The IYRS School of Technology & Trades announced today that its Board of Trustees named Kern Maass its fifth president, effective July 15, 2023.
“Kern is an educator who brings first-hand knowledge of the craft and technology of making. He is an innovator, developing real-world problem-based learning models using interdisciplinary faculty and student teams that work with community and industry partners. He is a proven leader who increased enrollment, tuition revenue, and curriculum in his position as Dean at Loyola New Orleans. Kern’s vision, talents, and experiences align with IYRS’s strategic goals. I’m thrilled to welcome Kern as IYRS’s next president,” said Stephen Glascock, chairman of the IYRS search committee and incoming board chairman.
At Loyola University New Orleans, Maass merged the School of Mass Communication with the College of Music and Fine Arts to create the College of Music and Media, the only Loyola college with more than five years of continuous enrollment growth in the last decade. He grew the college’s auxiliary revenue by 200%, helped raise $7M with University Advancement, and focused on diversity and inclusion.
Previously, he was Associate Dean of North Carolina’s Appalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts, where he helped grow industrial design enrollment from 30 to 175 over eight years. He proposed, launched, and led a university-wide, student-centered learning experience called AppLab. He also created a program outreach network, developed strategic partnerships, restored business relationships, and initiated solvent corporate-sponsored programs independent of state funding.
Maass said, “IYRS speaks to my passion for hands-on education and desire to transform the educational paradigm. It has a distinct brand and market position that permits us to impact positive changes in an exciting way, particularly in placing students on graduation. Leading IYRS is a dream job for me and returning to my Rhode Island roots is a special bonus.”
Maass’s selection is the result of a nationwide search. He will succeed Jay Coogan, who became IYRS’s president in 2018 and announced his retirement in October 2022. “The Board is grateful to Jay Coogan for his outstanding contributions to the school – IYRS’s future is on a solid foundation,” said IYRS chairman C. Christopher Cannon.
Maass has a BFA and MFA from Savannah College of Art. He is a Trustee of the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans and on the Advisory Board of the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience. Formerly, he was a director of the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library and a trustee of the Furniture Society.
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