SAIC Names Architect and Artist Wellington Reiter Its 4th President

Barry MacLean, Chairman of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, has announced the appointment of Wellington Reiter as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's fourth President. Mr. Reiter, who joins the School of the Art Institute on August 25, 2008, is an internationally recognized architect, artist, and urban designer, and currently holds the position of Dean of the College of Design at Arizona State University. In addition to his academic role, Reiter was instrumental in shaping a new university campus in the heart of downtown Phoenix that unites progressive academic, architectural and public art agendas.

Previous to this appointment at ASU, Mr. Reiter was a member of the faculty in the Department of Architecture at MIT from 1990 to 2003 and the Professional Advisor to the Career Discovery Program at Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Trained at Tulane University's School of Architecture (1981), North London Polytechnic, and Harvard's Graduate School of Design (1986), he began his teaching career at the Rhode Island School of Design. Through his professional and academic roles, Mr. Reiter has received numerous awards including multiple AIA Honor Awards for Urban Design, the Kepes Prize for interdisciplinary design from MIT, and four awards from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Mr. Reiter was recently named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Reiter assumes the Presidency from Tony Jones, who will be appointed to the position of Chancellor of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

"We are honored to name Wellington 'Duke' Reiter to the position of President," said Barry MacLean. "Duke's work at the intersection of architecture, city planning, and education makes him ideal to build upon the School's success; like the School itself, Duke's design practice takes him across disciplines in a way that resonates soundly with the mission of the institution."

In keeping with the creative nature of the School of the Art Institute, Mr. Reiter's work spans several disciplines including public art, buildings and museum installations. An example of his cross-over appeal includes the entry pavilion for the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park (2003). His drawings of speculative urban conditions are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and San Francisco MOMA; furthermore, they will be featured in the Venice Biennale in the fall of 2008. Vessels and Fields, a monograph on the work of Mr. Reiter, which demonstrates his dedication to drawing as an investigative tool, is available from Princeton Architectural Press.

"I can think of no other city in the United States that has developed such a dedication to the arts as part of its civic obligation. Given the rich history of art, design, and urbanism in Chicago, my goal is to see the School of the Art Institute continue its vital role of educating artists, designers and intellectuals, as well as shaping and informing the cultural fabric of the city," said Mr. Reiter.

As President, Mr. Reiter will be responsible for all of SAIC's academic, financial, operational, and fundraising activities. While managing a $100 plus million annual budget he will be setting the future strategic direction of the institution.

Mr. Reiter succeeds President Tony Jones, who has held the position for over eighteen years. Professor Jones's stewardship has significantly expanded the size and status of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to an internationally renowned school of art and design. SAIC was primarily a well-known regional arts school in 1986. Since then, the student population has more than tripled in size; over 20% of the student body hails from overseas, representing 40 countries; and over a quarter of the student body lives in SAIC's downtown residences. The campus, which is uniquely placed in the central "Loop" area of Chicago, has grown from a single building to seven buildings occupying over one million square feet. SAIC's academic programs have grown exponentially, especially the graduate programs, which have consistently been ranked in the top three in the country since the start of the "America's Best Graduate Schools" survey by U.S. News & World Report.

Professor Jones said, "I am proud to welcome Duke Reiter to this legendary school, and to this dynamic city, and look forward to working with him. His combination of artistic practice, scholarly depth, and business acumen makes him ideally suited to take the school to the next level of excellence and stature in the 21st century."

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