Mike Ross Celebrates 20th Anniversary as Director

The 2017-18 season marks the 20th anniversary of Mike Ross’ directorship at Krannert Center. Ross became the sixth director of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in 1997. He came to the Center from the Miller Theatre at Columbia University in New York City, where he received his doctorate with distinction in music composition. Under his direction, the Miller Theatre was recognized by The New Yorker as “the city’s hottest hotbed of innovative programming.”

With his leadership, Krannert Center has deeply embraced its vital roles as a classroom, laboratory, and public square. The Center is expanding public engagement initiatives and continuing to diversify programming, while remaining a national leader as a premier university-based performing arts complex. He served as board chair for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, board president of Arts Alliance Illinois, and is a founding member of 40 North, the Champaign County Arts Council. Ross is a recipient of the North American Performing Arts Agent, Managers Association’s Award for Excellence in Presenting the Arts, and was selected by National Arts Strategies for the inaugural Chief Executive Leadership Initiative. Mike is also an associate dean in the College of Fine and Applied Arts and has served on numerous campus committees. Notably, he chaired the cross-campus Seedbed Initiative for Transdomain Creativity, which led to the establishment of the eDREAM Institute (Emerging Digital Research and Education in Arts Media), for which he now serves as an advisor.

Learn more about Mike’s legacy in this SmilePolitely.com Q&A »