The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) elected Frances Bronet, president of Pratt Institute, as the new chair of its board of trustees, effective July 1, 2024. Prior to this appointment, President Bronet served on AICAD’s Executive Committee for six years.
“We are committed to strengthening creative institutions, our connections to internal and external constituents, sharing emerging and significant practices, and building diverse and sustainable career opportunities for art and design graduates,” said Frances Bronet, president of Pratt Institute. “I’m honored to serve as chair of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design and look forward to continuing this work alongside talented leaders to advance AICAD’s resources. It is an exceptional moment to be part of this community of artists, investigators, researchers, creators, who are dedicated to meaningful and responsible work.”
“President Bronet is a leader among leaders,” said Deborah Obalil, president and executive director of AICAD. “She is held in high esteem among her peers and we look forward to her continuing to elevate the field of arts and design higher education through her role as chair.”
President Bronet joined Pratt Institute as its 12th president in 2018 and the first to hold a background in architecture and engineering. Since joining, President Bronet has accelerated Pratt’s climate solutions and pedagogical research, including technological advancements, inviting artists, scientists, and academics to collaborate on inclusive and civically engaged design outreach. Before coming to Pratt, President Bronet distinguished herself as a leader at the forefront of interdisciplinary learning, serving as senior vice president and provost at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago.
Previously, she served as acting provost at the University of Oregon; before that, she was Oregon’s dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts (now the College of Design). President Bronet began her academic career as a faculty member in the School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and held positions of professor of architecture, associate dean of architecture, and acting dean of the School. President Bronet is past president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), as well as past chancellor for the ACSA College of Distinguished Professors. She is the co-founder of the ACSA Women’s Leadership Council.
At Pratt, Bronet has played key roles in establishing The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island, serving on its Executive Committee and as Secretary of the Board, while also spearheading partnerships to create Design Works High School, a public high school focused on design and social justice with Bank Street College of Education and the New York City Department of Education, alongside developing the Research Yard, a research facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. During her tenure, Bronet has invested in high-efficiency models to reduce the school’s overall energy and carbon usage, increased the Institute’s international ranking in art and design, and grown BIPOC enrollment.
Outside of her work at Pratt, President Bronet was appointed to Mayor Eric Adams’ Future of Workers Task Force to ensure an inclusive economic recovery and continued workforce development for young talent. President Bronet’s diverse expertise and passions have contributed to, for example, City & State New York’s Education Summit, the United Nations Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, the IDC Foundation Panel on Innovation at the Intersection of Building Design and Construction, the boards of DanceAbility and the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District, the Society for College and University Planners, and the Association for a Better New York Young Professionals.
About Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute provides the creative leaders of tomorrow the knowledge and experience to make a better world. A top-ranked college with opportunities in art, design, architecture, liberal arts and sciences, and information studies, Pratt offers nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Positioned at the heart of New York’s vibrant creative scene, Pratt takes pride in its 25-acre campus in Brooklyn, an iconic building in Manhattan, and an extension campus in Utica, New York (Pratt Munson). A driving force behind initiatives like The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island, Pratt has collaborated with Bank Street College of Education and the New York City Department of Education to foster a design- and social-justice-oriented high school in the city. Additionally, Pratt expands its research capabilities with a cutting-edge facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Since its founding in 1887, Pratt has prioritized diversity and inclusion, welcoming students from all walks of life while developing and sustaining pathways to more equitable workplaces and careers. Today, Pratt and its exceptional faculty pride themselves on being academically excellent as well as adaptable to both in-person and online learning. Pratt students are part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary, research- and inquiry-based education that prepares them for success in creative fields and professional practice, with the goal of contributing to a fairer, more sustainable world.
About AICAD
AICAD—the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design—is a non-profit consortium of the leading specialized arts and design schools in the US and Canada. Founded in 1991, the mission is to help strengthen the member colleges individually and collectively, and to inform the public about these colleges and universities and the value of studying the arts and design. Key programs of the association include the AICAD Post Graduate Teaching Fellowship; the AICAD BIPOC Academic Leadership Institute; the AICAD Slideroom Portal, providing portfolio review to 9–12th graders anywhere in the world; the annual AICAD Symposium; and AICAD Exchange. The association operates aicad.org to provide useful information about studying arts and design for potential students, their parents, arts teachers, and guidance counselors.