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UI names Christopher Roy new associate dean of International Programs
Posted June 1, 2000

Christopher Roy, UI professor of art and art history, has been named the new associate dean of International Programs at the University of Iowa, effective July 1.

A nationally-recognized expert on African art and art history, Roy has taught courses on African, Pre-Columbian American, and American Indian Art. He is also director of the Project for Advanced Study of Art and Life in Africa (PASALA), which provides funding for graduate scholarships for the study of African art, for student research in Africa, for international conferences, publications, and other activities. He also most recently served as the director of the UI African Studies Program (ASP), a position he has held several times since coming to the University of Iowa in 1978.

Roy first became interested in Africa when he traveled across North Africa as a student in 1966. From 1970-72, with his wife Nora, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where he was director of the National Art Center. In 1973 he began graduate studies at Indiana University under the supervision of Professor Roy Sieber (Ph.D. University of Iowa 1957). His master's thesis was on "West African Pottery Forming and Firing Techniques." From 1976-78 he carried out research on Mossi art in Burkina Faso, funded by fellowships from the Social Science Research Council and the Fulbright-Hays Program. His dissertation, "Mossi Masks and Crests" was completed in 1979. He has been teaching at the University of Iowa since 1978.

He worked closely with Max and Betty Stanley of Muscatine from 1978 to 1991 as they formed their important collection, which they donated to the UI Museum of Art. He wrote three catalogues of their collection, the most recent the second edition of "Art and Life in Africa: Selections from the Stanley Collection" (1992). In 1983-85, he carried out additional research in Burkina Faso with a University of Iowa Faculty Scholarship. The result was the publication in 1987 of Art of the Upper Volta Rivers (Paris: Chaffin). In 1990-91 he organized a major exhibition of the Stanley Collection at two museums in Taiwan. From 1995-99 he has worked with Dr. Lee McIntyre on a project to create a CD-ROM on African art, titled "Art and Life in Africa: Recontextualizing African Art in the Cycle of Life" with funding from the U.S. Department of Education Fund for Improvement of Post Secondary Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In 1997-99 his exhibition "Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Collection" opened in Hannover, Vienna, Munich, Iowa City, and Purchase, New York. The associate dean plays a key role in developing new academic programs and in providing new opportunities for international faculty and student curricular, programmatic and research development. The position also oversees all academic aspects of International Programs and works closely with the associate provost and dean for International Programs and International Programs faculty on general policy and governance affecting International Programs. In addition, Roy will coordinate with appropriate deans in the administrative oversight of international degree and certificate programs.

"I look forward to advancing international education at the University of Iowa through this role," Roy said. "The University of Iowa has many talented faculty, staff and students, and I am excited about the opportunity to work more closely with them."

Steven Hoch, University of Iowa associate provost and dean of International Programs, said Roy's international research, teaching and administrative experience
make him an excellent choice for this position. "Christopher Roy brings an intellectual vitality and wealth of experience to this role," Hoch said. "With his strong background in international scholarship, teaching and research, he will make major contributions to the growth and success of International Programs."

Roy earned his bachelor's degree in 1970 from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., and his master's degree and Ph.D. from the Indiana University department of fine arts.

UI International Programs consist of a number of offices, centers, degree programs, academic programs, research projects and services. Organized under the associate provost and dean of international programs, these units serve to further internationalize the campus and the community and promote global scholarship,
research and teaching.

Roy succeeds Elizabeth Swanson, who served in this role since December of 1997.

Our e-mail: lois-gray@uiowa.edu