Lynne Allen will become interim dean of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts for the second time starting July 1. Photo by Michael Rotiroti

New Appointment

Lynne Allen Named Interim Dean of College of Fine Arts

CFA professor will serve until a successor to Dean Harvey Young is chosen

When Harvey Young steps down at the end of June after eight years as the dean of the College of Fine Arts, Lynne Allen will step up as interim dean—for the second time.

Allen, professor of art, printmaking, chair of print media and photography, and former director of the School of Visual Arts, also served as interim dean in 2015–2017, when she was Young’s immediate predecessor.

“Serving as interim dean nearly 10 years ago was a responsibility I took very seriously, and I approach this opportunity with the same commitment,” Allen says.

“I’m humbled and honored by the confidence placed in me and by the opportunity to work alongside the many talented people at CFA,” she says, noting that her ties to many people in the dean’s office and in all three schools will pave her way in the job, which she will begin July 1.

“During this period of transition, I am grateful to Professor Allen for her willingness to step into this important role and confident that the College of Fine Arts will continue to thrive under her leadership,” says Gloria Waters, University provost and chief academic officer.

Allen says that the position requires someone who will work hard to prepare the way for the next dean. “Harvey’s done a lot in these eight years he’s been dean, and I want to maintain his programs and grow them,” she says, noting in particular his initiative to provide research funding for faculty.

At the same time, Allen will continue to teach in the Print Media & Photography program. “With two of my colleagues in the visual arts, we built this program. We are in our fourth cohort of students, and I don’t want to give that up,” she says, adding: “I also think you can’t really be a good leader if you don’t know what the students are thinking.”

Allen is an internationally recognized artist and scholar in printmaking and contemporary art, exhibiting around the world. Her work is included in the collections of major institutions, such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Library of Congress, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among many others. You can see her work on her website. 

In addition to her BU roles, she plans to continue pursuing her own work, which should be easier now that a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship has helped her fund a studio not far from campus.

Young, who is also a CFA professor of theatre and a College of Arts & Sciences professor of English, has been dean since 2018. He will step down June 30 and take a year-long sabbatical before returning to the School of Theatre faculty in late Spring 2027. He was named a Guggenheim Fellow this year and will continue to serve as BU’s interim vice president for the arts during his sabbatical. 

“I really believe in the faculty and the staff at the College of Fine Arts,” Allen says, adding that she’s also confident in the future of the arts at BU under President Melissa Gilliam. “The fact that [art is] on the agenda is the most important thing—and very, very important for not just the College of Fine Arts, but also for the University as a whole.”

The search for new permanent leadership for CFA will commence at the end of the 2026–27 academic year.