Retiring dean reflects on fond memories, discusses college’s future

One of Lucinda Lavelli’s favorite memories as a dean was made when her role allowed her to visit the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., where she was moved to the side of the hallway by security.

“I thought, ‘Oh my god, the vice president’s going to come by,’” she said. “But it was even more thrilling. President Obama walked by. He waved his hand at me, and I was like ‘Wow, what do I do?’”

Lavelli will retire July 31 after 12 years as dean of UF’s College of the Arts. She said she is proud of what the college accomplished under her watch and is excited about its future.

Lavelli, 68, who will be succeeded by Onye Ozuzu, said several improvements to the student experience are underway.  

A permanent marching band field is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and a new School of Music building is in the fundraising and developmental stages.

Kevin Orr, director of the School of Music, said the current building is too small, has no parking and it’s open-air, which allows sound to bleed through from one room to the next.

The new music building will replace Leonardo’s By the Slice, located at 1245 W. University Ave. It will have a parking garage for concert attendees, Lavelli said. Construction on the $55 million project will begin in the coming years.

She said the college is also working on creating more internship and interdisciplinary opportunities for students to foster collaboration between the colleges.

“The university is on a very exciting trajectory right now,” she said, “so it seemed the perfect time to transition my life and spend a little more time with my family.”

Orr, who has worked at the College of the Arts since 2000, said Lavelli’s greatest strengths are effective social skills and an ability to accommodate the diverse interests of UF’s students and faculty members. The college contains three schools, three centers and the Digital Worlds Institute.  

Her positive and forward-thinking leadership influenced his decision to take the director position in 2015 after working as a professor, he said.

Lavelli said she will miss her colleagues and students the most. The college hosts a party for retired staff members every December, so she looks forward to attending those.

In the immediate future, she plans to work with Mark Law, director of the Honors Program, to create a course centered around the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death.

Lavelli said she is uncertain what retirement holds, but she will stay open to opportunities to assist the college or Gainesville community in whatever ways she can.