VCU names dean for School of the Arts in Qatar

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Akel I Kahera, PhD (pictured), has been appointed dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQatar), pending approval by the VCU Board of Visitors at its meeting on May 8.

Dr Kahera succeeds Allyson Vanstone, who will leave VCUQatar in June after an eight-year tenure. Kahera joins from Clemson University, where he is associate dean in the College of Architecture, Arts & Humanities, capping a nearly 20-year career in public university teaching and administration. He also serves as director of Clemson's Pennell Center for Research in Design and Building.

In addition to his academic background, Kahera sits on the editorial board of the International Journal of Islamic Architecture. Kahera's research focuses on history and theory, culture and aesthetics, sustainable design, urbanism and the practices of culture and local knowledge. His seminal text, "Deconstructing the American Mosque: Space Gender & Aesthetics," has substantially altered the view of the history and theory of Mosque architecture in the United States and the complex cultural patterns of diaspora.