College of Arts and Architecture Dean Bobbi Korner will retire effective June 30, 2019.

Korner became dean of the college in 2007 after serving as associate and interim dean in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Florida. She previously served as dean of fine and performing arts at Seattle Pacific University and has also worked at the University of Missouri at Columbia and at Ohio University.

“When I arrived as dean of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture in 2007, I was excited and honored to continue to nurture the many relationships the College has with its alumni and friends,” Korner wrote in an email announcing her retirement. “During my tenure I have exchanged personal notes and emails, had phone conversations, and enjoyed many face-to-face meetings — all of which leave me marveling at the breadth of the champions for the arts and design at Penn State, and the depth of their commitment to help advance our mission.”

She also thanked the faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, and donors who have been involved in the college during her tenure.

During her time at Penn State, Korner has established herself as a national leader in arts and higher education as a co-founder and former co-director of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s Leadership Institute. She also serves on the board of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) and the executive committee of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru).

At home in Happy Valley, she’s served as chair of the United Way Campaign, the Forum Speakers series, and the Academic Leadership Council.

“Over the next year the focus will be on leaving things in the best possible shape for the new dean to take the College of Arts and Architecture to the next level,” Korner said in an email announcing her retirement. “The college is on a very strong trajectory with wonderful faculty and staff committed to creating a meaningful student experience and promoting the arts and design throughout Penn State and beyond.”

Provost Nick Jones will oversee a national search beginning this summer for the next dean of the college, who the university hopes to have in place to begin on July 1, 2019.

“For more than a decade, Bobbi has been an exceptional leader of the College of Arts and Architecture, overseeing more than 20 degree programs and supporting the university’s strategic priority to advance the arts and humanities,” Jones said in a release. “While ‘the show must go on,’ Bobbi’s commitment and spirit certainly will be missed. We are grateful for her outstanding work, which has enabled the college to reach new levels of success and set the table for future growth and achievements.”