Easton School of Music’s Dean Jamal J. Rossi will step down from his position after the 2023-24 academic year.
In a statement Rossi said, “Serving as the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music has been the greatest honor of my life,” Rossi said in a statement posted by the university. “The opportunity to work with tremendously talented and dedicated faculty and staff colleagues in service of educating future generations of musicians has been an extraordinary privilege. I am proud of all that the Eastman community has accomplished together over the past ten years, and I look forward to an exceptionally bright future for Eastman and the University.”
The school added, “As a leader deeply committed to issues of equity and inclusion, Rossi established Eastman’s first diversity committee; led the creation of the ROCmusic Collaborative, a partnership program with other arts and civic organizations to provide tuition-free music instruction at recreation centers throughout Rochester; forged a formal partnership with Gateways Music Festival; formed the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice; created the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music; and hired the school’s first associate dean for equity and inclusion.”
As Dean Rossi oversaw the celebration of Eastman’s centennial, which included hosting national conferences and symposia and inviting guest artists to Eastman’s campus. He was appointed dean in 2014 and before his appointment, he was executive associate dean at Eastman from 2005 to 2014.
