Stevenson University Names Amanda Hostalka Dean of the School of Design

Stevenson University has appointed Amanda Gingery Hostalka as Dean of the University’s School of Design. A Stevenson faculty member for more than 16 years, Hostalka had served as the school’s Interim Dean since November 2014.

“The creative processing, critical-thinking, writing, design, and technological skills that students gain in the School of Design make them highly competitive in their respective fields,” Hostalka said. “I am excited for the ways in which my new role will allow me to support and enhance our programs through partnerships inside and outside the University.”

Hostalka joined Stevenson’s Art Department as an Adjunct Professor in 1998 and was elevated to Associate Professor of Art in 2006. She was named the department’s Interim Chair in 2009 and, in May 2010, was promoted to Art and Visual Communication Design Department Chair and Professor of Art.

“We are fortunate to have a leader of Amanda’s ability, and I am confident she will serve with distinction,” said Paul Lack, Ph.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Amanda has done very good work in many important areas from student recruitment and curricular change to hiring and personnel matters. She also brings a great deal of energy to the deanship and has deep experience in Stevenson’s culture.”

Stevenson’s School of Design encompasses the following degree programs: Business Communication, Fashion Design, Film and Moving Image, and Visual Communication Design.

“Design, communications, marketing, writing, film, and fashion are not the distinct fields they once were,” Hostalka said. “In a ‘mash-up’ culture—where all media and materials are available to most of us much of the time—students must have the flexibility and adaptive skills to stay fluent in a language that is constantly evolving.”

Stevenson University, known for its distinctive career focus, is the third-largest independent university in Maryland with more than 4,400 students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and adult undergraduate programs at locations in Stevenson and Owings Mills.