After 10 years of service, School of Music Dean Anne Dhu McLucas is leaving her position at the end of the academic year to join the full-time teaching faculty at the University.
McLucas, 60, began her tenure as dean in 1992, leaving the music department she created at Boston College. At the University of Oregon, she initiated work on raising the funds to renovate the School of Music, but the completion of that task will fall to the new dean.
“A lot of me said ‘I need to stay on board and get this done.’ But after 10 years, a lot of me has diminished, and I think the campaign will need a new spark,” she said.
To refresh herself, McLucas will take a sabbatical during the 2002-03 school year. She plans to use the time to write a book about oral traditions in American music and study different styles of ethnic music.
McLucas has continued to teach two classes per year while performing her administrative duties. She said she generally teaches one introductory undergraduate class and one specialized graduate course to “take the temperature of the school.”
“I wanted to keep my hand in teaching because I always intended to go back to it,” she said.
Mark Levy, assistant professor of ethnomusicology, said he is “excited about the possibility” of McLucas teaching the understaffed world music courses when she returns to the University.
“I’ve been pretty much teaching world music single-handedly,” he said.
McLucas also said she envisions teaching music courses not specifically geared to music students, perhaps in the Honors College.
But the approval of these ideas will fall to other authorities. While McLucas’ return to teaching takes away some of her power, it gives her the opportunity to present new ideas.
“As a dean, you learn you can support or not support people’s ideas, but there is very little that you can create on your own,” she said.
Robert Hurwitz, professor of music theory and associate dean of undergraduate studies, said welcoming McLucas into the faculty won’t be a problem.
“She has been a member of the faculty all along,” he said.
Hurwitz said in the business world it would be unheard of for a CEO to return to a position in office management, but a dean returning to teaching is almost expected in academia.
McLucas said she looks forward to re-joining her colleagues, and she plans to finish her teaching career at the University.
“The best accomplishment of any dean is to have a good faculty, and this faculty is stellar,” she said.