New photography professor Keliy Anderson-Staley (left) shared a sample of her wet-plate collodion tintype work, “Kevin,” (right) and will be joining the UH School of Art faculty in the fall. | Courtesy of Keliy Anderson-Staley
After a yearlong national search for a new tenure-track professor for the School of Art, UH awaits the arrival of a fine arts photographer who will join the Photography/Digital Media Department as the department’s fifth full-time professor.
Keily Anderson-Staley will be filling the gap that art history professor Suzanne Bloom left when she retired last spring.
Assistant director of the School of Art Pat Deeves, shared her thoughts on the college’s needs.
“When you’re looking to hire, you look at the specialties in the faculty that you already have,” Deeves said. “We have great strengths in video art, and we wanted someone to compliment, to fill in with professor Bloom’s retirement.”
The search for a tenure-track professor is a tedious process and included departmental communication, paperwork and networking through the 107 applicants that flooded the administration.
“When they’re looking at candidates, they have to have the terminal degree. They have to have an exhibition record because this is a research university,” Deeves said. “We’re Tier One, so we want someone that is going to be a leader in their field doing something new and different.”
A major component of a tenure-track professor is research and an international and national presence.
“There’s a lot of participation; there’s a lot of outreach nationally,” Deeves said. “We’re very excited about Keliy coming.”’
After administrators whittled applicants down to three, the interviewees met with faculty members and deans, and the candidates also gave lectures open to students.
Photography/digital media junior Michael Alaniz was struck by Staley’s work with traditional media, focusing on her her tintypes.
“As for Keliy, I’m looking forward to her approach to photography and learning from her experience,” Alaniz said.
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