ASHLAND, Ohio – Dan McDonald, M.F.A., associate professor of art, has been selected interim dean of Ashland University’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), effective Aug. 1. This marks his second appointment as interim dean, as he also held the position during the 2021-22 academic year. He will replace Katherine Brown, Ph.D., who is joining the AU faculty this fall after serving as dean since August 2022.
“President Jon Parrish Peede and I are thankful to Dan and his commitment to serving in the role of interim dean of the College of Arts and Science,” stated Gregory McBrayer, Ph.D., interim provost. “Dan is an accomplished and longstanding member of the AU community and we look forward to the 2025-26 academic year as he oversees the variety of academic programs and accomplished faculty within the college.”
“I am excited about taking on this opportunity with new leadership and vision in place,” said McDonald. “I’ve worked closely with President Peede and Provost McBrayer as part of senate leadership, and there is a sense of optimism and possibility that is infectious across campus.”
He continued, “The College of Arts and Sciences has been my home for the last 19 years. The purpose of the college and the people who work in it are important to my life, and most importantly, to the life of the students we serve. Being part of the support for this great and necessary work is a true privilege.”
A member of the AU faculty since 2006, McDonald has held several leadership roles at the university, including president of faculty senate from 2016-18 as well as for stints during 2020 and 2025. He has been the chair of the art and design department since 2012 and the director of first-year seminar, a course to help students adjust to college life and become active members of the university community, for the last two years.
As an associate professor of art, McDonald teaches all levels of sculpture, along with three-dimensional design, art appreciation and courses in AU’s Honors Program. His scholarship covers both academic and commercial areas of creative practice. Academically, he creates sculptures in a variety of media, with exhibitions throughout Ohio, the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains region and New York City. He frequently works with the James Cohan Gallery in Manhattan as a fabricator, installer and artist collaborator, and this partnership has resulted in installation creations at the Cleveland Museum of Art, several venues in New York City and frequent work at Art Basel in Switzerland. Commercially, he works in the large-scale design of features for water parks and splash parks, as well as in elements of city planning and home design.
Originally from Boise, Idaho, McDonald holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in sculpture and a bachelor’s degree in French literature from Brigham Young University. He achieved a master of fine arts degree in sculpture and fine art from Clemson University.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college on AU’s campus, home to 15 academic departments: art and design; biology and toxicology; chemistry, geology and physics; communication studies; criminal justice and sociology; history and political science; journalism and digital media; English and foreign languages; mathematics and computer science; music; philosophy; psychology; religion; social work and family studies; and theatre.
