Ivan Pulinkala Appointed Interim Dean Of College Of The Arts At KSU

Kennesaw State University has appointed Ivan Pulinkala as interim dean of the College of the Arts at Kennesaw State University, effective July 1.

Pulinkala founded the Dance program at KSU in 2005 and, under his leadership, it has flourished into the largest collegiate dance program in Georgia. He was instrumental in the development of the Dance Theater on the Marietta campus, Atlanta's first theater designed specifically for dance.

"Ivan continues to distinguish himself as a visionary with strong ties to the arts community. I am confident that his leadership and passion will serve the faculty, staff, and students of the College of the Arts well, and I look forward to working with him," said Linda Noble, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

"The arts at KSU are vital to the ecology of our campus and the Atlanta community, providing opportunities to enrich people's lives and engage in critical discourse, while advancing the mission of our student-centered public institution. I am deeply honored to be chosen to serve as the College's interim dean," said Pulinkala.

Originally from New Delhi, India, Pulinkala moved to the United States in 1998 to purse a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance and received his doctorate in higher education administration in 2012 from the University of Alabama.

In 2005, he received the Board of Regents award for Teaching Excellence from Murray State University. He received a National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 2010 and the Shusterman Visiting Artist Grant from the Israeli Foundation in 2016, to bring internationally ranked guest artists to KSU Dance. Pulinkala has also received the KSU Foundation Award for his creative scholarship, and the KSU Clendenin Graduate Fellowship for his doctoral studies.

The KSU Department of Dance has received regional and national attention for Pulinkala's choreographic work at the American College Dance Festival, and Pulinkala is the only choreographer in the history of the American College Dance Festival to have work selected for three successive national festivals. His choreographic commissions have been presented in Israel, Spain, China, and India, in addition to commissions in the United States. Pulinkala also helped launch the first study abroad program in Israel for KSU in May 2016.

Pulinkala was selected by the University System of Georgia to be a part of the Executive Leadership Institute in 2013 and the Accelerated Leadership Academy in 2017. He has served on the advisory boards of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (Arts Fund and Community Committee), the Cobb Energy Center ArtsBridge Education Foundation, the American College Dance Association, and ArtsAtl.

The strong relationships and partnerships Pulinkala has developed over the past decade with organizations such as the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta Ballet, Consulate General of Israel, ArtsBridge Foundation, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and the Rialto Center for the Arts will undoubtedly serve the College of the Arts at KSU during his tenure as interim dean.