President's Letter June 1, 2004

To the Berklee Community,

Today is my first day on the job and we got off to an auspicious start with a terrific drum circle hosted and led by Ernesto Diaz and Mikael Ringquist. Life is not a spectator sport and neither should music be. I think we all had a good time and filled the David Friend Recital Hall with some good vibrations.

I briefly enumerated six principles that I hope can guide us through this new era. I thought I would share them here since not everyone could be present this morning:

1. We need to first and foremost be driven by our mission: to educate, train and develop students to excel in music as a career.
   
   
2. We must recognize that change is itself a fundamental part of the Berklee tradition. We cannot remain contemporary or relevant without change.
   
   
3. However, change can be stressful and confusing at times, so each of us needs to focus on fulfilling our particular role in making Berklee a great place for students to grow and develop. I shared the slogan of a restaurant group called "Chik-fil-A" where they say, "If you're not serving chicken, serve someone who is." And while our mission is more complex and ambitious than theirs, a certain common-sense truth is embedded in that idea. Serve students, or serve someone who is and all the rest will take care of itself.
   
   
4. We need to build a community that at once allows dissent, disagreement, debate and discussion, yet also is respectful of the individuals who make up our community regardless of where they rank in the hierarchy, how long they have been here, or any other superficial element. One of the most important tools we can employ is to raise our concerns and issues directly with the person who we feel has insulted us or treated us unfairly. If we do so respectfully, I think we will find that we move towards a culture with more reciprocity, respect and tolerance.
   
   
5. We also need to acknowledge our weaknesses and speak honestly internally about what needs to improve. The Berklee community has worked hard to build the College's reputation in the larger world...and we have succeeded. We are as good or better than most people think we are. But we can be much better still. And the first and best way to improve is to honestly acknowledge our shortcomings and determine to do better. To speak of our weaknesses is not to be disloyal, it is to be passionate about helping Berklee become all that it is destined to be.
   
   
6. Finally, we need to have the courage to nurture our hopes and aspirations. We need to dream out loud.

I am certain that the times ahead are going to be among the most interesting and exciting in the history of this great institution. Thank you for your generous support and for your desire to see this next era unfold.

All the best,


Roger H. Brown
President