Dean of the School of Music Mark McCoy was nominated to come to DePauw without any intention of leaving Shepard University in West Virginia. However, since making the decision to travel across the country and settle in Greencastle, McCoy has already had an impact on the School of Music.
"I was not looking for a job," McCoy said. "I was nominated for this position and though I didn't think I was interested, it turns out I was. I love working with Dr. Casey and the cabinet. I have very much enjoyed working with the faculty and staff here and I think I have most enjoyed the performances that our students have put on and the host of remarkable venues."
One such venue kicked off the musical season with performances by world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. McCoy explains that Ma's appearance on campus was more than simply a musician coming to entertain.
"There's no one better than Yo-Yo Ma. He's so much more than a musician. When classifying himself he said ‘First I'm a man. Second, I'm a musician and third, I'm a cellist.' If you can be the world's greatest cellist and say that third, that's a great example for everyone. He made everyone he met feel like an old friend," McCoy said.
Ma's performances on DePauw's campus helped bring the School of Music and the School of Liberal Arts closer together, one of Mr. McCoy's many goals for the School of Music.
"He has already opened several lines of communication," School of Music senior Molly Sender said of McCoy. "He's going to have a hugely positive impact because he is a more visible face than we've seen in the past. He is a very warm guy."
Recently, McCoy decided to host the event DePauwPalooza in Bowman Park. Its intention was to showcase the music school by involving music students with the College of Liberal Arts students.
According to Sender, the gathering was mainly School of Music students at first, but as the music got louder and the day progressed the event turned into a campus wide spectacle.
"It was very symbolic of what we were trying to accomplish," Sender said.
According to McCoy, he gave the group of students, faculty and staff four days to organize this event. Regardless of the short amount of time to pull an event together, the group accomplished more than imaginable. Student Body President Charles Pierre and Vice President Nick Flores, both seniors, worked with McCoy on this project.
"Simply put, working with Dr. McCoy is every student's dream," Pierre said. "He is the type of administrator the admissions officers brag about when recruiting students. He is fun, accomplished and ready to help any student that is willing to bring their ‘A game.' He is incredible."
School of Music senior Jared Norman has had the opportunity to interact with McCoy in a variety of settings. Working in the School of Music office, he has been able to talk to and work with McCoy on a variety of projects.
"He's a really, really nice guy," Norman said. "He's very into creating community, both within the School of Music and between the School of Music and the College of Liberal Arts. His office door is always open. He is really friendly and wants to get to know all the students. I think he will have a lot more of an impact in later years. I cannot wait to see where he takes the School of Music."
As far as plans for the School of Music are concerned, McCoy cannot divulge any specifics as of now, but he assures that he has grand aspirations.
One project he is working on is bringing musicians to campus who are closer in age to DePauw students.
To go along with that, his overarching goal is to bring the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Music closer together. Through this, he hopes to give the School of Music students more opportunity to showcase their talent.
"Dr. McCoy is great at promoting the talented students we have at DePauw," Professor of Music Matthew Balensuela said. "The more our students can perform for the community, the more we can bring the school together as a whole and I think Dr. McCoy is doing a great job with that."
At the beginning of the semster, McCoy sent out a survey to the student body in order to understand their feelings and goals for the School of Music. The purpose of this survey was to understand the School of Music from a variety of viewpoints.
According to McCoy, the survey received positive feedback and he will be using the responses to try to improve the School of Music based on student suggestions.
"I think we should be the greatest School of Music and Liberal Arts school on the planet," McCoy said. "We have the talent here we need: Beautiful campus, brilliant faculty and staff, great students and a great leader in Dr. Casey. What's missing?"