The University of Rochester has named Jamal Rossi the new dean
of the Eastman School of Music, pending board approval, the university
announced Tuesday. Board approval should come soon, said University
President Joel Seligman.
Rossi has been the school’s interim dean since September
2013, following the illness and resignation of former dean Douglas Lowry. Lowry
died in October.
Rossi, 55, was chosen following an international search by a
faculty committee, Seligman said.
“In Jamal we’ve found the right dean for this time in our
future,” he said. “We’ve found someone with a
proven record of accomplishment. We’ve found someone with a steady hand. We’ve
also found someone with talents that will become more evident in the years to
come. Jamal is ambitious to take this school still further.”
Following a five-year tenure as the dean of the School of
Music at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, Rossi joined the Eastman
School in 2005 as senior associate dean. He became executive associate dean in
2007.
During his time at Eastman, Rossi supervised the renovation
of the Eastman Theatre, construction of the Eastman East Wing, led the School’s
recent re-accreditation review by the National Association of Schools of Music,
and founded RocMusic, a partnership of Rochester arts and education
institutions to establish a free after-school music program.
Following his appointment as interim dean, Rossi established
new partnership projects with Chamber Music America and the New World Symphony.
And a music leadership conference set for the summer of 2015 is also in
development.
“One of the things that most excites me about becoming the
dean is the opportunity to begin anew the dialogue about the school we desire
to be,” Rossi said in a speech that emphasized innovation and future
possibilities for the Eastman School. “I believe one of the most important
responsibilities of the dean is to harness and shape the individual aspirations
and motivations of the entire community.”
Rossi earned his bachelor of music degree in music education
and saxophone performance at Ithaca College in 1980, his master of music degree
in saxophone performance and literature at the University of Michigan in 1982,
and his doctor of music arts degree at Eastman in 1987.
“The deanship of the Eastman School of Music is a key
position in the music world, and the search for a new dean produced for us a
remarkable pool of candidates from around the world,” said Provost Peter
Lennie, in a press release. “But none of the other candidates could offer Jamal
Rossi’s combination of vision, unwavering commitment to the highest musical and
academic values, deep and broad knowledge of the Eastman community and its
mission, and the personal integrity and commitment that have earned him the
greatest respect from the Eastman faculty. I am delighted that he is willing to
continue his leadership at Eastman in his new term as dean.”
This article appears in May 7-13, 2014.
