Dean candidates named

Three finalists for Conservatory position interview on campus

The first of three candidates vying to fill the vacant Conservatory dean position visited campus this week for interviews. The remaining two will visit next week, and an official announcement of the appointment is expected before Commencement.

Kate Ransom, the directory of the Harid Conservatory Music Division in Boca Raton, Fla. visited campus Tuesday.

Robert Dodson, dean of the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisc., will visit Monday, and the last candidate, Daniel Sher, dean of the University of Colorado at Boulder's Conservator of Music, visits Wednesday.

The three candidates were announced early this week. The search for a new dean began after former dean Karen Wolff resigned in January. David Boe, professor of organ, has been acting as dean this semester.

Each of the visits include meetings with the seven-member search committee, senior staff, faculty and students. Below are brief biographies of the three candidates, and a schedule of the remaining visits.

Kate Ransom

Ransom has been director of the Harid Conservatory Music Division since its opening in 1990. She has overseen all planning, hiring and budgeting for the growing conservatory. Before working at Harid, Ransom was a member of the faculty at the Settlement Music School of Philadelphia. She taught violin and was a coordinator of chamber music.

Ransom's musical career began at the University of Michigan School of Music, where she earned her B.M. in 1979. She went on to earn a masters from Yale in 1981, as well as study with Robert Mann at the Julliard School in 1983 and 1984.

Ransom has played with the Alexander String Quartet, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Binghamton Symphony Orchestra and the Brevard Duo since 1979.

Ransom visited campus Tuesday.

Robert Dodson

Dodson comes from the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisc., where he has been dean since 1989. In his 10 years as dean, the enrollment of the Conservatory has doubled. Before Lawrence, Dodson worked as Chief Executive Officer and vice-CEO at the Royal Conservatory of Music at the University of Toronto. He was with the Royal Conservatory from 1981-88.

Before going to Toronto, Dodson founded and directed the Chamber Music Institute. He also taught for 12 years at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario and spent a year at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta.

Dodson is a cellist, and received his bachelors and masters from Indiana University in 1966 and 1969.

He will visit campus on Monday when he will give a public presentation at noon in Kulas Recital Hall. There is an open forum for students to meet Dodson at 7 p.m. in Bibbins 339.

Daniel Sher

Sher is dean of the University of Colorado at Boulder College of Music, a position he has held since 1993. Before serving at Colorado, Sher was dean at the Louisiana State University School of Music from 1985-1993.

Sher first went to the Louisiana School of Music in 1969 as an assistant professor of piano. He served as associate professor, professor, acting dean and then dean at Louisiana.

Sher received his bachelors in piano performance in 1964 from Oberlin, his masters from Julliard and his doctorate in education from Columbia University Teachers College in 1980.

He has toured extensively as a solo pianist as well as in chamber music ensembles and duos.

Sher visits campus Wednesday. His public presentation is at noon in Kulas, and there is a student open forum at 7 p.m. in Bibbins 339.