-year-old institution, and we will forever be grateful for their guidance through the COVID pandemic and its aftermath. I hope you will join me in wishing them all the best on this new stage of their life’s journey.

Finally, for me personally I believe I’m starting to settle into Seattle life. I’m beginning to understand the angled streets and know how to get to around on the bus, I witnessed my first Blue Angles attack, picnicked at Jimi Hendrix Park for the Juneteenth festival, watched the original 1984 Dune outdoors in Seattle Center, enjoyed a powwow in Discovery Park, grabbed a free Thursday at SAM, got a little taste of Seattle summer without AC, and even went out for vegan Thai food with a Dean who plays penny whistle…at this point, I’m definitely in!

I hope to see you at the fireside chat and look forward to running into you around campus.

Sincerely,
Brian Harlan

Cornish College of the Art’s Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs