On Thursday, April 10, an email from Provost, Dean of the Faculty and Associate Professor of History Peter Blitstein announced Dr. Christopher Jenkins as the newly appointed Dean of the Conservatory. Jenkins, who comes to Lawrence from Oberlin College and Conservatory, will begin his time as Dean over the summer on Tuesday, July 1. At Oberlin, Jenkins worked as the Associate Dean for Academic Support and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Musicology. Jenkins said he is eager to bring his musical experience to the Conservatory of Music, which he described as forward-thinking.
“Lawrence is an amazing place in my estimation, from what I’ve seen […] it teaches students to be critical thinkers in the world and to try to make the world a better place,” Jenkins said. “The [Lawrence] Conservatory [of Music] in particular lives those values in a way that almost no other conservatories do.”
Prior to Jenkins’ hiring, outgoing Dean of the Conservatory of Music Brian Pertl announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday, April 9 that he had been selected as the new Director of the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.
Over the past academic year, a search committee was created and worked with search firm Isaacson, Miller to select the new Conservatory Dean. The committee’s main goal was to gain input from both Conservatory and college faculty members.
“Neither [the college nor the Conservatory of Music] exists in isolation from the other,” Blitstein said. “Having college faculty on the search committee was also a signal to the candidates for the position that it is an important connection.”
The search committee was co-chaired by Blitstein, Associate Professor of Music Sara Gross Ceballos and Associate Professor of Music and Teacher of Violin Samantha George. It also consisted of 11 faculty and staff members, two of which were college faculty from the government and art history departments. Isaacson, Miller gathered student input throughout the search to find a Dean able to meet the needs of the Conservatory of Music.
“Isaacson, Miller visited Lawrence in September 2024 to get to know our school and begin the position profile,” George said. “They were amazed by student engagement, energy and interest.”
The search committee held open forums for students to voice their opinions, questions and concerns regarding the search. The Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC), a student-elected committee, met one-on-one with the search firm to foster conversation and transparency.
“The search committee gathered input from the DAC and considered it in their assessments of candidates,” Blitstein said. “The DAC’s reaction to the candidates who came to campus was a critically important factor in the search. I could not imagine selecting a Dean who did not receive a very positive response from students.”
Jenkins expressed his wish to continue meeting with the DAC once he begins his time at Lawrence in hopes to improve the overall student experience. He continued by saying his central goal is to preserve and develop community in the Conservatory of Music, starting with attending student recitals. Jenkins said he has plans to not only expand Conservatory programming, but also to find resolutions for many issues Conservatory students have voiced, such as student lunch times, studio class conflicts and maintainance of the Conservatory buildings.
“In my experience, students usually have the best ideas as to how to improve the student experience,” Jenkins said. “Any student is welcome to stop by my office and I’m more than happy to talk when I’m free […] and, if students have other ideas about how I can stay connected with you all, please let me know.”