Ken Foster

Ken Foster, the UApresents director, who has worked to bring more student participation into the program and nearly tripled ticket sales in less than a decade, announced Friday that he will resign.

After nine years as director of the UA's performing arts series, Foster will move to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Oct. 13 to take a position as the executive director.

"Ken has really established UApresents as a really exciting, visionary arts program," said Saundra Taylor, vice president for campus life. "He is really leaving us a legacy we can build on."

When Foster arrived in 1994, UApresents was called the Office of Cultural Affairs and had an annual operating budget of $2.1 million and about 55,000 patrons.

By the 2001-2002 season, UApresents, renamed in 1995, had an operating budget of $8.8 million and sold 170,000 tickets.

During his tenure, Foster made the arts more accessible to students by offering student discounts for UApresents, Taylor said.

Foster also increased the diversity of programming, bringing performers from all corners of the globe, she said.

"(The Office of Cultural Affairs) was never the dynamic, multicultural, diverse program that we have come to expect," said Ed Brown, the director of operations, who will take over as interim director.

Taylor said a new director should be hired by mid-spring and that finding qualified candidates should be no problem because Foster has built such a strong program.

Brown, who served as the director of operations since 1997, said that Foster could not pass up the opportunity at Yerba Buena.

"It's a chance to work in San Francisco, one of the cultural centers of the world," he said.

Brown also said that at Yerba Buena, Foster will work in the fields of visual arts and performance. At the UA he has been limited to the performing arts.

"I understand this opportunity he has in San Francisco is really terrific," Taylor said. "He is so talented. People have been after him for the last four or five years."

Foster will complete next year's season before he leaves, Brown said.

"He loved it here and was well loved, not only by staff but by the whole community," Brown said.

Foster has also been an advocate for domestic partnership benefits on campus, working to get dental and health care and reduced tuition rates for domestic partners that the spouses and children of staff receive.

"Ken has certainly been a strong voice in that group," Taylor said.

Foster also started "Tucson Arts Connections" in partnership with Tucson Unified School District. The program offers fine arts workshops to fine arts teachers and a series of performances for schoolchildren.