Martin Berger named Provost

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), a global leader in art and design education, announced the appointment of Martin Berger as the School’s provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. Berger previously served as SAIC’s dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs.

Berger will serve as the School’s chief academic officer, overseeing a broad portfolio encompassing academic affairs, student affairs, enrollment management, information technology, community engagement and libraries and special collections. Additionally, as the art and design college’s provost, he will drive forward SAIC’s strategic planning process.

“Martin has already established himself as an amazing partner for the School, eagerly sharing his vast experience and keen perspective,” said SAIC President Elissa Tenny. “Having begun my own tenure at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as provost, I know how valuable his insights will be in his new role, expanding upon SAIC’s more than 150-year tradition of educating the artists, designers and scholars who make history and make our shared society better.”

Since joining SAIC as dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs, Berger has strengthened SAIC’s academic affairs administration by increasing support and resources for faculty department chairs, establishing a more robust academic program review process and creating a more transparent and systematic protocol for faculty hires.

As provost, Berger will continue his work in supporting and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion on SAIC’s campus as well as his partnership with the Faculty and Contract Tenure Review Board to refine procedures for tenure and promotion.

“I am honored to expand my role at SAIC, and I look forward to continuing to work with the School’s incomparable faculty, skilled staff and talented students to realize our goal of continually making our curriculum more forward-looking, our community more inclusive and our collaborations with our peers and the city of Chicago deeper,” said Martin Berger.

Berger received his Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University. He received Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy and PhD degrees from Yale University. His scholarly expertise is in 19th- and 20th-century U.S. art history, with a particular focus on the construction of gender and race. He has held fellowships at the National Humanities Center, Smithsonian Institution, Stanford Humanities Center and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers​, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries​, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate​, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alums and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, Jeff Koons, and LeRoy Neiman.