Outgoing Cornish College of the Arts President Nancy Uscher, who told graduates this past weekend to be "thoroughly outrageous," is now making her own next leap.

She's just been named dean at UNLV's College of Fine Arts.

Meanwhile, Cornish Provost Moira Payne is in the running for the presidency at Portland's Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Why did Uscher leave Cornish? Uscher and the board gave no reason, except to say that it was by mutual agreement and utterly amicable. A 2012 survey by the American Council on Education showed that college presidents stay less long at their jobs than they used to—from 8.5 years in 2006 to 7 years in 2011. Uscher, who arrived five years ago and with a five-year contract, had every right to leave this year, but five years is a bit short, and Cornish is in the middle of major changes that are nowhere near complete.

Uscher's new job is a step up to a larger school. Fine arts at UNLV includes seven departments and schools, 90 full-time faculty, and almost 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Cornish has about 700 students, all undergrads.