Message from the dean...
It is with both excitement and humility that I have begun my work as dean of the UNT College of Music. The excitement grows with my constantly broadening awareness of the breadth and depth of strengths in the College. The humility comes from my recognition of the immense responsibility for serving our outstanding faculty, staff, and students, maintaining the College's traditions of excellence, and participating in the life of the University as a whole at a particularly dynamic moment in its history. I am, in fact, indebted to many for the artistic, intellectual, and fiscal health of the school as I have dedicated myself to its leadership.
Many opportunities and challenges lie ahead, and this overall health positions us well for meeting them. The combination of the current size of the College and its continuing growth gives it a unique position among leading schools of music. It is very impressive that the mission statement of such a large college addresses in its first sentence the responsibility to maintain an environment in which every student's fullest musical potential may be achieved.
We are fortunate to be supported generously by many friends and alumni of the College. It was my recent pleasure to make a formal announcement of a most striking gift as part of our Dean's Camerata Appreciation Dinner, just before a stunning performance of Mahler's Second Symphony by our Symphony Orchestra and Grand Chorus. Bill and Margot Winspear, our long-time patrons and supporters, have, through a new gift, established an endowment of $1.7 million in support of scholarships and faculty enhancement. The Winspears are not alone, though, in making gifts that have helped to define our College. The ongoing support of many assures our being able to pursue the high goals we have set for ourselves. In particular, we value the ever-growing Dean's Camerata, made up of friends and patrons who, on an ongoing basis, provide annual scholarships for over 150 of our most talented students.
I know of no other music school comprised of such a rich diversity of personal, educational, and musical backgrounds or aspirations. This diversity creates outstanding opportunities for integration of approaches to learning, of musical styles, and of cultures, an important aspect of preparing our students for their lifelong experiences with music.
It is no secret that the field of music is changing dramatically as is the fabric of our society and the profile of our university. In the next decade we will have much to accomplish as we participate in change, holding fast to our core values as we work to shape a future enriched by a pervasive presence of meaningful music in the lives of our citizenry.
--Dean James C. Scott
