School of Interdisciplinary Arts

The Department of Interdisciplinary Arts (DIA) was established in 2023 to support our interdisciplinary degree programs and for student and faculty collaborations crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries. Graduates of our programs find careers in creative arts production, academic scholarship, non-profit administration, arts criticism, and many more fields. We are excited to see the recently launched Arts Administration track of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program (FADP), overseen by the DIA, join the existing doctoral tracks at TCVPA. Our inaugural cohort came on board in Fall 2025, and we look forward to their contributions to the academic community.

We created the FADP Arts Administration track in acknowledgement of the rapidly growing interdisciplinary area of cultural administration and policy. This is in addition to the increasing need for top-of-class, cross-disciplinary doctoral programs combining scholarly study with field-relevant insights. With the launch of the new track, we are now one of four arts administration doctoral programs in the nation. Our unique curriculum allows students the flexibility to take coursework not just in core domains but also within allied fields such as business management and public policy. Our emphasis on academic rigor and field-relevance offers opportunities to learn from top scholars as well as industry experts.

Dr. Divya Janardhan is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration, Management, and Advocacy and Coordinator for the FADP Arts Administration track which she helped design and launch in Fall 2025. Her research has earned recognition from international forums in the realm of arts management and policy including AEEE, AIMAC, ACEI, and STP&A, and she serves on editorial boards, conference boards, and advisory panels globally. She brings her interdisciplinary research capacities in arts management and cultural policy, and her professional and pedagogical expertise in strategic planning, marketing, and case teaching methodology to the new track and aspires to prepare scholars to explore research frontiers and tackle real-world problems.

THE FIRST FADP COHORT

Robin Rhodes 
Hometown: Nashville, TN

I chose the Arts Administration track of TTU’s Fine Arts Doctoral Program because I want to take everything I love about dance, faith, and community to build something that lasts. Right now, the curriculum has me delving into the behind-the-scenes side of arts organizations’ leadership, strategy, and systems, so the mission actually works. This degree is already helping me shape my faith-based dance nonprofit organization, Scrub Bottom Dance, as a creative haven for adults overlooked in traditional dance spaces. One of my recent favorite moments was co-authoring an article on dance leadership with Dr. Ali Duffy that was published in a special issue of Research in Dance Education. I am also developing a presentation for the 2026 National Dance Education Organization conference on Decolonizing Sacred Dance, a project that brings together my research, practice, community work, and faith in a powerful way.

Samyuktha Punthambekar 
Hometown: Bangalore, India

I chose the Arts Administration track because I am deeply drawn to the interdisciplinarity of dance, arts education, and cultural policy. I am very excited to be part of Texas Tech University and to learn from some of the most knowledgeable professors in areas such as marketing, nonprofit management, and understanding the complexities of scholarly research. Born and raised in Bangalore, India, I graduated from the Kalakshetra Foundation, the country’s premier institution for Bharatanatyam training. Having moved from Ottawa, Canada to Lubbock, I am the first international student in my cohort. As a Bharatanatyam artist with over 25 years of professional experience, I have also worked as an arts educator, manager, and cultural policy specialist. My career includes raising over $500,000 in grants and serving with both Federal and Provincial Governments in Canada. Now in Lubbock, I founded Kalasadhana Dance Academy, the city’s first Bharatanatyam school offering holistic Kalakshetra-style training. 

Tanner Scarlato 
Hometown: Sugar Land, TX

I chose the PhD Arts Administration program because of my passion to support and advocate for the arts in communities. This program provides the perfect opportunity to study marketing and funding for the arts in depth. It also provides a unique opportunity for me to conduct research that could help provide different perspectives to arts marketing and funding. Additionally, because I want to work in higher education, I would like to bring arts administration curriculum to another higher education institution. The most exciting thing I’ve learned from this program is that arts marketing requires some of the most creative and innovative marketing strategies. This degree will make a significant impact on my career in that I will be able to teach arts administration at another institution and spread the knowledge. 

Joshua Sandow 
Hometown: Dallas, TX

I chose the Arts Admin track because I have aspirations to be a Fine Arts Director for a public school district. I have been a band director for the past 9 years and want to support all the arts and give all students equal opportunities and experiences, regardless of background or circumstances. The most exciting thing I have learned so far is the different aspects of brand/image in terms of marketing and how it impacts public perception on the organization. I see this degree shaping my career by giving me a unique perspective and skillset that is not present for most fine arts directors currently in the profession, ultimately allowing for me to “think-outside-the-box” and come up with innovative ways to further the pursuit of equitable arts education. My dream is to make it so that there will not be any financial barriers to participating in the arts in K-12 education.