Welcoming the New Dean of the Mason Gross School of the Arts

February 12, 2020

Dear Members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Community:

It is with great excitement that I announce the appointment of Dr. Jason Geary as the new Dean of the Mason Gross School of the Arts, the flagship arts conservatory of Rutgers, effective July 1, 2020.

A nationally recognized scholar in musicology, Dr. Geary brings an outstanding record of leadership, scholarship and community building that will continue to inspire our students, faculty, and staff across the arts and advance our mission to nurture creative talent in future generations of arts professionals.

Dr. Geary comes to Rutgers from the University of Maryland where he has been the director of the School of Music, a professor of musicology and special advisor to the dean for the arts in the College of Arts and Humanities. As director, he served as the chief executive and academic officer in charge of personnel, curriculum, operations, fundraising and management of a comprehensive performing arts school. Dr. Geary has many notable accomplishments from his tenure at Maryland, including strengthened ties with disciplines across campus and enhanced resources for the School of Music. He also partnered with the director of the School of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies to foster faculty and student initiatives; launched several community engagement programs; strengthened career advising and development for students, including entrepreneurship training within the School of Music; and increased gender and ethnic diversity of faculty.

Prior to his role at Maryland, Dr. Geary was the associate dean for Graduate Studies, Equity, and Inclusion and a faculty member in musicology at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Yale University, an M.A. in musicology from the University of Michigan and a B.M. in piano performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He is also the recipient of several prestigious honors and awards including a Fulbright scholarship, membership in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study and an American Musicological Society publication subvention for his book The Politics of Appropriation: German Romantic Music and the Ancient Greek Legacy.

I would like to thank our search committee and chair, Peter March, Executive Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, for their hard work and diligence throughout this process.

Our deepest gratitude is extended to Mason Gross Interim Dean Gerry Beegan, who has been ably leading the school for the past year. His dedication to the school and outstanding leadership has been extremely valued.

Please join me in welcoming Dean Geary to Rutgers.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Molloy, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Rutgers University–New Brunswick