Job Announcement: Dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. One of UCLA’s 12 professional schools, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music benefits from unique synergies within UCLA as well as its location within the dynamic city of Los Angeles, known for its exceptionally vibrant and diverse musical communities. Formally established in 2016 as the first music school in the University of California system, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music created a transformative model for music schools, esteeming all musical traditions and promoting a balanced emphasis on scholarship and music performance. The school has a student body of 761, who earn a liberal arts degree (B.A., B.M., M.A., Ph.D.) or a professional degree (M.M., D.M.A.) and 50 full-time, tenure-track faculty and 101 part-time temporary faculty (adjuncts and lecturers) widely recognized for their contributions in scholarship, performance, composition, music education and music industry. The school comprises three departments — ethnomusicology, music and musicology — and offers two interdepartmental programs in Global Jazz Studies and Music Industry. It also houses the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance; the Armenian Music Program; six scholarly centers (Center for Latino Arts, Center for Musical Humanities, Lowell Milken Center for Music of the American Jewish Experience, UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center, Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music, and UCLA World Music Center); a recording studio; and two theaters for concerts, recitals and public lectures. The UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive is a world-renowned research archive dedicated to the study of musical traditions from around the globe, and the UCLA Music Library houses one of the largest academic music collections in North America.

As the chief executive and academic officer for the school, the dean provides strategic vision for and operational leadership of the school, which has an annual operating budget of approximately $36 million. The dean works to advance scholarship, creative and artistic accomplishment, and education and civic engagement; encourage distinctive programmatic innovation; enhance excellence through diversity in educational programs and faculty and student recruitment; and link the work of the school’s faculty and students to other disciplines, communities and interests within and outside of the academy. Supporting the university’s research mission, the dean will advance the faculty’s scholarly activities, including opportunities afforded by interdisciplinary approaches. The dean serves as the school’s public voice, articulating its contributions to local, state, regional, national and international communities, and pursuing an aggressive development program to build the school’s resources. Reporting to the executive vice chancellor and provost, the dean serves on the deans council, the council of professional school deans and the chancellor’s council on the arts, and collaborates with leadership across UCLA and the UC system as well as local, national and international leaders in the performing arts.

Ideal candidates will be nationally and/or internationally recognized for scholarly and/or professional achievement, with demonstrated leadership and administrative experience in a creative environment and in academia, and a strong commitment to music education and scholarship. Minimum requirements include a record of distinguished scholarly accomplishment and/or comparable achievements in music; significant organizational leadership and administrative responsibility; demonstrated success in external relations and fundraising, particularly with alumni; an established record of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion; and credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor.

With its 419-acre campus in Westwood and recent site acquisitions in Downtown L.A., South Bay and Westside, UCLA is enriched by the cultural diversity of the dynamic greater Los Angeles area, as well as the geographic advantages of Southern California. One of the world’s preeminent public research universities, UCLA is an international leader in breadth and quality of academic, research, health care, wellness, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs, with more than 6,567 faculty members who teach approximately 48,000 students in the UCLA College and 12 professional schools. UCLA is consistently ranked among the top institutions nationally for research funding, having generated nearly $1.6 billion in research grants and contracts in the last fiscal year alone.

Confidential review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. Address nominations, inquiries and applications to our Isaacson, Miller consultants Katheryne Martínez, Keith Mason and Cati Mitchell-Crossley via the Isaacson, Miller website. To be ensured full consideration, please submit a letter of interest, diversity statement and curriculum vitae by January 10, 2025.

The anticipated annual compensation range for this position is $400,000 – $490,000, commensurate with related experience and qualifications. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.