Message from the Dean

Dear Friends, Families, Students, and Colleagues,

Welcome to the Towson University College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC)! All of our programming and coursework aim to prepare our graduates to lead, change and inspire their communities and chosen professions in the fields of: Theatre, Music, Dance, Art, Film, Media Arts, Journalism, Advertising/PR and Communication. Our college is situated in the heart of campus in two prime locations: The Center for the Arts and the TU Media Center. Faculty offices, galleries and classrooms are located throughout the campus, and we await the 2027 completion of the new Smith Hall Center for Communication, Media and Teaching Excellence. 

Our faculty are world-class artists and scholars who infuse creativity and rigor in our classrooms, labs and performance spaces. COFAC faculty are, by nature, interdisciplinary, collaborative and student-centered. Our students come from schools across the region and the nation bringing differing viewpoints, life experiences and educational backgrounds to our programs. This fusion of the best teachers and curious and driven students is what makes Towson University special. 

We have a strong network of highly successful graduates who find work in classrooms, museums, film sets, courtrooms, non-profits, corporate offices, opera houses, jazz clubs, theatre and dance companies all over the world. Our talented alumni love coming back to campus to engage with our students through masterclasses, presentations, performances, mentoring and scholarship programs, and many alumni have supported our students through generous philanthropy and bequests. 

I hope to see you here on campus at an upcoming performance, art opening, public debate, TEDx talk, concert or recital. We host nearly 400 events each year, including throughout the summer, so I’m sure you’ll find something that interests you. I’m so proud of what our students, faculty and staff do here at TU, and I can’t wait for you to see them in action. 

Sincerely,

Regina Carlow, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication

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About Regina Carlow

Regina Carlow received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. She joins us at Towson University after having served as Interim Dean, Associate Dean, Associate Chair, and Professor of Music for the College of Fine Arts at the University in New Mexico from 2004-2020. She has led numerous university-wide initiatives in assessment, core curriculum revision and essential skills for college and career readiness. She is an active researcher, choral conductor and teacher and authored several books, numerous articles and presentations across a wide spectrum of venues and publications in music and general education.

As an academic, her research and teaching centered around the experiences of immigrant students in the college classroom and their trajectory in higher education. Dean Carlow was the founding artistic director of the UNM Children’s Chorus, a non-auditioned choral program for children in grades K-12. In 2008 she founded the New Mexico Kodály Institute, a summer institute for music teachers that focused on the teaching philosophy of Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodály and the centrality of singing in musical literacy – especially with young children. After 18 years in New Mexico, Dean Carlow is thrilled to be back home in the Mid-Atlantic Region and is honored to lead the extraordinary faculty, staff and students of the Towson University College of Fine Arts and Communication.