December 13, 2021

Columbus State University has appointed Dr. Wanda K. W. Ebright as its next dean of the College of the Arts. Ebright will begin her tenure at Columbus State on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

As dean, Ebright will lead a college of nearly 1,000 students and more than 60 faculty and staff. The college offers undergraduate and graduate study through its departments of Art, Communication, Theatre, the Schwob School of Music, and outreach centers and programs including the Bo Bartlett Center, Georgia Repertory Theatre, Non-Profit and Civic Engagement Center (NPACE), and Pasaquan.

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Ebright as dean of Columbus State’s College of the Arts. Her vision for the college and vast experience will continue to enhance and shape the creative education our students receive,” said Dr. Deborah Bordelon, CSU’s provost and executive vice president. 

Ebright comes to Columbus State from Winthrop University (South Carolina), where she has served as the associate dean and director of graduate studies. She has also served as a full professor of dance in the university’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. 

Previously, she held academic appointments at Johnson C. Smith University (North Carolina), Coker College (South Carolina) and Kansas State University. Ebright founded the Midlands/Pee Dee Dance nonprofit and The Wanda Project, a contemporary dance company. She has also served as the artistic co-director of Allegro Dance Theater and Conservatory. Ebright has choreographed and taught master classes across the southeast and is the former president of the South Carolina Dance Association.

Ebright holds a bachelor’s degree in French from Memphis State University (University of Memphis), a master of fine arts degree in dance performance and choreography from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in dance from Texas Woman’s University. She is the author of Dance on the Historically Black College Campus: The Familiar and the Foreign, a 2019 publication.

“I am honored to join the administration, faculty and staff of Columbus State in student-focused, servant leadership. The arts influence everything we see and experience, and I look forward to helping shape the future of the College of the Arts,” Ebright said.

Ebright was selected from among four finalists identified by the 12-person Dean’s Search Committee, chaired by Dr. Pat McHenry, who has served as interim dean since June 2020. With Ebright’s appointment, he will return to his role as an associate provost for undergraduate education in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President.

For more information about the College of the Arts, visit coa.columbusstate.edu.