Andrew W. Barnes has been selected by the board of trustees as the next president of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (PCA&D), according to Jim Warner, chair of the PCA&D board of trustees. Barnes is expected to take the helm of the college on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, following interim president Audry Carter.

Barnes currently serves as dean of the School of the Arts, Humanities, Education, and Social Science at York College of Pennsylvania. Before coming to York, he was the dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Pratt Institute. Throughout his administrative career, Barnes has focused on program development. He has developed master's degrees in media studies, writing, and performance studies, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts in digital arts and artificial intelligence.

He holds a master's degree in humanities from New York University, a doctorate in English literature from Stony Brook University, and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Bennington College. He also earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Indianapolis.

In addition to his academic leadership, Barnes pursues his own creative endeavors. His first book, "Post-Closet Masculinities in Early Modern England" was published in 2009, and his memoir, "The Dark Eclipse: Reflections on Suicide and Absence," was published in 2018. A descendant of Scottish weavers, Barnes has a textile art practice, which focuses on the intersection between textiles and texts.

Barnes serves on the boards of the York Symphony Orchestra, the Cultural Alliance of York, and the Fringe Festival, as well as on committees for the Appell Center for the Performing Arts and the Shine Music Foundation.

Barnes will join PCA&D on the first day of the spring 2025 semester.