Westminster Choir College Dean Named New Dean At Ohio University

PRINCETON, NJ — The current dean and director of Westminster Choir College’s Princeton campus has been named the new dean for the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University. Matthew R. Shaftel, Ph.D., will assume his new position effective July 15, Ohio University announced last week. He has been the dean and director at Westminster Choir College since July 1, 2015, according to Rider University.

The announcement comes seven weeks after Rider University announced it is looking to sell the Westminster Choir College and the college’s Princeton campus. That announcement has been met with protest from the university’s faculty and students, and contributed to a recent vote of no confidence in Rider University President Greg Dell’Omo.

Shaftel was in charge of all aspects of academic affairs at Westminster Choir College. He worked to build the college’s endowment through fundraising efforts and establishing partnerships with many other organizations, and established an award-winning Center for Community Engagement that connected students to the broader community.

Under Shaftel’s leadership, the college exceeded all enrollment targets, released five commercial recordings, and offered well over 200 publicly acclaimed performances and exhibits annually.

“I am so enthusiastic about this opportunity to work collaboratively with the innovative students and faculty of the College of Fine Arts,” Shaftel said in a post on Ohio University’s website. “It is truly exciting to be part of a culture that seeks to extend the value of the arts beyond the classroom and into the community and I look forward to expanding upon COFA’s long history of creative excellence as we build a brighter future through the arts in Athens and beyond.”

Before coming to Westminster Choir College, Shaftel served in various roles at Florida State University for 14 years. He was distinguished professor of music theory, director of the Cawthon Hall Music Living Learning Center, director of general education, and associate vice president for academic affairs.

“Dr. Shaftel’s creativity and extensive experience as an artist, professor and academic administrator will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the College of Fine Arts, and I am excited to welcome him to OHIO,” Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit said. “The search committee was most impressed with his positive energy and enthusiasm for the Arts and community engagement.”

Shaftel earned his B.A. in Music with educator certification, an M.Phil. in Music Theory and a Ph.D. in Music Theory, all from Yale University. His voice training included study at Yale University, the Aspen Opera Theatre Center and the Tanglewood Music Center, according to his profile on Rider University’s website.

Attached image of Matthew Shaftel posted on ohio.edu.