MIAD President Jeff Morin
An award-winning artist, teacher and strategist, Jeffrey Morin brings nearly 40 years of higher education experience to MIAD. His breadth of expertise includes strategic planning, diversity and access, enrollment management, marketing, fundraising, curriculum development and assessment, and interdisciplinary programming that brings college constituencies and community members of all ages together in new and innovative ways.
During Morin’s 10 years at MIAD, enrollment has grown 40% and first-to-second year retention has reached 85.5%. New programs and facilities include the Fashion and Apparel Design major, the award-winning Animation Track and the Lubar Centers for Innovation & Emerging Technology, which serve students and corporate and nonprofit partners, such as Mitchell International Airport. Establishment of the Equity & Inclusion Center reflects MIAD’s commitment to its increasingly diverse student body with partnerships supporting such varied programming as free group therapy through Black Space and support groups through the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center.
MIAD’s Youth & Community Programs have also grown significantly under Morin’s tenure, embodying a commitment to the future of both BIPOC youth and Milwaukee’s creative community. The Pre-College Program serves almost 500 youth year-round, and the college’s innovative yearlong Design Internship Program serves another 60 youth with 12 creative partners that include Harley-Davidson, Hanson Dodge and Milwaukee Brewers. Other community initiatives include the college’s first offsite gallery, MIAD Gallery at The Ave.
In addition to completing a successful comprehensive campaign, Our Creative Future, MIAD receives funding from such esteemed entities as the National Endowment for the Arts and Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, supporting the first grantmaking program of its kind for climate action at visual arts organizations.
Morin has numerous community engagements and service roles. For the national Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD), he has chaired the Market Study Task Force; been a BIPOC Academic Leadership Institute Mentor; and is Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of the Board of Directors. He has served on the (WI) Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence and on the Steering Committee and Task Force II of the Higher Education Regional Alliance. Morin is a member of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education and on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU). He has also served on the Education Committee, Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee, and Talent and Innovation Council of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
He is also a prolific writer, exhibiting artist, curator and lecturer.
Morin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdepartmental Studies from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia and Rome, Italy; a Master of Art in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education; and a Master of Fine Art in Studio Art from UW-Madison. He also holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Lilly School of Philanthropy, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. Previous tenure includes Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) and interim Vice Chancellor and Provost at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Experience MKE Podcast with Jeff Morin
Making Art School More Accessible: Milwaukee Magazine Q&A
PLEXUSS Presidential Podcast with Jeff Morin