On July 29, William R. Seigh assumed the role of Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Seigh comes to Cornish from Keene State University, where he most recently served as Special Assistant to the President for University Partnerships. Prior to this, he served a two-year term as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Keene State.

Seigh is a noted administrative leader, professor, artistic director, and dancer whose academic career has spanned more than three decades. He’s taught or held faculty positions at Keene State, James Madison University, Wesleyan University, University of California Irvine, Wichita State University, and the University of Colorado, Boulder. Throughout his faculty and administrative roles, he has developed a reputation as a student-focused leader and internal relationship builder.

At Keene State, Seigh was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the curriculum, including management of faculty and staff, oversight of a $45M Academic Affairs budget, and monitoring of national and regional compliance and accreditation. He was instrumental in nurturing a culture of inclusion, strengthening faculty and staff engagement, and upholding the University’s commitment to shared governance.

“The search committee and I were extremely impressed by William’s career of service to arts education and by his authenticity. From an enormously talented pool of candidates, William emerged for his academic and leadership experience, but also for his collaborative, inclusive approach,” said Cornish President Raymond Tymas-Jones. “These attributes will be particularly valued here at Cornish, as we enter into an important strategic planning effort involving stakeholders from across the College and the larger community.”

As Provost, Seigh becomes Cornish’s chief academic officer, tasked to work with the President, the Department Chairs, the Faculty, and his administrative colleagues to set the academic priorities for the College and to manage the human and capital resources needed to support those priorities.

Complementing his academic achievements, Seigh is an accomplished choreographer and dancer. He holds an MFA in Dance, Performance, and Choreography from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a BA in Physical Education (Dance) and Psychology from San Francisco State University. For more than 30 years, he’s directed, choreographed, and performed in dozens of theater, music, and dance productions across the United States and internationally. He served two six-year terms as President of the American College Dance Association, where he helped transform that organization to one with a national voice of advocacy for dance in higher education.

“William brings to Cornish an exceptional combination of academic success, authentic leadership, and deep personal commitment to the arts,” said President Tymas-Jones. “We look forward to having him at the helm of our academic enterprise at this exciting time in the College’s history.”

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