Susanna Rinehart appointed associate dean for academic and faculty affairs for the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design

Susanna Rinehart, associate professor of theatre history, literature, and performance, has been named associate dean for academic and faculty affairs for Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD). She started her new role on the Blacksburg campus on Aug. 10.

As one of four associate deans in the college, Rinehart will play a critical role in advancing the college’s academic agenda and fostering a supportive and inclusive academic environment that will lead to student and faculty success.

According to Lu Liu, dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, the focus of the position is academic excellence. “Susanna Rinehart will make sure that our faculty feel supported in their teaching, research, and service and have successful tenures in the college,” said Liu. “She will oversee the entire student journey, bridging advising and career development while leveraging our curriculum to connect students with the educational opportunities that will prepare them for future careers.”

Rinehart echoed the dean’s emphasis on the importance of creating and nurturing an academic environment that will attract, retain, and develop outstanding students and faculty. “I bring to the table a deep commitment to, passion for, and belief in the power and purpose of undergraduate education, of deep and engaged student learning, and of what it means to actively value and support the extraordinary capacity and creativity of my faculty and staff colleagues across the college,” she said.

In her new role, she plans to engage her experience and capabilities to create conditions for individual and collective student, faculty, and staff success; educate and advocate for diversity and inclusion in policies and practices; and be actively and consistently attentive to critical thinking, listening, presence, and reaching people where they are.

Rinehart joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1999 as assistant professor in what was then the Department of Theatre and Arts. She has built a long career of service through leadership and administrative positions at the university, in addition to teaching thousands of students and directing and performing in countless theatre productions.

Rinehart served as chair of Theatre and Cinema Program for the first six years after the School of Performing Arts was formed, as the school's interim director, and as acting director of student academic services for theatre and cinema. She was also assistant provost of liberal education and director of diversity education for the university.

Rinehart has served as president of the Virginia Tech Faculty Senate and for multiple terms as a senator, in addition to being the immediate past president of the AAD Faculty Association. She has been a faculty representative to numerous university and college councils, commissions, and committees, and was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Faculty Service in 2015.

Rinehart earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in dramatic art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kathryn Clarke Albright, an architecture faculty member since 1994, preceded Rinehart in the position of associate dean for academic and faculty affairs and has been a strong presence in establishing and stabilizing the academic culture of the college.

“We are grateful for Kathryn’s tremendous support. She stepped up and stayed on for an additional year in the appointment to establish policies and procedures that will have long-lasting impacts,” said Liu. “She is a passionate and compassionate advocate for students and an incredible mentor for faculty.”