Boston University Names Jeffrey Babcock Dean of School for the Arts
Boston, Mass. - Jeffrey N. Babcock, general director and chief executive officer of Boston Ballet, has been named dean of the School for the Arts and professor of music at Boston University, effective August 1st.
Babcock, who has more than 25 years' experience in performing arts management, education administration, strategic planning, fund raising, and teaching, was selected after a seven-month search.
"Jeffrey Babcock has the combination of artistic vision and administrative acumen needed to build on our strengths in the fine and performing arts," says Boston University President Jon Westling. "He has thoughtfully and creatively directed several kinds of performing arts organizations and achieved notable success in developing new programs. Dr. Babcock will help the University to multiply its contributions to the cultural life of Boston and the nation."
As CEO of Boston Ballet, one of America's top five ballet companies, Babcock led the company through a period of significant growth and strategic restructuring. The ballet company, with 58 dancers and 57 orchestral musicians, performed more than 120 performances in the 2000-2001 season to a total audience of 250,000.
Under the auspices of its Center for Dance Education, Boston Ballet operates one of the nation's largest, most profitable, and most comprehensive ballet schools, in which 60 faculty members instruct more than 2,400 students each year in three Greater Boston locations. The Ballet's highly regarded education and outreach programs give 20,000 inner city and suburban students of all ages opportunities to dance and attend performances each academic year.