Alvin Goldfarb
Encyclopedia
Alvin "Al" Goldfarb was the tenth president of Western Illinois University
. Prior to his current position from 1977 to 2002 he was on the faculty of the department of theatre at Illinois State University
in Normal, where he was also chairman of the theatre department, dean of fine arts from 1988 to 1998, and provost
and vice president for academic affairs from 1998. He earned a Ph.D. in theater history from the City University of New York
. In 2006 Goldfarb announced that he was being treated for prostate cancer
and that a complete recovery was expected. At the July 2009 meeting of the WIU Board of Trustees, Goldfarb officially announced his intention to retire on June 30, 2011. It was announced that President Goldfarb will be succeeded as president of the university by Western's current Provost
and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jack Thomas
, succeeded him on July 1, 2011. A search committee will now search for an Interim Provost, as well as for two other Vice President positions whose present incumbent officeholders will be retiring soon. President Goldfarb's and incoming President Thomas's principal priority, besides having a seamless transition and a quick search for candidates, is to deal with the fact that the University is owed more than $50 million by the government of the State of Illinois, and must find further non-critical areas to hone and look to alternative sources of funding like non-government grants and loans, private donations and gifts, and to alumni.
Goldfarb has researched and written extensively on the arts and on the Holocaust, of which his parents are survivors. He co-edited and contributed to the book Holocaust and Performance.
Together with Rebecca Rovit, he edited the book Theatrical performance during the Holocaust: texts, documents, memoirs (Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8018-6167-5).
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
. Prior to his current position from 1977 to 2002 he was on the faculty of the department of theatre at Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
in Normal, where he was also chairman of the theatre department, dean of fine arts from 1988 to 1998, and provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
and vice president for academic affairs from 1998. He earned a Ph.D. in theater history from the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. In 2006 Goldfarb announced that he was being treated for prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
and that a complete recovery was expected. At the July 2009 meeting of the WIU Board of Trustees, Goldfarb officially announced his intention to retire on June 30, 2011. It was announced that President Goldfarb will be succeeded as president of the university by Western's current Provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jack Thomas
Jack Thomas
Jack Thomas may refer to:* Jack Thomas, President of Western Illinois University * Joseph Terrence Thomas, known as Jack, Australian citizen whose conviction for receiving funds from Al-Qaeda was overturned on appeal...
, succeeded him on July 1, 2011. A search committee will now search for an Interim Provost, as well as for two other Vice President positions whose present incumbent officeholders will be retiring soon. President Goldfarb's and incoming President Thomas's principal priority, besides having a seamless transition and a quick search for candidates, is to deal with the fact that the University is owed more than $50 million by the government of the State of Illinois, and must find further non-critical areas to hone and look to alternative sources of funding like non-government grants and loans, private donations and gifts, and to alumni.
Career
At Illinois State University Goldfarb was involved in setting up an acting internship program with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and construction of a new center for the performing arts.Goldfarb has researched and written extensively on the arts and on the Holocaust, of which his parents are survivors. He co-edited and contributed to the book Holocaust and Performance.
Together with Rebecca Rovit, he edited the book Theatrical performance during the Holocaust: texts, documents, memoirs (Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8018-6167-5).
Textbooks
He has written three widely used university textbooks on theater jointly with Edwin Wilson, a former Broadway theatre critic for the Wall Street Journal.- Living Theatre : A History,
- 2nd edition. New York : McGraw-Hill, c1994. ISBN 0-07-070733-2 (alk. paper)
- 3rd edition ISBN 0-07-038469-X
- Anthology of Living Theater,
- 1st edition, Boston: McGraw-Hill, c1998. ISBN 0-07-070774-X
- 2nd edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, c2001. ISBN 0-07-231729-9
- 3rd edition. ISBN 978-0-07-351413-0
- Theater: the Lively Art
- 1st edition, 1991, ISBN 0-07-070734-0
- 4th edition, 2002, ISBN 0-07-240718-2
- 6th edition, forthcoming, ISBN 978-0-07-351411-6