ROCHESTER, NY – Elizabeth West Marvin, a longtime faculty member of the Eastman School of Music and acting dean of academic affairs since July 2000, has been appointed dean of academic affairs for the School effective July 1, 2001.
As dean, Dr. Marvin will be responsible for administering all academic aspects of the School, including developing and maintaining high-quality curricula, and establishing academic policies. The dean oversees and collaborates with other key administrators to recruit and enroll undergraduate and graduate students, and also works with the director of the School to hire and retain faculty.
"Betsy has done a first-rate job this year as acting dean," said James Undercofler, director of the Eastman School of Music. "She has distinguished herself in all aspects of her work as a teacher, a scholar, and an administrator."
Dr. Marvin, who received both her master’s and doctorate degrees from Eastman, and her undergraduate degree with honors from The College of Wooster (OH), has been a member of Eastman’s faculty since 1982. Prior to her appointment as interim academic dean, Dr. Marvin chaired Eastman’s music theory department from 1996-99. She continues to serve as a member of the theory department and an affiliate faculty member in the voice department.
A widely published expert in the field of music theory (the study of harmony and musical structure), Dr. Marvin has authored dozens of articles and papers. Her primary research areas include music cognition, analysis and performance, and music theory pedagogy. Two textbooks she has co-authored, A Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis and A Musician’s Guide to Aural Skills, will be published by W.W. Norton in 2002.
Recipient of numerous national and Eastman School honors, Dr. Marvin also is president-elect of the Society for Music Theory, the preeminent national organization in her discipline. She had previously served as president and vice president of the New York State Music Theory Society.
Established in 1921 by George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, has achieved international prominence including the top ranking in the U.S. News and World Report survey of the nation’s best graduate schools. Noted for the excellence of its faculty, students, and programs, five Eastman-trained composers and three faculty members have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music, and the School’s graduates are members of all of America’s leading orchestras. Each year, the Eastman School presents more than 700 concerts by guest artists, faculty members, and talented student ensembles.
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Note to editors: An electronic photo of Elizabeth West Marvin is available upon request.