Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Council of Trustees today approved the naming of a space in the IUP College of Fine Arts in honor of “the incredible dedication” of recently retired dean Michael Hood.
The dean's suite in the College of Fine Arts in Sprowls Hall will be known as the Michael Hood Suite.
Michael Hood, retired dean of IUP's College of Fine Arts, in the Michael Hood Suite in Sprowls Hall.
Hood served as dean of the College of Fine Arts for 20 years, retiring in 2018.
In approving the resolution, trustees described Hood as a “consummate educator, champion of all artistic disciplines, renowned theater professional, and proponent of cultural enrichment” who “worked to establish first-class pedagogical arts programs that have a profound impact on the region.” Trustees also noted that family, friends, and colleagues, as well as Hood and his wife, Kitty Hood, have made generous gifts to IUP.
While dean, Hood was responsible for oversight of the transformation of Waller Hall and Fisher Auditorium into the Performing Arts Center; the renovation of Cogswell Hall; IUP becoming an All-Steinway School; the establishment of the IUP Community Music School; the creation of the Wood Center; and the addition of the Pogorzelski-Yankee memorial organ to the IUP campus. He has been an active proponent and participant in the direction and development of IUP's University Museum.
During his tenure, IUP was selected as host for the 2014 Pennsylvania Governor's Awards for the Arts. It was the first time that the awards ceremony was held on a college campus, and the event touched off a celebration of the arts in the greater Indiana community that included performances, art exhibits, and activities at downtown cultural venues.
He participated frequently as a mentor in the Association for Theater in Higher Education Leadership Institute and for the National Association for Schools of Theater, as a member and board member of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans, and as member and currently president of the National Theatre Conference. In 2014, Hood became an American Theatre Fellow. Investiture in the College of Fellows of the American Theatre is one of the highest honors bestowed upon educators and professionals of the theater. He has served as guest and featured artist for productions throughout the United States and abroad in Indonesia and China.
Hood has been active in the local and regional communities, serving as a member of the board of the Indiana Arts Council, as president of the Indiana Rotary Club, and as member of the board of Artworks and Bottle Works in Johnstown. He has twice been a finalist for the Indiana County Civic Leader Award and was the Indiana Rotary Rotarian of the Year in 2016.
The Michael Hood Suite includes offices housing the office of the dean and administrative space for the College of Fine Arts.