Music department at UCLA appoints Eileen Strempel as the new dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music
Eileen Strempel, a renowned opera singer, scholar, and academic leader, has been named the inaugural dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The announcement was made on the UCLA Newsroom.
Strempel's extensive background in music and academic leadership combines her expertise as an international opera singer with significant administrative roles in higher education. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester and her doctorate from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
At the University of Cincinnati, Strempel served as Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, where she was involved in high-level academic administration. She later became the Dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, a position in which she gained national recognition, including being named one of the "top 10 deans of U.S. colleges and universities" by CollegeCliff.
Strempel's achievements are numerous. She has performed with the Bolshoi Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre St. Louis, and others. As a scholar, her scholarly interests focus on the music of women composers, and she has contributed eight recordings, numerous commissioned works, articles, and edited volumes exploring political, social, and musical contexts related to female composers.
In addition to her musical pursuits, Strempel is a noted advocate for transfer students. Along with Stephen Handel, she is currently working on their third book about transfer students. She is also an active member of the American Council on Education Council of Fellows and a board member of the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students, the Cincinnati Opera, and the Cincinnati Song Initiative.
The creation of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music weaves together UCLA's scholarly brilliance and performance excellence. David Schaberg, dean of the Division of Humanities in the UCLA College, served as committee chair in the search for the school's inaugural dean. The search/advisory committee that recruited Strempel included Lily Chen-Hafteck, Nina Sun Eidsheim, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Michael Hackett, Peter Kazaras, and Mark Kligman.
Judi Smith played a key role in establishing the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and served as interim and founding dean for three years. Prior to her appointment at the University of Cincinnati, Strempel held faculty appointments in the department of art and music histories and the department of voice at Syracuse University.
Strempel's roles at Cincinnati and UCLA highlight her blend of administrative leadership, musical scholarship, and artistic performance, making her a notable figure in music education and academic administration.
[1] Source: UCLA Newsroom
Strempel will begin her tenure as dean on July 8, 2023.
Strengthening her commitment to education-and-self-development and personal-growth, Eileen Strempel will embark on a new journey as dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, promoting academic leadership, musical scholarship, and artistic performance. With her numerous achievements in music, scholarship, and advocacy for transfer students, she is poised to foster a thriving environment for students seeking knowledge and self-improvement.
