Hailing from California, New York, Philadelphia, and right here in Miami, four deans have been named to fill the prolific shoes left by their predecessors. All are renowned experts in their fields, anxious to impact an institution that’s decidedly on the move.

Shelton G. Berg

Shelton G. Berg, new dean of the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music, was the McCoy/Sample Endowed Professor of Jazz Studies and conductor of the Thornton Jazz Orchestra at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. As chair of that school’s jazz department from 1994 to 2002, he is credited with raising its profile to one of the top programs of its kind in the nation. His groundbreaking book, Jazz Improvisation: The Goal-Note Method, is considered one of the seminal texts on the subject.

“I didn’t come here as a jazz guy to reinforce an already great jazz department,” says Berg, who succeeds William Hipp, dean since 1983. “We want to break down the walls between the departments and be a true incubator of music so that we can affect the landscape for music.”

Barbara E. Kahn

As vice dean and director of the Undergraduate Division of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Barbara E. Kahn was in charge of what U.S. News & World Report and BusinessWeek consistently ranked the No. 1 undergraduate business program in the nation. Kahn, a 17-year veteran of Wharton, also served as the Dorothy Silberberg Professor of Marketing, a senior fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and a faculty member of the Graduate Group in the Psychology Department there. A noted marketing scholar, she is coauthor of Grocery Revolution: The New Focus on the Consumer. She succeeds Paul K. Sugrue, who served as dean for 15 years.

“Older schools are often locked into traditional ways of doing things, but the UM business school is young and vibrant and can embrace new opportunities,” Kahn says. “The school has a strong strategic position with regard to Latin American connections, which can be leveraged to improve its global reputation. We are also looking at opportunities for exchange in China and India.”

Terri A. Scandura

An industrial psychologist, Terri A. Scandura specializes in the nuances of supervisor-employee relationships and mentoring. Formerly the director of the School of Business Administration’s Ph.D. program in Business Administration, Scandura is now dean of the Graduate School, bringing her expertise to its 49 doctoral programs, 104 master’s programs, and nine specialist programs. She succeeds Steven G. Ullmann, dean since 1997 and a UM professor in the Department of Management.

“Our students have made a significant commitment in pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, and we will look to our faculty to help these individuals attain their personal and professional goals,” says Scandura, who will continue to teach and conduct research in her field.

James M. Tien

James M. Tien, formerly the Yamada Corporation Professor and founding chair of the Department of Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, succeeds M. Lewis Temares as dean of the College of Engineering. Tien has twice served as acting dean of engineering at Rensselaer, and in 2001 he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors accorded an engineer. His research interests include systems modeling, public policy, decision analysis, and information systems.

“With the commitment and support of President Shalala and Provost LeBlanc, I look forward to bringing more focus on those scholarly activities that can unite the academic areas of the University of Miami,” Tien says.