A youngish man at the nexus of art and technology has been chosen to lead the Rhode Island School of Design. John Maeda, associate director of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will take the reins as president from Roger Mandle in May.

We welcome Mr. Maeda, 41, to Rhode Island. He has big shoes to fill. Mr. Mandle in his 15 years quintupled RISD’s endowment, which now is around $340 million, and raised the prestige of the school internationally. Now his successor must figure out how to make a richer RISD work even better for its community — its students, its staff, its host city and state, its world.

Of course, we hope that Mr. Maeda will build upon Mr. Mandle’s intelligent decision to hop the river from College Hill into downtown and expand the Providence renaissance. For its part, RISD has gotten wonderful social and aesthetic benefits out of the River Relocation Project and has generally responded in kind (except, some grumps might suggest, for the design of the new Chace Center).

Fusing art and technology does not just mean more sculptures that blink and beep. It can mean more artists who create meaning, energize our lives, and, yes, earn material wealth, too — not just for themselves but for society. Art can leverage technology, which can leverage art. Industry and commerce can be ennobled by design — dare we say by beauty? This is not merely RISD’s role for the future; it is why RISD was founded in 1878 by local mill owners.

The incoming president of RISD has made much in his career of ideas revolving around simplicity. He recently said that “technology has outpaced human culture — I wouldn’t say tenfold, I would say a millionfold.” He also said, in almost the next breath, that “art is such an easy language for everyone to understand.” If taken to heart, that truth can simplify our over-complex world.

Let us hope that John Maeda will lead RISD to become an even more important leader in art and design.