Florida State dean to head National Association of Schools of Music

Don Gibson

Florida State University College of Music Dean Don Gibson has been elected president of the National Association of Schools of Music, the nation's oldest and largest accrediting agency for the arts.

Gibson has taken the NASM helm after serving as the association's president-elect since 2006. His term as president will run through November 2012.

"I am deeply honored that my peers have selected me for this important leadership position," Gibson said. "The National Association of Schools of Music has served the collegiate music profession with distinction for 85 years, longer than any other accrediting body for the arts. Among its roughly 630 member institutions, which include The Florida State University, are most of the finest comprehensive music programs in the United States."

Gibson said he expects his dual roles as NASM president and College of Music dean to be complementary ones.

The NASM sets the high national quality and ethical standards for undergraduate and graduate music degree-granting programs, which become NASM members through a rigorous, peer-review process. It also serves as the national office for all four U.S. arts accrediting associations. The distinguished music program at Florida State is nationally recognized both for its scholarly productivity and performance excellence. In fact, the university has been called the single most influential institution in music education since 1990 by The Journal of Research in Music Education — the premier publication for scholarly inquiry in the field.

As president of the NASM, Gibson said he will work to support its efforts to enhance advocacy at all levels for the study of music; promote enhanced entrepreneurial skills in young musicians; and revise the standards for undergraduate curricula to ensure that individual programs can evolve in ways best suited to their unique missions.

In addition to his presidential duties, Gibson also will chair the NASM Executive Committee, on which he has been a member for nine years. He formerly served on the NASM Commission on Accreditation for a total of 10 years, the final three as chairman.

Gibson was named dean and professor at The Florida State University College of Music in 2006, following his service as director of Ohio State University's School of Music. He has also served as director of the School of Music at Western Michigan University; associate dean of the School of Music at Baylor University; chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at Elon College; and chairman of the division of instrumental studies at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. He was principal flute of the Greensboro Symphony, the Winston-Salem Symphony, and the United States Navy Band, where he was also the featured soloist.

A respected music theorist, Gibson's research has been reported in the Journal of Research in Music Education and other peer-reviewed music publications. He has served as executive director and national president of Pi Kappa Lambda, the national collegiate honor society for music, and continues his service to the society as a member of its Board of Regents.

Visit The Florida State University College of Music Web site (www.music.fsu.edu) to learn more.

By Libby Fairhurst