Curtis Announces Staff Appointments
September 18, 2020—The Curtis Institute of Music is pleased to announce two new staff appointments at Curtis. Effective immediately, Dr. Jeanne M. McGinn takes on the additional role of Senior Associate Dean of Academics and Shea Scruggs joins Curtis as Director of Institutional Research and Musician Experience/Chief Enrollment Officer.
Dr. McGinn is well-known to the Curtis community as the Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Jr. Chair of Liberal Arts. She has been a member of the faculty for over 25 years and is an award-winning poet. Her poems have been set by Curtis alumni including Jennifer Higdon, Michael Djupstrom, Ya-Jhu Yang, Rene Orth, and Andrew Hsu, and have been performed all over North America. She received her B.A. from Bucknell University; her M.A. as a Rotary International Fellow from University College Cork, Ireland; and her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College. In her new role, Dr. McGinn will oversee the school’s academic programs and faculty as well as the library resources that complement students’ work throughout their enrollment. In addition to continuing her work in the classroom, she will be a driving force in determining and supporting Curtis’s curriculum.
“It is an honor to step into this new role and a joy to work with such creative and dedicated colleagues,” says Dr. McGinn. “Through a holistic curriculum, we offer students extraordinary opportunities to grow as artists, citizens, and human beings. In turn, we draw inspiration from the hope they bring to the world through their transformative artistry.”
Shea Scruggs (Oboe ’04) has performed and taught as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician, including positions with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Opera, and the Cincinnati Symphony. A student of Richard Woodhams while at Curtis, Mr. Scruggs also holds a B.A. in English literature from Swarthmore College and a Master of Business Administration from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He has advised performing arts organizations on strategic initiatives including equity, diversity, and inclusion and is sought-after as a speaker and advocate. Mr. Scrugg’s duties in this newly created position include coordinating Curtis’s program of institutional research, overseeing admission to Curtis’s educational programs, and developing new initiatives to engage Curtis alumni in the development of current and prospective students. He will be a key member of Curtis’s musician lifecycle team—attending to the experiences of prospective, current, and former students—and will serve on the President’s cabinet.
“I am excited to help Curtis find talented prospects wherever they are in the world, ensure students have transformative experiences, and help alumni launch careers in a landscape where the sky is the limit for artists who can perform at the highest level and connect with audiences,” says Mr. Scruggs.
Curtis also announces the creation of an Ombuds Office. This new office serves as a neutral and accessible point of contact for members of the Curtis community to resolve differences and explore matters of concern, and is being rolled out to all students, faculty, and staff.