April 20, 2018
Board of Trustees extends contract of President Lorne M. Buchman through 2023
Praised for Compassionate Leadership, Consensus Building and Exceptional Fundraising
The board of trustees of ArtCenter College of Design announced today that Lorne M. Buchman has renewed his contract as president and chief executive officer through 2023.
Board Chairman Robert C. Davidson Jr. praised Buchman as a visionary leader integral to gaining consensus and bringing ArtCenter’s capital campaign goal closer to a reality among his many achievements at the College since his last five-year contract renewal in 2013.
“The impressive funds raised to help realize our strategic plan would not have been possible without the confidence our alumni and the entire ArtCenter community have expressed in Lorne’s leadership,” said Davidson. “His tremendous talent at fostering unity and finding agreement among diverse constituencies shows unequivocally he is attaining the goals of ArtCenter.”
Buchman took office on Oct. 1, 2009 and is the fifth president to lead the College since it was founded in 1930.
“I’m grateful to work side-by-side with an extraordinary team of colleagues at all levels who are dedicated to ArtCenter’s future, and I am deeply gratified by the work we’ve accomplished together,” Buchman said. “It is a wonderful honor and privilege to witness the work of exceptional artists and designers who take on problems that can and do lead to real change in the world.”
During Buchman’s tenure philanthropic investments in the College have increased significantly to support scholarships and the growth of the campus both physically and programmatically. Currently, ArtCenter has raised over $80 million of its $100 million campaign goal.
In 2016, alumnus and trustee Bruce Heavin (Illustration ’93) and his wife, former ArtCenter faculty member Lynda Weinman, owners of the innovative online learning company, lynda.com acquired by LinkedIn in 2015, gave $5 million to create The Heavin Studio, a digital learning platform and program. In 2017, Heavin donated another $5 million to create an annual alumni reunion program and dedicated alumni space, as well as an endowed fund to be overseen by President Buchman to address immediate student and campus needs.
In 2014, a gift of $2 million from the Lowell Milken Family Foundation was made to the College to establish and launch programming for the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography. Then, in 2017 Buchman was instrumental in renewing the Foundation’s gift of $2 million to support the Center for an additional three years.
Recent major gifts include donations from alumnus Frank Lanza (Advertising Illustration ’57) who established a $1 million endowed scholarship for Illustration and Fine Art students and Sam and Emily Mann who created a $1 million scholarship to support diverse international recruitment.
In 2014, the College expanded its educational reach and resources with the acquisition of 1111 South Arroyo Parkway directly adjacent to ArtCenter’s South Campus at 950 S. Raymond Ave. The largest transaction in ArtCenter’s history, the $27.4 million purchase of the building at the gateway to Pasadena was made possible in large part due to the reallocation of an unprecedented $15 million gift to ArtCenter from Southern California philanthropists and classic car enthusiasts Peter and Merle Mullin. Today, the facility is home to classrooms, the sewing lab, a virtual reality studio and workshop spaces, as well as administrative offices. The expansion of the College’s facilities not only relieved overcrowding on the Hillside Campus but also, more importantly, allows ArtCenter to improve the experience for faculty, students and staff. Additional gifts have been received for future developments at South Campus, namely $1 million each from trustees Terri and Jerry Kohl and Charles E. Nearburg.
Buchman was indispensable to attracting $6.55 million in grants for the South Campus expansion. During the last five years, major grants were received from The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Fletcher Jones Foundation, The Rose Hills Foundation, and the Hutto-Patterson Charitable Foundation. A $3 million grant from The Ahmanson Foundation was a landmark, one of the largest foundation grants ArtCenter has received in its 88-year history.
In 2016, ArtCenter opened the state-of-the-art Hyundai & Kia Innovation Lab, the first of its kind in the transportation design education field. The Lab was made possible by a generous gift to the College from Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation. Students from multiple departments ideate, design and realize their visions for the future of transportation in the Lab, an immersive and nimble space featuring groundbreaking technology located at the Hillside Campus.
Looking to the future, Buchman spearheaded Create Change 2.0, the college’s strategic plan for the next five years. Create Change 2.0 is the result of the ArtCenter community evolving and updating initiatives of Create Change 1.0, the plan that guided the institution from 2011 to 2016.
Create Change 2.0 was a major undertaking—assembling thoughtful input from multiple voices across the campus during a period of 18 months. The overarching driver of the 2.0 plan is the question of value—how ArtCenter creates value for students in the process of realizing its mission. Focused on three key issues of student success, educational innovation and strategic infrastructure, the updated strategic plan promises to have positive ramifications well into the future. The plan was unanimously and enthusiastically approved by the board of trustees in 2016 and officially adopted in 2017.
Board President Davidson points to the significant diversification of ArtCenter’s leadership as an important shift that has occurred under Buchman’s direction. Since Buchman’s appointment, ArtCenter has added 22 distinguished leaders to its board of trustees .
“Our shared vision is well underway,” said Buchman. “The launch of this next chapter depends on our continued commitment to be the premiere college of art and design, not only in terms of the faculty and students we attract, but also in terms of our collective impact.”
Buchman is the host of Change Lab: Conversations on Transformation and Creativity , a podcast featuring intimate interviews with leading artists and innovators. Launched in 2017, the podcast is produced by the College and distributed by Freedom Podcasting on platforms including iTunes, Google Play and the Apple Podcasts app.
About ArtCenter: Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and seven graduate degrees in a wide variety of industrial design disciplines as well as visual and applied arts. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and its social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.
Contact:
Teri Bond
Media Relations Director
ArtCenter College of Design
teri.bond@artcenter.edu
O 626 396-2385
M 310 738-2077
