For Michael Tick, art education is inseparable from his life.

Tick was exposed to the arts, which his parents deeply cared about, at an early age. He did not plan to make a living as a performer, since, his true passion was teaching.

Nevertheless, Tick, the newly appointed dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University, chose to study theater for his undergraduate studies and performance studies for a master’s degree. After working three semesters in a community college, he headed to Los Angles to explore film industry. His brother was working at MGM and Tick was contracted as a long-term extra on the sitcom “M*A*S*H.” At night he taught acting at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Upon finishing his Ph.D. in theater at New York University, Tick took on a completely different job: a trading support specialist at Merrill Lynch’s High Yield Bond Group.

Notwithstanding, he could not give up teaching and continued to do so at night at NYU.

“I was done with the doctoral coursework at NYU and I was tired of being poor,” Tick said.

He felt the tug to go back to teaching full-time as he was working as a bond trader. At the time, through a few people that he knew, Tick had the opportunity to be a part of starting the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts at a performing arts high school in Virginia.

“I was torn. I really wanted to do college teaching, but the students were so amazing I went back, and I thought ‘well, I could stay there three years’ and I stayed 12, because the high school students were so amazing,” Tick said.

After 12 years, Tick said he was ready for a change. Following a suggestion from a friend, Tick applied and was offered a position as chair of the Department of Theatre at Louisiana State University, where he stayed for 11 years.

Before coming to SU, he was dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky for six years.

Jay Blanton, executive director of the public relations and marketing department at the University of Kentucky, worked with Tick in his previous position.

“He’s got a great personality, a very light touch, very easy to be around, funny, curious about art and always open to talk with you,” Blanton said.

At first it was a tough decision to leave his previous job, since they were just getting ready to launch a campaign to build a new school of music band building. He was also emotionally connected to a new residence hall that could become the college’s first Creative Arts Living Learning Community, which had always been a dream of Tick.

He said he thought about staying in Kentucky, but dean jobs in universities like SU don’t open up every day.

“I knew I couldn’t just pass by this opportunity. Syracuse University is just too special a place,” Tick said.

Tick listed some of the things that, to him, make the university special. From the experiences he has heard from others at SU to it being a research university to having a partnership with professional theatre companies.

In regard to his goals as dean, Tick said, “Have you seen some of the buildings?”

The college needs to spend time addressing the state of the facilities and think about replacing and renovating, and start working strategically with the chancellor, the new provost, the board of trustees and the faculty, he said.

Courtesy of Stephen Sartori 

Tick said what they tackle will be very intentional and they will create a strategic plan in terms of capital so projects can be put in place.

He is also looking to strengthen the college’s infrastructure in terms of the development office. VPA has not had a development officer or a major gifts officer in more than 18 months. Tick is looking to fill those positions and reevaluate the advancement office because “the more funds we raise the better for our students and faculty,” Tick said.

Another goal on his list is to reassess VPA’s international footprint, both in terms of study abroad and bringing international students to the school.

“This sounds like a cliché, but we are a global society, and so if we’re going to train our students at the very highest level artistically and academically they need to be exposed to theory and practice on an international scale,” Tick said.

The college is also in the process of acquiring a chief financial officer to create more efficiency in the financial and business operations and to better manage the resources available.

Bringing in an international student body is also useful for those students who cannot study abroad, Tick said, since they would still be able to work side by side with people who have had different experiences than their own.

Tick added that he is aware what keeps faculty relevant in their research and their education is to have experiences on an international scope.

“A college of fine arts is all about merging both scholarly pursuits and passion, so I think he is distinctly equipped to do that at a place like Syracuse,” Blanton said.

An idea Tick is exploring for the long-term is an undergraduate or graduate program in healing therapy, such as music therapy, dance therapy and art therapy. Around the SU community there are many medical facilities.

During the interview process Tick sensed how warm and friendly the faculty are and that they truly are world-class educators.

“I don’t use those two words lightly: ‘world class,’” Tick said.

Tick walked away from the interview with the department heads thinking that he would really like to work with each of them, he said. He also had the opportunity to sit in on a staff meeting and it was then he realized that he would have the benefit of working with a highly trained staff.

“Dean Tick comes to SU:VPA with a wealth of administrative experience through a long and successful career across a number of excellent universities,” said Charles Morris III, chair of the VPA dean search committee, in an email. “His deep knowledge and abundant skills are animated by his infectious passion for the well-being and success of the communities he leads.”

The icing on the cake during the interview process was meeting undergraduate and graduate students.

“I was struck by how talented they are … I was blown away by what I saw and heard,” Tick said.

Published on August 28, 2016 at 9:57 pm

Contact Stacy: sfern100@syr.edu | @StacyFernandezB