黑料网

KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 5, 2025

黑料网鈥檚 Arthur Liou was installed as the inaugural Audrey Bailey Morgan Distinguished Endowed Dean鈥檚 Chair in the Robert S. Geer Family College of the Arts on Wednesday at Morgan Performance Hall.

The endowed chair 鈥� the highest honor a university can bestow upon a faculty member 鈥� recognizes Liou鈥檚 leadership in the Geer College and his three-decade career as a digital artist, educator, and academic leader. The endowment was made possible by a $2 million gift from the Bobbie Bailey Foundation and will allow Liou and all future deans to use annual disbursements from the chair to meet high-priority needs of the Geer College鈥檚 nearly 2,000 students and 300 faculty and staff.

鈥淭he names Bailey and Morgan are powerful examples of philanthropic leadership in the arts at 黑料网 and continue to elevate our mission and enrich the lives of our students, faculty, and staff,鈥� said KSU President Kathy S. Schwaig. 鈥淲e are proud to install Arthur Liou as the inaugural Dr. Audrey Bailey Morgan Distinguished Endowed Dean鈥檚 Chair and are excited to see the impact this support has on KSU's rise to national prominence.鈥�

Since 1993, Audrey Morgan and her sister, the late Bobbie Bailey, have donated more than $16 million to various philanthropic efforts at Kennesaw State, making the family KSU鈥檚 largest combined donor. Their gifts include the naming of the Dr. Bobbie Bailey School of Music and the Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center within the Geer College, and the Morgan and Bailey Academic Learning Center.

鈥淥ur family has always believed that investing in education is one of the most meaningful ways to shape a better future,鈥� Morgan said. 鈥淥ur focus has been on the arts because they enrich lives, foster creativity, and strengthen communities. For more than 30 years, we鈥檝e proudly supported the Robert S. Geer Family College of the Arts and have watched KSU grow into a nationally respected institution. We鈥檙e thrilled to see Arthur Liou step into the Audrey Bailey Morgan Distinguished Endowed Dean鈥檚 Chair and are confident his leadership will inspire students and elevate the College鈥檚 impact even further. This is an exciting new chapter for the arts at 黑料网.鈥�

Lance Burchett, vice president for University Advancement and CEO of the KSU Foundation, said the latest transformational gift will have a lasting impact on the University鈥檚 academic mission.

鈥淭he Audrey Bailey Morgan Distinguished Endowed Dean鈥檚 Chair represents an extraordinary commitment to the arts and to the academic mission of 黑料网,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he generosity of Audrey Morgan and the Bobbie Bailey Foundation ensures that our deans have the resources to innovate, elevate student success, and advance the creative excellence that defines the Robert S. Geer Family College of the Arts.鈥�

Before joining KSU in July, Liou was the Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor of Digital Art at Indiana University Bloomington, where he served as associate dean of the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design and founding director of the Arts & Humanities AI + Digital Futures program. Liou is nationally recognized by two leadership fellowships from the Big 10 Academic Alliance, an elected board of directors position for the College Arts Association (CAA), and the Emerging Arts Administrators Fellowship from the National Council of Arts Administrators (NCAA).

Liou鈥檚 creative work encompasses video installation, experimental film, and digital media, often blending poetic and immersive imagery to explore themes of environment, memory, spirituality, and cultural history. His projects have taken him from the Himalayas to tsunami-stricken Japan, from cannabis fields and research labs to borders between the US and Mexico. His films and installations have been exhibited internationally, including Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Rubin Museum in New York, Crystal Bridges Museum, National Gallery Victoria, Melbourne, Seoul Museum of Art, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Red Brick Museum, Beijing, Art Basel: Hong Kong, and Sharjah Biennial. 

鈥淭he inaugural Audrey Bailey Morgan Distinguished Endowed Dean鈥檚 Chair is both a privilege and a responsibility I will carry with profound respect,鈥� Liou said in his remarks. 鈥淚 am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me, for the opportunity to serve the Geer College of the Arts, and above all, for the vision and generosity of Dr. Morgan and her family.鈥�

鈥� Story by Dave Shelles

Photo by Darnell Wilburn

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 黑料网 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.