After 25 years, Berklee president and namesake bids farewell to the college his father founded

Full coverage can be found in our Commencement area

BOSTON, April 7, 2004 — When the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston holds its 2004 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 8, the graduating students will not be the only ones preparing to leave campus. President Lee Eliot Berk, who has served as president for 25 years and after whom the college is named, will officially retire and pass the reins on to the new president, Roger Brown. Brown will take office on June 1. President Berk's retirement marks the first time in the College's history that a non-member of the Berk family will serve as president. The position was previously held by Lee Berk's father, Lawrence Berk, who founded the institution in 1945.

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Bill Cosby (left) and Berklee College of Music President Lee Eliot Berk, seen at last fall's American Drummers Achievement Awards, at Berklee College of Music. Farnsworth Blalock Photography

The 2004 Commencement keynote speaker is entertainer, educator and best-selling author Bill Cosby, who is a jazz enthusiast and has composed scores for several of his television programs, including The Cosby Show, A Different World and Little Bill. Cosby credits jazz music with influencing his free-flowing comedy performance style, has toured as a singer and leader of his own jazz groups, and had greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Joe Williams appear on his programs.

Bill Cosby earned from Temple University a Bachelor in Arts Degree and a Master Degree in Education (M. Ed.) in 1972, and his Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) in 1977 from the University of Massachusetts.

Cosby and President Berk will receive Honorary Doctor of Music Degrees. Each year, Berklee presents honorary degrees at its Commencement ceremony to individuals who have made an enduring contribution to the world of music. Past recipients include both Gillespie and Williams (mentioned above), Duke Ellington, Steven Tyler, Nancy Wilson, David Bowie, Quincy Jones, Bonnie Raitt, and Herbie Hancock.

In total, the College will award approximately 730 degrees at the Commencement, which begins at 10:00 a.m. on May 8 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. The preceding night at the Berklee Performance Center, students will dedicate a concert to President Berk and Bill Cosby with music from such past honorees as Arif Mardin, Bonnie Raitt, Andre Crouch, Nancy Wilson, and Al Kooper. Studio session superstar bassist Abe Laboriel, Sr., and jazz vocalist Lalah Hathaway, both Berklee alumni, will make special guest appearances alongside the Berklee Jazz/Rock Ensemble, Phil Wilson's Rainbow Band with Syncopation, and the Reverence Gospel Ensemble.

"This is a graduation ceremony like no other in recent memory," said Roger Brown, who was named Berklee's president-elect on February 6. "We are privileged to honor Dr. Cosby for the tremendous contributions he has made to education and our culture, and respectful of all that Lee Berk has accomplished in building Berklee into the most respected institution for contemporary music education in the world. We will miss him."

Lee Eliot Berk
Lee Eliot Berk's 25 years as Berklee president is among the longest tenures of any college or university president in history. In fact, only four other college presidents have served as long. During this time, Berklee has not only grown into the world's largest independent music college but has played a significant role in a number of the most important developments in the music industry, including:

• Developing jazz as both an academic discipline and its recognition as a mainstream art form with integrity
  
  
• Elevating rock and contemporary music to their appropriate level of musical merit
  
  
• Establishing music therapy as an accepted component of modern medicine
  
  
• Integrating technology as part of the necessary evolution of music and as an extension of its expression

Under his stewardship, Berklee has more than doubled its enrollment; has had a marked increase in faculty; and has greatly expanded its facilities, including 12 state-of-the-art recording studios, film scoring and music synthesis laboratories, and five concert and recital halls. In addition, the operating budget has grown considerably, as has the college's endowment, which now stands at a robust $125 million.

In addition to advances in Berklee's infrastructure, Berk also has guided the college's impressive and enviable outreach to women and minorities, which is clearly reflected in the student body. In a field where women are still a rarity, they now comprise nearly one-quarter of the student body. In the international community, the college not only provides music education opportunities to students throughout the world, but also includes the study of various world musics in the college's curriculum. Berklee has one of the highest percentages of international undergraduates of any college in the U.S. – over 25 percent, representing more than 70 countries.

Berk has also guided the influence of the college on American music, which is evidenced by the accolades awarded its alumni over the years. As of May 2004, 45 Berklee alumni have won a total of 105 Grammy Awards. These include: Quincy Jones, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, Susan Tedeschi, Aerosmith's Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford, composer Howard Shore ("Lord of the Rings") and producer/engineer Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin, Norah Jones), among numerous others.

Berk earned his B.A. at Brown University and his law degree at Boston University School of Law. He has been on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Jazz Educators, American Music Conference, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts, Fenway Alliance, Boston Arts Academy, and Pro Arts Consortium. He has also sat on the Board of Overseers for the Massachusetts House of Blues Foundation, was chair of the Education Committee of the National Music Foundation, and received the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for his book Legal Protection for the Creative Musician. Berk is a recipient of the American Eagle Award of the National Music Council, and is a "Steppin' Out" Hall of Fame inductee.

"When my father founded the College nearly sixty years ago, he wanted to create a dynamic educational environment in which contemporary music would thrive," said Berk. "That is the backbone of Berklee's tradition and future, and it has been an honor and privilege to lead the College in this direction. I know that the unique spirit inherent in the Berklee students, faculty and administrators will take the College to even greater heights."

Gary Burton, Grammy-winning jazz vibraphonist and Executive Vice President of Berklee College of Music, said, "It has been a consummate pleasure working with Lee over the past twenty five years, professionally, personally, and creatively. His vision has pushed Berklee to stay ahead of the pack in music education and remain the most vibrant place for creativity and innovation."

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music.  For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business.  With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.

Full coverage can be found in our Commencement area

For editorial information, or JPEG photos of Lee Eliot Berk or Bill Cosby, the media may contact:

Allen Bush, abush@berklee.edu
Emily Singer, esinger@berklee.edu
Nick Balkin, nbalkin@berklee.edu
Rob Hayes, rhayes@berklee.edu

-or-

Dan Klores Communications, 212-685-4300