April 8, 2004

Steven Adler Named Warren College Provost At UC San Diego

By Patricia Quill


The University of California, San Diego theatre professor Steven Adler has been named provost of Earl Warren College. Marsha A. Chandler, acting chancellor of UCSD, announced the appointment today.

A member of the UCSD Department of Theatre and Dance since 1987, Adler currently serves as vice chair of the department, as well as director of theatre and head of the MFA program in stage management. During his tenure at UCSD, he has served on a wide array of campus-wide and departmental committees including the advisory committee on undergraduate education, the senate committee on distinguished teaching, and the committee on educational policy.

“Professor Adler’s leadership and extraordinary commitment to undergraduate education will make a real difference at Warren College,” said Marsha Chandler. “I am enormously pleased that someone with Steve’s outstanding qualifications and academic record has accepted this important position.”

In accepting the post Adler will succeed David Jordan, a professor of anthropology who will step down as provost after ten years of service when he retires on June 30th.

“I am delighted that Warren's new provost is a faculty member from one of our nationally renowned art departments,” said Jordan. “His appointment will raise the visibility of UCSD's arts majors among undergraduates, and should bring a whole new flair to Warren. But more importantly, I can't imagine a better background for a provost than stage management, where a person becomes really good at keeping all the balls in the air at once! All of us at Warren can look forward with enthusiasm to this new chapter in the history of our college.”

In accepting the position, Adler said that he was extraordinarily honored to be appointed provost of Warren College.

“I am invigorated by the prospect of contributing to the vitality of this venerable UCSD institution. The college system is the vibrant and defining hallmark of undergraduate life that provides the essential connective tissue to our students' experiences at UCSD. As the campus grows, we must ensure that the colleges flourish as robust centers of academic excellence, whose collective mission is to create the best possible citizen-scholars.”

Dan Wulbert, Revelle College provost and member of the Warren College provost search committee reaffirmed Adler’s impressive talents as a stage manager and theatre scholar.

“He came to UCSD directly from stage managing Broadway plays to work with undergraduates. He designed the UCSD stage management program, which has become the best in the country. Steve is also innovative, has high standards, and cares about basic education. He is dedicated to the theatre and committed to undergraduate education. We are lucky to have him at UCSD, and Earl Warren College is blessed with another erudite and personable provost.”

Douglas Hanes, Warren student and member of the search committee, noted, “Professor Adler has an incredible sense of excitement for education that I know he will bring to Warren College. He has many new ideas to improve the education and quality of life for Warren College students, and his experiences in theatre give him a unique perspective from which all in the Warren community can benefit. On top of all this, he is well respected in his field and of the highest academic caliber.”

Adler’s experience in stage management includes numerous national tours and productions at leading off-Broadway theatres, including Manhattan Theater Club, Classic Stage Company, and the original production of Forbidden Broadway. At La Jolla Playhouse, he has served as production stage manager for the musicals 80 Days and Elmer Gantry, as well as Macbeth, Dogeaters, Sweet Bird of Youth, Wintertime, and the original cast of the Tectonic Theater Project's groundbreaking production of The Laramie Project. He has also stage managed the Broadway productions of Dance a Little Closer, Camelot, and the Tony Award-winning Big River.

Adler received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University. He has been awarded a Japan Fellowship by the Asian Cultural Council and a UC Pacific Rim Fellowship for research into management process at Japanese theatre companies. He is the author of Rough Magic: Making Theatre at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and his new book, On Broadway: Art and Commerce on the Great White Way, will be published this fall.

Media Contact: Patricia Quill, (858) 822-0661