DETROIT - Wayne State University has appointed Sharon L. Vasquez, an experienced teacher and administrator, as dean of its College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, effective July 1. The appointment was announced by Nancy S. Barrett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Vasquez is currently dean of arts and performance at State University of New York-Brockport, where she oversees the departments of art, communication, dance, physical education and sport, theatre and interdisciplinary programs in arts for children and in visual studies.

"The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts will be in capable hands under the leadership of Sharon Vasquez," Barrett said. "Dean Vasquez brings a wealth of valuable experience as a dancer/choreographer, teacher and arts administrator. Her dedication and enthusiasm will be an asset to Wayne State University and our students as we continue forging a leadership role in education for the arts and for communication."

Prior to her appointment at SUNY-Brockport, Vasquez was a professor and chair of the theatre and dance department in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. She directed the university's dance program for 10 years and founded its highly-regarded Dance Repertory Theatre. During a 20-year tenure at UT, Vasquez received two teaching excellence awards and several endowed university fellowships.

The newly-appointed Wayne State dean has a master's degree in fine arts from Florida State University and is certified in Laban-Bartenieff Movement Studies. She began her career as a dancer and choreographer and has conducted numerous master classes in the United States and abroad. She received a prestigious Fulbright grant to teach in Peru, participated in a USA-Netherlands cultural exchange program, and also has worked with several professional dance/theatre companies in the United States, Mexico and Germany.

An energetic advocate for the arts and a past president of the Council of Dance Administrators, Vasquez serves on the Commission on Accreditation for the National Association of Dance and on the board of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans. She also is active as a leader with several arts and theatre groups in Rochester, N.Y., and is in demand as a consultant and program evaluator for university dance departments and merged theatre/dance units.

The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State comprises the departments of art and art history, communication, dance, music and theatre.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.