California-Irvine administrator named to head Lawrence University Associated Press APPLETON - Jill Beck, former dean of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at the University of California-Irvine, was named Friday to become president of Lawrence University. Beck, a native of Worcester, Mass., is to assume the office July 1 as the first woman president in Lawrence's 158-year history. She will succeed Richard Warch, retiring June 30 after 25 years as Lawrence president. While serving as arts dean from 1995-2003, Beck in 1996 founded the ArtsBridge America program, which develops partnerships between universities and school districts to provide arts instruction to children in urban and low-income areas. In 2001, she established the da Vinci Research Center for Learning Through the Arts. She now serves as director of both programs and also holds the rank of full professor in the department of dance. Lawrence is an undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences with a conservatory of music. It is a member of the Midwest Conference in athletics, which also includes St. Norbert College.