Brown takes reigns as new leader in Music and Dance

by Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff

T. Dennis Brown (Stan Sherer photo)

he Department of Music and Dance has a new interim chair, T. Dennis Brown, associate professor of Music. The first week of January, Brown took over when Roger Rideout, who had been serving as interim chair since former chair Ernest May became secretary of the Faculty Senate in 2000, stepped down.

     Brown said he anticipates the interim position will run through three semesters.

     A member of the faculty since 1977, Brown served as the department's associate chair from 1987 to 1992 and as its chief undergraduate adviser from 1977 to 1987. He was chair of the personnel committee for the last three years. He has served on College of Humanities and Fine Arts committees, including the dean's advisory committee, and was a member of two Faculty Senate committees - the Campus Technology Committee and the Committee on Committees.

     He was a Hewlett Teaching Fellow in 2001-2002.

     Because he was already scheduled to teach this semester, Brown has two courses, a graduate seminar in jazz history and a general-education course, "American Popular Music," to teach on top of leading the department this term.

     "It happened very quickly," he said. "We didn't have time to make all the arrangements."