J. THOMAS REEVE : ART COLLEGE NAMES NEW PRESIDENT

J. Thomas Reeve, dean of admissions for the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, will become president of the Art Institute of Southern California on March 16, the institute’s chairman of the board of trustees said Thursday.

Chairman Eugene V. Parker said the board agreed to appoint Reeve, 53, to succeed former President Patricia Caldwell, who resigned in December after heading the Laguna Beach college for more than two years.

Reeve has been admissions dean for the Minneapolis school since 1979. From 1968 to 1977, he served as dean of campus programs and activities at UCLA. He was also director of student relations at Memphis State University from 1977 to 1979.

Parker said Reeve was hired because of his proven record as an administrator, his commitment to “making the institute a nationally respected college” and his “ability to have strong, productive relationships with others.”

The ability to work with others may allow Reeve to avoid the problems that beset Caldwell during her last year. During that time, several disgruntled teachers blamed her and other administrators for overworking and underpaying them. Caldwell denied the charges, but six of the 30 instructors resigned in protest.

They also filed a complaint with the National Assn. of Schools of Arts and Design (NASAD), but it was rejected as unsubstantiated.

Reeve said in a phone interview Thursday that he will try to foster “a progressive atmosphere and open-door policy” that minimizes conflict.

“My style is highly consultative and utilizes everyone; in that way I learn,” he said. “I am not that wise and I depend on (the opinions) of other people. That should help me adjust.”

Despite his academic experience, which has been limited to administration, Reeve said he feels suited to running an arts-oriented school. His interest in design and the visual arts is keen, he said, and he plans to confer with the dean of curriculum and instructors before setting the college’s academic course.

Parker agreed that Reeve’s lack of an art background should not be an obstacle. “We wouldn’t have hired him if we didn’t feel he could handle it,” he said.

The board conducted a nationwide search and reviewed 23 applicants, he added.

The college, which was founded in 1962, has in recent years increased its faculty, offered more courses and, since 1982 (the year it was accredited by NASAD), become a degree-bestowing, four-year institution. The college has about 1,200 students.