Jennifer Pignolet
The fourth and final candidate for the position of dean of the Jordan College of Fine Arts (JCFA) addressed controversies from his past and the needs of JCFA in two open forums this week.
Lon Gordon is currently an artist-in-residence at Illinois State University’s (ISU) College of Fine Arts. He served as dean of the college for three years until stepping down in 2007 after an eight-month investigation into his career history.
Gordon was accused of plagiarism and embellishing his curriculum vitae (CV) upon applying for the dean position at ISU.
“They were very false allegations,” Gordon said in the forum Monday. “We’re living in a society where anyone can say anything without proof.
“I was totally exonerated.”
Gordon was asked to revise his CV to clear up any possible misconceptions but no sanctions were imposed.
Gordon said he is eager to move on with his career, and is excited for the opportunity to do so at Butler.
As part of his research about Butler, Gordon said he spent time on campus walking around, meeting students and attending dance, theater and music performances.
“You can sum up so much in two hours in the theater,” Gordon said. “I’m an avid goer and seer.”
He described the performances as high-quality and “beautifully staged.”
“I haven’t seen dancing like that ever,” Gordon said.
He also said there were areas of the college that need work.
“(JCFA) needs packaging and serious PR,” Gordon said. He also addressed the possibilities of expanding international opportunities for students.
With background in dance as well as theater and visual art, Gordon received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he later served as a professor and fundraiser for the arts college.
During his 14 years as a professor at the University of Nevada’s College of Fine Arts, he raised $5 million in one year to overcome a debt to build a new music facility.
“I’m very proud of my fundraising record,” Gordon said. “Butler needs better aid for scholarships as well as facilities.”
Gordon addressed his experience with arts facilities as they relate to Butler’s current plans to add another concert hall.
Vice President of Operations Mike Gardner, who was at the open forum Monday, brought up the issue of whether plans to build the new facility should be delayed until a new dean is in place.
Gordon spoke to the issue in terms of wanting to get the project right the first time, no matter what it took.
“For a year, I wore a hard hat every day, because that’s what it took,” he said. “When I realized no faculty had seen the plans for (the new dance, theater and music facility), I took it to the faculty. We got wonderful feedback. It slowed it down a bit, but it turned out to be a lovely facility.”
Gordon answered questions about the importance of his connection with students.
“Without students, we don’t have jobs,” Gordon said, acknowledging the faculty in the room. “Even if they’re not going to be professional artists, they’re going to be consumers of art for the rest of their lives.”
Gordon described his life growing up on a ranch in Texas, and how his parents made an extra effort to expose their children to the arts.
“The history of our world is in the art that civilizations have produced,” Gordon said. “It’s important to the liberal arts and general education to take at least three credit hours in the arts and to have arts available to students at all times.”
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jamie Comstock said she is looking for the person chosen as dean to be “as good as the current deans.”
“The next dean for JCFA must recognize and appreciate the existing strengths of the College, but also have a vision that will bring each of our current and newly forming JCFA programs to the next level of excellence,” Comstock said in an e-mail. “I am quite confident that we will find our new JCFA dean from among the four who visited campus.”JennifJennifer Pignolet
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The fourth and final candidate for the position of dean of the
Jordan College of Fine Arts (JCFA) addressed controversies from his past and the needs of JCFA in two open forums this week.
Lon Gordon is currently an artist-in-residence at Illinois State University’s (ISU) College of Fine Arts. He served as dean of the college for three years until stepping down in 2007 after an eight-month investigation into his career history.
Gordon was accused of plagiarism and embellishing his curriculum vitae (CV) upon applying for the dean position at ISU.
“They were very false allegations,” Gordon said in the forum Monday. “We’re living in a society where anyone can say anything without proof.
“I was totally exonerated.”
Gordon was asked to revise his CV to clear up any possible misconceptions but no sanctions were imposed.
Gordon said he is eager to move on with his career, and is excited for the opportunity to do so at Butler.
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