Born for the Role

DR. JENNIFER HOLMES NAMED DEAN OF COLLEGE OF ARTS, COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN

The finest producers in Hollywood or on Broadway would be hard pressed to find a better casting than Dr. Jennifer Holmes as dean of Long Island University’s College of Arts, Communication and Design. Dr. Holmes is an accomplished director, actor, scholar and teacher, as well as the founding director of an international non-profit, making her a perfect fit for LIU given the University’s emphasis on interdisciplinary education. Moreover, her career to this point serves as an example to students of the importance and value of versatility, particularly given the current demands on creative artists.

“You really have to be able to be an entrepreneur and have those skills,” Dr. Holmes said. “You have to be able to make your own work and know how to market yourself. These are skills you need in any one of these careers.” Dr. Holmes views this as a benefit rather than a burden and underscores the value in earning a well-rounded education. “You can build a career that is exciting because it focuses on so many areas and applies so many different parts of your creativity, organization and energy,” she said. Few people in academia are more familiar with the performing arts than Dr. Holmes, who spent most of her youth at Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. Both of her parents were actors, and her father was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company. After her family moved to New Jersey, Dr. Holmes landed her first professional role as young Estella in Great Expectations at The Papermill Playhouse, where she worked alongside Tony Award-winning actress Elizabeth Franz. Her acting career continued with multiple roles in soap opera, film and theatre.

Dr. Holmes earned her BA from Vassar College, majoring in drama and minoring in social, ethical and political philosophy, and went on to earn her MA and PhD in educational theatre from New York University. While at NYU, she went on a trip to Tanzania with a group of other theatre artists and felt inspired to embark on a new, global mission. “I started an international non-profit theatre company to create a platform for young people and marginalized communities to be able to tell their stories through theatre,” she said. In 2007, Dr. Holmes founded Global Empowerment Theatre, an international non-profit theatre organization focused on helping young women silenced by poverty. Dr. Holmes’ team has led programs in Zanzibar, Kenya, India and New York City for the past 13 years. Dr. Holmes joins LIU from The New School, where she was the associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Drama. Prior to that, she served as visiting assistant professor at the Department of Theatre and Speech at City College of New York. In addition to her international experience, entrepreneurial drive and academic background, Dr. Holmes’ connections with top professionals in New York City overlaps with the University’s strengths. “The students will be able to meet so many of the key players, whether it’s in broadcast, film, journalism, music, art, digital design or theatre,” she said, acknowledging LIU’s premier professional connections via alumni and faculty. “We are not merely guiding students to the connections they need to make, we’re bringing those connections to the students.”

When you have a college that has music, film, art, multimedia communications, and digital design and theatre, all in one college, it’s easy to find opportunities for truly exciting interdisciplinary work.”