Message from the Dean of the College of the Arts

Photo of Dean Daniel Gurskis in a suit and tie on a grey background.

Welcome.

If you’ve arrived at this webpage, chances are good that you’re interested in some aspect of the visual and performing arts. Well, you’ve come to the right place. More than 2,000 students are pursuing degrees in the College of the Arts in over forty majors, minors and concentrations. And those cover virtually every area of art and design, music, and theater and dance.

So whether you see yourself onstage or backstage, in front of a camera or a classroom, at a piano keyboard playing a Beethoven sonata or at a computer keyboard designing The Next Big Thing, the College of the Arts has a program for you.

But you know the old expression “seeing is believing.” So I invite you to come to our beautiful campus in Montclair, New Jersey and see first-hand the kinds of truly exciting things that are happening here. In the meantime, keep connecting with us on Instagram and Facebook.

I’ll see you at Montclair.

Dan Gurskis
Dean, College of the Arts

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Need assistance or a Signature from the staff of Dean Gurskis?

Below is a partial list of administrative areas overseen by members of the Dean's Office staff with whom students, faculty and other members of the University community often seek support.

College of the Arts Executive Management

Associate Dean, Ronald L. Sharps (sharpsr@montclair.edu or 973-655-7817)

  • Faculty, Program, and Institutional assessment
  • Faculty Scholarship Program (FSP) approval
  • Faculty/Staff Grant/Internal Awards Proposal approval
  • Course Schedule approval
  • GA/TA Allocations approval
  • Curriculum approval
  • College and University Standing/Ad Hoc Committee Elections and Appointments oversight
  • Accreditation and FERC Reports review
  • Annual Reports review
  • Strategic Plan review and tracking

Assistant Dean, Amanda Gonzalez Carcione (carcionea@montclair.edu or 973-655-4218)

  • Student Services management
  • Student Request approval (e.g., academic adjustment forms)
  • Student Issues facilitation and mediation (i.e., concerns requiring dean’s intervention)
  • Student Enrollment and Admission management
  • Student Recruitment and Retention facilitation
  • Student Scholarship oversight
  • Academic Marketing and Communications management
  • Student Career Services and Web Services oversight
  • Alumni Relations facilitation

Associate Dean, Christine Lemesianou (lemesianoc@montclair.edu or 973-655-7070)

  • Personnel Management (e.g., HR regulations, faculty line request and search procedures)
  • Personnel Actions processing (i.e. Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion, New Hires, Temporary Hires)
  • New Faculty Program
  • Faculty Instructional Service Report (ISR) management
  • Faculty Overload management
  • Faculty and staff issues facilitation and mediation
  • Dean’s Office and CART Administration Time approval
  • Budget oversight and request approval
  • Facilities oversight and planning
  • CART Marketing, Web Content and Digital Communications
  • Pre-College programs, Summer programs
  • Articulation agreements and School (K-12) Outreach Services/Program implementation
  • Community and International Outreach Services/Program implementation
  • CART Film Institute and ReelAbilities Film Festival
  • CART Grant Applications

College of the Arts Professional Staff

College Administrator, Zacrah Battle (battlez@montclair.edu or 973-655-5103)

  • Budget and Fiscal management
  • Facilities management
  • Health and Safety oversight
  • Dean’s Office coordination

Executive Assistant to Dean, Alyson Thelin Davison (thelina@montclair.edu or 973-655-5104)

  • Dean’s Calendar scheduling and maintenance
  • College and University Policy communication, clarification and implementation
  • Dean’s travel coordination
  • General Query responses
  • Dean’s Office reception and hospitality
  • Administrative support to the Dean

Program Associate, Susan Nowak (eids@montclair.edu or 973-655-7815)

  • New and altered academic program file updating
  • Confirmation of elected and appointed committee representatives
  • Annual Report data collection and reporting
  • Course Syllabi and Study Guide verification
  • Accreditation and FERC scheduling
  • FSP (Faculty Scholarship Program) updating and reporting
  • Maintain Associate Dean Sharps administrative calendar and contact list
  • Design organizational charts and process flow charts for CART units
  • Report to the academic units the university undergraduate and graduate curriculum approval committee schedule
  • Answer general student inquiries

Student Services and Recruitment Coordinator, Sarah Assalone (assalones@montclair.edu or 973-655-7346)

  • Student Engagement coordination (e.g. networking, retention)
  • Student Event coordination (e.g. marketing, recruitment facilitation, convocation, orientation)
  • College Scholarships administrative support
  • Prospective Student communication
  • Supports advising and handling of student concerns
  • Administrative support to the Assistant Dean

Director of Career Development, Shaquille Rivera (riveras@montclair.edu)

  • Student Career Development counseling (e.g. resume writing, job search skills)
  • Student Cooperative Education and Internship advising and tracking
  • Career-related workshops and presentations
  • Employer Relations facilitation

Web and Digital Media Manager, Alexandra Thelin (thelinal@montclair.edu or 973-655-6926)

  • Web design, development, and management for the College, its Schools, Departments, and related properties
  • Social media marketing and community management for the College, its Schools, Departments, and related properties
  • Creation and management of digital content
  • Digital communications
  • Online news management for the College, its Schools, Departments, and related properties
  • Digital Marketing for the College, its Schools, Departments, and related properties
  • Programming and content for Digital Signage in the School of Communication and Media Building, Morehead Hall, Chapin Hall, Fox Hall, Life Hall, and Memorial Auditorium

Program Assistant to Director of Administration, Kathleen Reddington (reddingtonk@montclair.edu or 973-655-7071)

  • Human Resource and Programmatic Data collection and filing
  • Personnel Actions processing support (i.e. Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion, New Hires, etc.)
  • School (K-12) Outreach Project coordination
  • Community and International Outreach Project coordination
  • CART’s on-campus residencies and CART Performance Facilities filing and collections
  • Administrative Support to the Associate Dean