college of performing arts at the new school appoints diane ragsdale as program director of the masters in arts management and entrepreneurship

Diane Ragsdale

August 23, 2017 – The New School announced today that Diane Ragsdale will join the College of Performing Arts as an assistant professor of arts management and entrepreneurship. Ragsdale will also serve as program director, conduct research, collaborate on the ongoing development of the program’s curriculum, mentor students, and serve as an important bridge between the College of Performing Arts and the growing areas of management education across The New School.

“We are thrilled to welcome Diane Ragsdale to the faculty and to the role of program director for the new MA in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship,” said Richard Kessler, executive dean of College of Performing Arts.“ I have known Diane since she worked at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and applaud the superb qualifications she brings to The New School. Her leadership and expertise will be of tremendous benefit to our students who are working so very hard to reimagine what a career in the arts can look like in today’s ever-changing cultural and economic landscape.”

The College of Performing Arts’ new Masters program in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship is designed to help performing artists develop the critical skill sets they need to excel as independent artists, reinvent existing cultural organizations, and launch their own arts-related enterprises. Provided in partnership with the Non-Profit Management program at The New School’s Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, the program can be completed independently or in combination with a Bachelor’s degree from any of the College of Performing Arts three individual schools: Mannes School of Music, School of Jazz, or School of Drama.
 
”What drew me to this management and entrepreneurship program is that artists and artistic practices are at its center,” said Ragsdale. “It will prepare students to challenge the status quo, thrive in their work, and contribute meaningfully to society. I cannot imagine a better platform for such a program than The New School with its nearly 100-year history as a progressive educational institution and home for innovators and activists in a range of fields. I am thrilled and humbled to be joining this community and helping to launch this distinctive program.”
 
Ragsdale designed and taught courses in the cultural economics and entrepreneurship program at Erasmus University Rotterdam (in the Netherlands) from 2011 to 2015. In recent years she has also developed leadership courses for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Business School, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Qatar Museums, and the Arts Marketing Association of the UK. She is currently writing her doctoral dissertation, which centers on the relationship between the commercial and nonprofit theater in the US. Over the past decade she has been a keynote speaker at dozens of arts conferences around the world. For the past several years she has also written a blog for ArtsJournal.com and has been an advisor to arts organizations, government agencies, and private philanthropies. Between 2004 and 2010 Ragsdale served as program officer for theater and dance at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, having previously held executive roles at On the Boards (Seattle, WA) and Festival at Sandpoint (Sandpoint, ID).

Prior to her Doctoral work at Erasmus University, Ragsdale received an MFA in Acting and Directing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She also holds a BFA in Theater and a BS in Psychology from Tulane University and completed a summer intensive Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders in the Arts at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

 


The College of Performing Arts is a progressive artistic center housed within The New School, in one of the world’s greatest performing arts cities, New York City. The college offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs for aspiring musicians, composers, actors, directors, writers, and performers of all kinds through three renowned schools: Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz, and the School of Drama. Students have the valuable opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary studies throughout a comprehensive university, The New School. The College of Performing Arts nurtures individual artists in order to cultivate fearless risk takers who value real-world relevance, pursue excellence, and embrace collaboration. Celebrated faculty mentors guide students to take their place as artistic leasers who can make a positive difference in the world today.

Founded in 1919, The New School was born out of principles of academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. Committed to social engagement, The New School today remains in the vanguard of innovation in higher education, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students challenging the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The New School welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and calendar of lectures, screenings, readings, and concerts. Through its online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence. Learn more at www.newschool.edu.

 

 

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Media Contacts:

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