History
ArtsLehigh grew out an initiative spearheaded by Bobb Carson, the former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as part of a commitment to developing a culture of creativity and imagination at Lehigh.
Dean Bobb Carson convened a “Revisioning the Arts” Committee during the late 1990s, with a four-year goal of developing and launching the ArtsLehigh project. An initial planning budget was approved by then-Provost Ron Yoshida. Organizational planning for the program was headed up by Norman Girardot, professor of religion studies, who continues to serve as the faculty director.
The search for an administrative director was completed in 2005, when Silagh White, former director of the Muse Machine for the Performing Arts Council of Toledo, was selected for the post. She came to Lehigh in the summer of 2005 with a rich and diverse background in the arts, as performer, administrator, and community volunteer.
A classically trained bassoonist who performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, White worked closely with high school teachers in Toledo to find ways to integrate artistic experiences into the curriculum and to arrange for special cultural experiences for high school students outside of the classroom.
The 2005-2006 academic year welcomed the official debut of the ArtsLehigh program and the opening of ArtsHouse, a recently renovated home on West Packer Avenue, located next to the university’s Humanities House.
From the President’s Office http://www3.lehigh.edu/News/news_story.asp?iNewsID=1206
