The San Francisco Conservatory of Music has named Robert Fitzpatrick interim provost and dean, as Mary Ellen Poole is stepping down after 10 years of service as dean. Fitzpatrick is former dean and chief academic officer of the Curtis Institute of Music. He will serve in an interim capacity until the search for a new permanent dean for the Conservatory is completed.
The dean is head of the faculty and in charge of curriculum; the provost is the senior academic administrator.
Conservatory President David H. Stull says Fitzpatrick "has a wealth of management and leadership experience and is a highly accomplished musician and teacher." Stull noted that Fitzpatrick’s guidance in post-secondary educational administration will be particularly useful for the Conservatory’s accreditation report to WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) due later this year. "He has led numerous accreditation processes with multiple agencies and organizations, including a site visit to SFCM in the 1990s."
Fitzpatrick has an extensive career as conductor, having served as music director of the Garden State Philharmonic, the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, and elsewhere. He was also principal clarinetist of several East Coast orchestras.