By Collin Zehr (’22)
Dr. David Clem, assistant professor of Music History and previous Houghton graduate, was announced as the new Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music at Houghton College beginning in June of 2021.
Over the past academic year, the search for a new Dean for the Greatbatch School of Music has been underway since Dr. Armenio Suzano stepped away from the position at the end of the 2020 Academic year. Since Dr. Suzano’s departure, Dr. Timothy McGarvey, Professor of Conducting and Director of Instrumental Music Activities, has served as the interim Dean of the School of Music.
The Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music runs the school, including tasks concerning, “budget, overseeing a faculty/staff of 30 people, curriculum, policy, liaison with all other Houghton entities and our outside constituents, and the day to day administrative work.” as described by Dr. McGarvey.
While serving in this position, Dr. McGarvey has worked alongside Dr. Sara Massey, assistant professor of Music Education. Dr. Massey described the search for a new Dean along-side a revisioning process for the Greatbatch School of Music. As liberal arts colleges all across the country deal with financial struggles, Houghton is alongside them in recognizing the need to adapt in order to remain viable as an institution of higher education. In order to confront this challenge head on, Dr. Clem became the apparent choice to serve as Dean due to his creativity, intelligence, integrity, and forward thinking. “No one else could do it,” described Dr. Massey.
Since his first experience with Houghton College as a Music Composition undergraduate student about 20 years ago, Dr. Clem could tell that God had a hand in bringing the right people to Houghton and the School of Music. Dr. Clem described how the “great communities” fostered at Houghton were something that he wanted to contribute to. “The faculty are invested in students on a somewhat personal level” describes Dr. Clem, “[they] are preparing students for whatever is down the road” and “how to live and practice a Christian lifestyle in the world of music.” Dr. Clem was among one of the first groups of Graduate students to earn his Master’s Degree from the Greatbatch School of Music as well.
Though Dr. Clem never necessarily sought an administrative role, he notes that he has “ended up in leadership positions throughout his life” and this is a role he is equipped to fill. Before accepting this position, Dr. Clem described his thought process as determining three things. As someone who often says “yes” to things asked of him, he has “had to learn to stop and think before saying yes. This means stopping and talking to God about things. Is this an obligation? Is this something I want? is this what God wants?” After considering this, he said yes willingly. Since Dr. Clem is a current faculty member at the school of music and is already serving on the committee to re-envision the school of music, he has been working closely with Dr. McGarvey, resulting in a more gradual transition. So, Dr. Clem has already begun learning about the administrative role that the Dean will fulfill.
The general consensus among other students in the Greatbatch School of Music is one of excitement for Dr. Clem to assume the role of Dean. Current Junior Education Major, Caleb Durant, described his excitement “because [Dr. Clem] knows the students really well and has a great rapport with the rest of the faculty. He is a great choice to represent the interests of the school and students.”
The Greatbatch School of Music’s mission statement expresses the goal to develop “musical excellence” in order to be “effective musical practitioners” and advocate “in the Christian community and in the broader world.” When asked about his goals during his tenure as Dean, Dr. Clem described how “faith is a journey, not a destination. Excellence is the same. The bar is constantly moving” and we must treat it as such. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Houghton College and the Greatbatch School of Music have had to embrace the importance of maximizing the resources available in order to maintain the high standards we seek to achieve.
Dr. Clem hopes to implement an array of summer programs within the Greatbatch School of Music including a summer music camp for highschool students. The graduate program will also expand to an online Music Education Masters Degree that will contain a summer intensive in-person component. The School of Music will be adding a new Worship Arts degree program that will hopefully benefit from summer songwriting classes with a workshop. Dr. Clem hopes that this summer program will allow students to learn and work with named CCM artists. Beyond the addition of summer programming, Dr. Clem wants to embrace the expertise within the School of Music to partner with local schools and churches to provide opportunities for those not directly involved with Houghton College. ★
