Cornell University Provost Biddy Martin announced May 24 the reappointment of Franklin W. Robinson, the Richard J. Schwartz Director of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.

The appointment, which is for five years beginning July 1, 2002, has been forwarded to the Executive Committee of the Cornell Board of Trustees.

"Frank Robinson has a deep commitment to assuring that the Johnson Museum fulfills its role in serving the university and wider community and to seeing it excel among peer museums," Martin said. "His enthusiasm for art and conviction that art should be accessible to students, faculty and the public is remarkable. He continuously strives to increase the visibility of the museum's collections, exhibitions and programs."

Robinson became director of the Johnson Museum in July 1992. As director he oversaw the successful celebration of the museum's 25th anniversary in 1998, publication of the museum's first published annual reports and publication of a new "Handbook of the Collection." He also initiated a long-range planning process, based on three new strategic emphases: the growth of the permanent collection, a focus on education and an endowment campaign of $4.5 million.

"Cornell University is a major force in the educational life of this country and the world, and it is a real privilege to be part of that," Robinson said. "Art is about values, a vision of people and society at their best, and it is exciting to help bring that message to the students, faculty and staff on this campus."

Before coming to Cornell, Robinson, an art historian, was director of the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design for 13 years. He taught for six years at Dartmouth College and four years at Williams College, where he was director of the graduate program in the history of art and director of the Williams College Museum of Art. Robinson earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1961 and his master's and doctorate degrees at Harvard in 1963 and 1970, respectively.

The Johnson Museum, which has a collection at Cornell dating back to 1948, is housed in a landmark building designed by I.M. Pei. Its wide-ranging collection consists of 27,000 works of art.