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Buffington to step down as UArts head

Sean T. Buffington, president of the University of the Arts since 2007, will leave the school in January to become vice president for planning and strategic initiatives at the Henry Luce Foundation in New York City, according to Jeffrey A. Lutsky, chairman of the university's board of trustees.

Sean Buffington, the president of the University of the Arts, is leaving the school. (Eric Mencher / File photo)
Sean Buffington, the president of the University of the Arts, is leaving the school. (Eric Mencher / File photo)Read moreERIC MENCHER / file photo

Sean T. Buffington, president of the University of the Arts since 2007, will leave the school in January to become vice president for planning and strategic initiatives at the Henry Luce Foundation in New York City, according to Jeffrey A. Lutsky, chairman of the university's board of trustees.

Buffington, 45, came to UArts from Harvard University, where he had been associate provost of arts and culture and director of cultural programs. He expressed sadness at the prospect of leaving UArts and Philadelphia. But he characterized his Luce appointment as "an unparalleled opportunity to support and affect higher education, American art, and other fields I care about passionately on a national and global scale."

Lutsky said Buffington's tenure has been marked by the increasing sophistication and diversification of the curriculum. "Sean Buffington has led the organization through an important period of transformation and a reimagined look at how higher education in the arts should work," he said in an e-mail. "We are positioned well for the future, and the board views this transition as a part of the natural evolution of a university. We are grateful for Sean's leadership over these seven years and wish him the best in his move to the Luce Foundation."

In recent years, the university has introduced an interdisciplinary curriculum. New programs have also been added, including music business, entrepreneurship, and technology; creative writing; and film design and production.

The UArts Corzo Center for the Creative Economy has emerged as a resource for creative entrepreneurs seeking to establish businesses in the city. And partnerships have been launched with Peirce College, NextFab, the Curtis Institute, and Drexel University's Westphal College of Media Arts and Design.

Buffington said he was gratified by "what the UArts community has accomplished over the past seven years."

Lutsky said enrollment has fluctuated, but is up this year - to about 1,800 - over last year, which was also up significantly.

"We're in a strong position to capitalize on that growth," Lutsky said. "UArts is on solid financial ground; we've attracted nationally acclaimed talent to our faculty; our curriculum has been transformed to be the first in the country for an independent art and design college to truly deliver interdisciplinary learning; our faculty and alumni are defining the creative economy in Philadelphia and beyond."

Buffington is the third president since the university was formed in 1987 after the merger of the Philadelphia College of Art and the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. He will step down Jan. 1. UArts provost Kirk E. Pillow has been named interim president by the board, beginning in January.

He will be assisted through Jan. 31 by Buffington to ensure a smooth transition, Lutsky said; a national search is being mounted to find the next president.

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