Dr. Robert Freeman, an accomplished pianist and musicologist who served as director of the prestigious Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester for 24 years, has been named dean of the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. His appointment is effective Jan. 16, 2000. Dr. Sheldon Ekland-Olson, UT Austin executive vice president and provost, announced Freeman's appointment November 30. Freeman replaces Dr. David Deming, who left the University to become president of the Cleveland Institute of Art.
During his tenure at Eastman from 1972 to 1996, Freeman strengthened the faculty and the concept of faculty self- governance, improved alumni relations and oversaw $50 million in new construction and $20 million in rebuilding on campus. He also reorganized the school's admissions program, resulting in a 90 percent increase during the period 1974-92 in numbers of completed applications, and he played a leading role in the University's fundraising efforts. In its most recent rankings, the U.S. News & World Report named the Eastman School of Music the nation's leading music school.
"I have spent my entire career looking for ways to connect music to other disciplines, and I hope to continue this at Texas," said Freeman. "I look forward to presiding over a lively discussion of what the arts will look like in America in the year 2025 and even 2050 - and of what education and skills students in the fine arts will need to be professionally successful at that time."
Laura Schwartz