Stephen Beal

Stephen Beal was appointed president of California College of the Arts in May 2008, having served as provost at the college since 1997. As president, he champions CCA’s academic vision to prepare students as creative citizens who bring to their communities innovative problem-solving skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a desire to engage issues.

Beal holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where he was vice president of academic planning and associate vice president of academic affairs before coming to CCA. He was the lead academic administrator on the school’s building and facilities projects, which included the acquisition of new property and major renovations of existing facilities. Previous to that he was chair of SAIC's graduate division, chair of its post-baccalaureate program, and a member of the painting faculty.