Introducing Dean Jayme Host: A New Era for the School of the Arts

On this episode of Speaking of…College of Charleston, Edward Hart, professor of music, sits down with Jayme Host, Dean of the School of the Arts, to discuss her background, career and first impressions of the college and the city of Charleston. Host speaks of her passion for dance and education, highlighting her past roles and achievements which include working with various international dance companies and educational institutions. Host talks about the newly renovated Albert Simons Center for the Arts, emphasizing the state-of-the-art facilities that will support the arts programs. She expresses her excitement about the opportunities and her commitment to fostering a vibrant and successful environment for students and faculty.

Featured on this Episode:

Jayme Klinger Host, Dean, School of the Arts

Host has more than 25 years of student success and higher education experience. Her comprehensive knowledge of higher education has been developed through work at three different public and private institutions of higher education. Host has extensive experience directing complex departments and projects, and intentionally bringing people together across divides and generating a positive vision that is long term, expansive and solution driven. 

In her previous role as the director of East Carolina University’s School of Theatre and Dance, within the College of Fine Arts and Communication, Host led the school’s strategic plan while serving as its senior academic officer, and was responsible for curriculum, human resources and fiscal operations. Her extensive administrative, artistic and academic career is steeped in a tenacious advocacy for student success and support. She is intentional in cultivating artistry, inclusive practices and global citizenship.

Originally from Central Pennsylvania, she is a professor, dancer, choreographer, STEAM educator and Arts Integration specialist with 28 years of experience of teaching dance in higher education. As a dancer, she performed with Tandy Beal Dance Company in Tokyo, with the Pennsylvania Dance Theatre in State College, PA and as an independent artist. She has created over 50 original works throughout her career. 

Resources from this Episode:

·      Renovated Simons Center

·      School of the Arts

·      2024-2025 Event Season

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to Speaking of College of Charleston. I'm Edward Harp, Professor of Music Theory and Composition. I'm here with Jamie Host, our new Dean of the School of the Arts. We are in the studio today to introduce Dean [00:00:20] Host to the community and hear about her first impressions of the college and the city.

[00:00:25] We're also excited to talk about the Simmons Center renovation that includes, among other things, a brand new two story black box theater and a state of the art costume shop, scene shop, and more. and theater design studio. [00:00:40] Dean Host, let me be the 500th person to welcome you to the College of Charleston.

[00:00:46] Thank you so much. I'm very happy to be here. We're glad and thrilled that you're here. Perhaps we can start at the beginning. Would you mind telling us where you were born and raised and how you became interested and [00:01:00] involved with dance, which of course is your primary field of study? I was born and raised in central Pennsylvania, Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

[00:01:07] My parents Ron and Joanne Klinger were I was very fortunate and privileged with a wonderful family and was put in the arts very young. Started with voice lessons and went on to piano [00:01:20] lessons and clarinet and then grew into playing the oboe for more than 12 years. At the same time, because I was.

[00:01:26] moving ever since I was little. I think my mom tells a story about being in the bassinet, pushing my heels till my head was at the top of the bassinet. And so I was moving at a very young age. So she put me in dance to help me train all that [00:01:40] energy in a constructive manner. So I've taken dance since I was probably about six years old. On behalf of the music department, we are thrilled that you have a musical background that, that makes us all feel great. You became involved in dance at a young age, but how did this eventually lead to a career in higher education? [00:02:00] I always knew Dance was where I was going to, start my career and I wanted a lifelong career in it.

[00:02:06] I didn't want a short performing career. I wanted a sustainable career. And I also really valued the educational aspect in addition to the physical training. So I knew as an artist, if I could intellectually understand something, I could [00:02:20] physically demonstrate it better. And I also loved the connective tissues to see how the arts informed and bettered society and everybody around us.

[00:02:28] So Goucher college was a natural. Start for me because it was a BA degree and a liberal arts degree and it gave me a very strong foundation and I found a mentor there, Christelle Bond, who just [00:02:40] was an exquisite mentor who was passionate about the theory in addition to the practice. So there I majored in performance choreography, dance history, and criticism.

[00:02:50] But was taking music theory as well. I took voice lessons from Serafina DiGiacomo all four years there. And the intrinsic value of [00:03:00] just understanding how the arts are positioned beautifully in music. In society to be creative thinkers and be able to pivot and innovate when industry needs that, and to see all the ways and applications that are transferable skills can apply to a multiplicity of opportunities, in the career landscape.

[00:03:18] So I wanted to provide that [00:03:20] for myself for a sustainable career, but also do that for students and colleagues in higher ed. You have an amazing CV. And one of the things I think that distinguishes this job, your job, from others is that in addition to being an academic [00:03:40] and an administrator, you have an artistic career and you've done many amazing things.

[00:03:46] Artistically, maybe you can just tell us a few highlights of things that you've done thus far as a performer. I worked with Pennsylvania Dance Theater, which is a smaller regional theater, which was really wonderful. I've had a [00:04:00] great opportunity with my choreography. Being acknowledged, I was still a graduate student when I had a professional company.

[00:04:06] Ryrie Woodbury commissioned me for a work. I was very excited. It was on the the program with a premier from myself as well as Doug Verone. And that was very exciting. I've had the great opportunity to have my [00:04:20] choreography commissioned from Momentum Dance Company in Panama. So some of my former students at Goucher College created the first modern company in Panama.

[00:04:30] And they flew me in to set a work on their company, which was really exciting. As an arts integration specialist and STEAM educator, I love going into K [00:04:40] 12 and working with educators to help create engaged lesson plans and looking at the multiple intelligent Multiple intelligences and working with kinesthetic learners.

[00:04:48] Diversifying lesson plans to reach all students so they can have success. I have been invited to several international school settings Riverside International [00:05:00] School in Prague, I went over to. I also work with TEACH organization, which is Transcontinental Educators and Artists for the Collective Humanity.

[00:05:08] We have I've been a. Co founder of an international conference in Tridate, Italy, with that organization. And we bring in scientists and educators and eco artists and [00:05:20] activists to work on lesson plan development and engagement of the community to understand climate change and how we can be partners in slowing that, that process down and helping save our planet to some extent.

[00:05:32] So that's been very exciting I believe firmly in creating global citizenship among our students, so [00:05:40] even at ECU, I was able to work on forging three different MOUs with Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, with Dance Center Kenya in Nairobi. And working with University of Split in Croatia.

[00:05:58] Wow, that is impressive. [00:06:00] So you come to us from East Carolina University. And the College of Charleston is a different type of institution. Similar in some ways, but very different in other ways. What intrigued you about this position? The College of Charleston has always been known for being leaders.

[00:06:17] In education and arts and [00:06:20] education. And I am such a strong advocate for the timeless value of the liberal and creative arts within the higher education landscape. And I was very content at East Carolina university. But when I saw this position open and I was reached out to about the opportunity and nudged a bit to apply it just, to be honest, I felt a calling to [00:06:40] apply and if it was meant to be, I knew I would be invited on campus and interview with the wonderful faculty.

[00:06:45] I was very happy and feel very privileged that it worked out. When people come to the College of Charleston, sometimes they mistakenly think that this is a small, private, liberal arts college. It's not [00:07:00] small, it's not private, but it does have this liberal arts spirit. Backbone, and you already talked about that a little bit.

[00:07:07] Maybe you can talk about the value of liberal art style education, especially for artists. I think for sustainable careers, we can't always work in our silos, and I think it's [00:07:20] important to strongly Train our students in their disciplines so they can be exceptional within that discipline, but also keenly be aware of how that discipline fits within the larger landscape and where are those connective tissues to society and what are those opportunities to engage others with your art.

[00:07:37] And I think. Having a strong [00:07:40] base in multiple disciplines that is required by a liberal arts education informs your art and allows you to have a broader perspective and ultimately be more successful, but also pivot when need to in your career, because very few of us go into one job and stay there forever.

[00:07:55] And especially the performers, right? You're looking for opportunities and how do you connect with [00:08:00] other people and other agencies and having that strong base. Drawing broad base allows you for more opportunities and success later. This is a bit unfair because you've been on the job for a little more than three weeks, but have you met many faculty members?

[00:08:15] and or and staff members and Do you have any impressions so [00:08:20] far of the team that you have around you? I'm very excited about that team and I Feel very privileged and fortunate even the staff within the dean's office are all quite incredible and they have wonderful institutional knowledge to help onboard me as much as possible.

[00:08:36] And I've had my first director and chairs meeting and [00:08:40] was very excited to meet everyone. They are accomplished professionals and had the great privilege of I'm attending the first concert, which was part of the Charleston Chamber Music Initiative. Yes, where two of our faculty, Yuri and Amanda, performed and they were just exceptional.

[00:08:57] Just exceptional. World class [00:09:00] artists and musicians. And it was wonderful and delightful to hear the performance, but also to see all of their students watching them perform. I'm excited. And then learning by watching them do what they're teaching them to do, which is perform and be accomplished professionals.

[00:09:14] I have to tell you, that's just a taste of what's to come. We do things really well here. And I think you're going to be [00:09:20] really excited to see some of the things that the school can produce. You're here at a very exciting time for a lot of reasons, but one of the most exciting things is that we have a newly renovated Simmons Center.

[00:09:38] And, in fact, your [00:09:40] office, at least temporarily, is in this newly renovated Simmons Center. What are your impressions so far of this facility? It's truly impressive what's been accomplished with the donors that have given funds to help support this initiative and the upper administration which has allowed this Building to come into fruition and serve our students and our faculty as they [00:10:00] deliver their curriculum.

[00:10:01] The facilities are gorgeous. They're really beautiful, and I can't wait to welcome the students into them to activate those spaces, see them in classes, see them in rehearsals, see them in the rehearsal spaces in the studios. It's really quite exciting. And I think one of the really interesting things about the Simmons Center is that you have three [00:10:20] performance spaces right there together.

[00:10:22] It's a really a unique situation where we have our recital hall. The Emmett Robinson Theater and this beautiful new black box theater all within sight of each other. So this is the Lincoln Center of Charleston, if you will. [00:10:40] Are you excited about that sort of synergy and that kind of energy?

[00:10:43] I'm very excited and mindful of the planning and scheduling to make sure we're not double booking and everybody has parking spaces, but absolutely eager and excited to see all of the energy and the exquisite performances that are going to be presented this year. In addition to the new and updated [00:11:00] performance spaces, there are also fantastic new spaces, including state of the art parking spaces.

[00:11:05] Costume shop, a scene shop, a theater design studio. With your background, perhaps you can speak to the importance of having these crucial support systems. There's no way they could the, there's no way our faculty could provide what the education that our [00:11:20] students need without those spaces because part of preparing them for the current industry is having The current equipment and making sure that there's a space in the room for them and making sure they understand what the standards are for developing and creating those spaces because maybe they'll find themselves in a theater company where they need to be in charge of the costume shop and what are the industry standards and they have to be [00:11:40] aware of all of that.

[00:11:41] So having the appropriate spaces is crucial to them for providing what the students need to be successful once they graduate. I think the planning has been wonderful to make sure. That the students are set up for success. And we have, again, part of our staff, Todd McNearney, the associate dean, has been exceptional in shepherding this process [00:12:00] through to completion.

[00:12:01] So I, again, I can't state enough how excited I am to see the students come into the space and watch them thrive. What we like to think of Charleston as a cultural capital which has allowed us at the college to have partnerships with various local institutions, such as the Charleston Symphony.

[00:12:19] [00:12:20] Orchestra, many local theater and dance companies, preservation groups, annual festivals like Splitter Festival USA, and Piccolo Splitter. Do you see this as a real advantage for our school and our location? I absolutely do. I absolutely, those professional partnerships, whether through Shared performances, [00:12:40] whether our students are performing with them or they're coming onto our campus to perform in our spaces, whether they have internship opportunities those connections to the professional industry that they get while they're still in their undergraduate program really does set them up for success and create a mentorship model for our students to seamlessly understand what it is to have the [00:13:00] professional conduct as well as the training necessary to thrive.

[00:13:03] And within our school, we also have a robust arts management program. And because we do so many performances and exhibitions, et cetera, it's a little bit of a living laboratory, right? Not only. On campus, but, with places [00:13:20] like Spoleto Festival USA or the Charleston Symphony, hiring our students and interns, that seems to me to be a terrific opportunity.

[00:13:28] Absolutely. And one of the things I love to do is understand what the strengths are of our, faculty and our students, what their goals are, what their career aspirations are, and then finding those [00:13:40] connective organizations and agencies within the local community, within the state.

[00:13:43] Absolutely. Also, globally and make those connections, make those engagements that can be lasting opportunities for their employment. We're real lucky in the School of the Arts, I think, in that we have a president, President Hsu, who loves the arts, and he [00:14:00] especially loves music and opera, and to me, that's very exciting.

[00:14:05] Are you excited to work with him on all these different opportunities? I'm very excited to work with President Hsu and Provost Austin. And part of my vetting of even applying for this position is to from an outside perspective, see how much support there is for the administration.

[00:14:19] Because [00:14:20] as an artist, It's really important because sometimes you have the aspirations, you have the data to prove the success of arts programs, but if you don't have the support from upper administration, you get a little landlocked and tied into not being able to bring your ideas to fruition.

[00:14:35] And looking at what Provost Austin and President Hsu have been able to do in [00:14:40] the support of the programs with the Performing Arts Building, arts advocacy within the state, I am thrilled to be here. Let's talk a little bit about the city were you familiar with Charleston before coming here? I had only had the privilege of being in Charleston twice before my interview and it's a beautiful city and I [00:15:00] told our associate dean, Todd McNearney, that I don't think I've ever been in a location where I felt more at home so quickly than I have here at Charleston.

[00:15:09] That's great to hear. Have there been any surprises about Charleston? Not surprises. I think traffic is interesting to get used to. [00:15:20] I wouldn't consider it necessarily a blessing of Charleston, but it is, it's a part of the popularity, right? And what those cars in the highway mean could be audience members in our Performances.

[00:15:34] So I have I have a tradition basically of seeing the good in things. And so I, it's very [00:15:40] easy for me to live with gratitude, but also optimism. And I can see how things can always change. As a new resident of Charleston, do you have a to do list as it relates to things you want to see and experience?

[00:15:54] Whether that's seeing historical sites or getting to know the water or the restaurants. What excites you about [00:16:00] being here at this time, in the city at least? I'm really excited about becoming acclimated with all the professional organizations, the artistic organizations and meeting the artistic leaders of those places.

[00:16:10] Companies and arts agencies. I'm very excited about that. Looking going, attending the museums and understanding the history of the buildings and the architecture is on my to do [00:16:20] list. I love nature and the environment and I'm eager to visit all the beautiful landscapes and the beaches as well.

[00:16:27] I have a very long to do list, so I'm chiseling all of those dates into when my free time is. But as a new Dean, as you can imagine, I'm. I'm focusing mostly on that. I am sure. I'm going to give you the heads [00:16:40] up because you're now in Charleston, all of a sudden you're going to be hearing from people you haven't heard from in a long time that are going to say, Oh, by the way.

[00:16:48] We're coming to visit and please roll out the red carpet for us. Now you have some already built in visitors in, I believe, and some children. Are you excited for [00:17:00] them to come visit and to get to know the city? I my husband Andrew and I, it's we're truly empty nesting with moving here. So we have three children Tanner, Talia, and Jack.

[00:17:11] And I am very eager for them to come visit often. And I'm ready to open the guest room for visitors. I've had one [00:17:20] already who I made sure she has a A daughter who's interested in college hunting and have given the tour and sharing all the benefits of College of Charleston to recruit. That's an interesting thing that you just brought up at recruitment.

[00:17:32] I think we have some advantages here at the College of Charleston. I think a school of the arts and in a place where under the [00:17:40] same roof you've got, Arts management and art history and studio art and theater and music and dance. And so there's this really interesting collaborative type atmosphere.

[00:17:50] But also, let's face it, this is not going to school in a college town. This is a 350 year old city. So have you thought about that? How [00:18:00] recruiting might be a little different here than it might be other places. It is a little different and I think in some aspects it might not be as hard because Charleston is a beautiful city for drawing prospective students and prospective families and recruiting young artists, budding young artists, but also a great place where [00:18:20] a family can come visit their undergraduate and be eager to come back.

[00:18:24] So I think the challenges that are hitting higher educational institutions right now for recruitment are very different for College of Charleston versus other universities. And I think they're unique challenges but I think [00:18:40] they're all setting us up for success really to meet the needs of the current students that are looking for a collegiate home. This is a really exciting time for us at the School of the Arts, especially because of your arrival. And again, this question may be a little bit unfair but since you've been on the job for a little more than [00:19:00] three weeks, can you already see a few things that particularly excite you about this new chapter in your career and in the School of the Arts?

[00:19:10] I think there's so many opportunities and there's vast opportunities. I really try to maintain a very broad perspective and somewhat of an umbrella [00:19:20] perspective of looking at being in higher edu being in higher education and administration, looking at serving the population. So recruiting students that I think will be successful here, developing cutting edge curriculum supporting the curriculum and also helping them have gainful employment post graduation and make a [00:19:40] meaningful contribution to their society and communities after graduation.

[00:19:43] So opportunities. There are so many, and they're vast, and I think I've really tried to commit myself to particularly the first semester, living and learning what is already the foundational excellence in the School of the Arts at the College of Charleston, understanding that we are [00:20:00] existing as the artistic heartbeat which was the phrase was coined before I was here.

[00:20:05] I'm not sure if you were a part of that development of the phrase as interim dean. A little bit. A little bit to do with it, which I think it beautifully states really why I even applied for the position [00:20:20] because the university wasn't serving in isolation of the students in higher ed, but it was serving the greater artistic community and the academic community.

[00:20:30] And serving a need I'm coming directly from East Carolina University and the mission there was centered around the idea of service. And I, even when I came for my interview, I stated that [00:20:40] I view myself as a servant leader and serving those around me. So I felt very kindred to that tag phrase, which did encourage me to apply.

[00:20:48] So I'm excited about fulfilling that mission even more and finding those opportunities that supports that. Dean Host, thanks so much for joining us on Speaking of [00:21:00] the College of Charleston. Thank you for listening to this episode of Speaking of the College of Charleston. With today's guest, Jamie Host.

[00:21:09] For show notes and more episodes, visit the College of Charleston's official news site, the College Today, at today.charleston.edu. [00:21:20] You can find episodes on all major podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Amy Stockwell with recording and sound engineering by Jesse Kuntz from the Division of Information [00:21:40] Technology.