This is the first of three editorials outlining priorities for incoming top-level  administrators.  The goals outlined are based on input from faculty, staff and students from each of these schools and the

 

community, respectively.

Next week’s list will outline priorities for Leslie A. Lewis, the incoming dean of H&S. To offer input, e-mail ithacan@ithaca.edu.

 

Twenty-three years: It’s a tenure left by outgoing School of Music Dean Arthur Ostrander that will be daunting to fill.

During that time, enormous strides have been made in nearly every aspect of the school’s programs, unilaterally raising recognition of the school as one of the best for music in the country.

The appointment of Gregory Woodward to the position was met with almost unanimous enthusiasm Monday. Woodward, the current dean of graduate studies, has been praised for both his expertise in the field and his history and familiarity with the institution, as well as its values and traditions.

Woodward said his first goal was to “maintain the affluence” of the institution. He said he planned to first listen to input from faculty and staff before beginning to make his own mark on the school and its programs.

Woodward’s caution is understandable — the best incoming administrators are careful to allow time for their colleagues to adjust to a new style of leadership before changing years- or decades-old policy. But as an employee of the college — no less, the School of Music — since the 1980s, Woodward has the unique advantage of being ingrained in the fabric most new candidates must wait to broach when they join

an institution.

Because of this, it’s possible to start building in the footsteps of Ostrander in a way that does not discount what the outgoing dean has done for the program. The Ithacan has compiled a list of priorities for Woodward to address, based on interviews with faculty and students from the School of Music who acknowledge Woodward’s sensitivity and attention to these issues, but also urge him to address them in the order he sees most fit. These include, in no particular order:

 

1) Improvement on and expansion of the kinds of education offered by the school, most notably, the string and jazz education programs.

2) An increased attention to and expansion of diversity and international programs in the school, including a stronger emphasis on teaching the education and music of diverse populations, as well as the establishment of reciprocal and affiliate programs with conservatories and universities abroad, including Asia and the Middle East.

3) Recruitment. This includes initiatives to enhance the image of the School of Music from the local to international level; a focus on attracting students of a higher caliber; and providing more scholarships to make an Ithaca music degree more affordable

4) A greater flexibility in student scheduling to allow for more freedom in selecting liberal arts courses.

 

Members of the School of Music community have voiced their visions for the future and put their faith in Woodward to fulfill them. With this information in hand, Woodward should tread toward his new position not with caution, but instead, with the confidence this list provides behind him.