I am pleased to announce that the Agenda Committee of Academic Board has approved the appointment of Professor Don McLean to continue as Dean of the Faculty of Music until June 30, 2021. This term includes an approved one-year administrative leave from July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017, during which he will continue to handle several key dossiers. In early January, I will begin soliciting input from the Faculty of Music community as to the appointment of an Acting Dean during Professor McLean’s leave.

Professor McLean brings to the position remarkable experience, vision, and passion for the discipline of music. He is admired for his enthusiasm and sincere investment in the future of the Faculty and its students.

In his first term as Dean of the Faculty of Music, Professor McLean has demonstrated leadership in guiding the Faculty through a period of expansion and reinvention. With the help of a newly established team of Associate Deans, he will continue to develop and realize key objectives for growth and renewal over the next five years. Under Dean McLean’s leadership, the Faculty of Music will continue to reimagine undergraduate programs, increase internationalization, develop interdisciplinary and interdivisional opportunities, and renew infrastructure.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto in 2011, he was Dean of the Schulich School of Music at McGill University from 2001-2010. Professor McLean is a graduate of the University of Toronto (BMus, MA, PhD) and the Royal Conservatory of Music (A.R.C.T. piano, theory and composition). He has won many awards and distinctions, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Canada Council in 2012 for his “exploration of the changing context of music in the academy and society, and innovations in infrastructure development and interdisciplinary teaching and research”.

During his first term, Professor McLean has continued his teaching, research, and public engagement activities and has been instrumental in developing new

research and cross-disciplinary initiatives, such as the creation of the Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC) and new programs in Music & Health, Music Technology & Digital Media, and Early Music/Historical Performance, with the appointment of new faculty in several key areas. He serves on the EU Council of the Association of European Conservatories, and is a member of the Canadian University Music Society, the American Musicological Society, and the Society for Music Theory. He is also active as a community leader strengthening links with professional arts organizations and leading charities.

Please join me in thanking the Advisory Committee for their work and congratulating Professor McLean on his reappointment.