Faculty that Inspire

For the Office of Academic Affairs, hiring inspiring and effective faculty is one of our most important responsibilities, and it’s one we take quite seriously. As an institution, Berklee attracts teaching candidates from around the world. The process for joining the faculty is rigorous and involves input from faculty, administrators and other college leadership as well as input from those outside the college. This year we have hired four new full-time faculty members who exemplify the rigor of the process.

Garrett Kenehan

Dr. Garrett Kenehan joins us as a full-time assistant professor of mathematics. Dr. Kenehan comes to us from California, where he earned a B.S. in music recording from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He also holds a B.A. and M.S. in mathematics from California Polytechnic State University and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of California, Davis. With his focus on the relationship between mathematics and music, Dr. Kenehan has several research interests that include investigating the vibration modes of the guitar and examining the mathematics of electronic synthesis methods. He is also interested in applied and advanced mathematics, including business and technical applications. This fall he will teach “Concepts of Mathematics” and help develop a rich curriculum in music and mathematics.

Rekha Menon

Dr. Rekha Menon joins us as a full-time professor of art history. She received her Ph.D. in philosophy, interpretation, and culture from State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, and she most recently served as a tenured associate professor of art history in the Fine Arts Department at SUNY, Buffalo. Dr. Menon has authored numerous articles and three books. This fall, Hampton Press will publish her most recent book, Seductive Aesthetics of Post Colonialism. Her areas of expertise include Indian, Asian, and contemporary culture and art. She is a practicing artist and a classical dancer and has several exhibitions and performances to her credit. She is a recipient of a Fulbright fellowship in art history, the Drescher Award, and the Ross Fellowship. She will teach various art history survey classes and the new course “Global Perspectives in Postmodern Art.” Menon will also help develop an art history curriculum that expands beyond Western art and art of the late-20th and early-21st centuries.

Greg Osby

Greg Osby joins us as a full-time professor in the Ensemble Department. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Mr. Osby began his professional music career in 1975 after private studies in the clarinet, flute, and alto saxophone. He continued his studies at Howard University and Berklee. Osby has performed with artists as varied as Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Jack DeJohnette, and many more. In 1985 Mr. Osby joined DeJohnette’s innovative group Special Edition. In 1990, Osby signed with Blue Note Records and has since recorded 15 albums as a leader. From the pulse of the streets and the language of a generation, Mr. Osby has sketched numerous musical essays set to a contemporary score using the improvisational nature of jazz as the connecting thread.

Susan Rogers

Susan Rogers joins us as a full-time associate professor in the MP&E Department. Ms. Rogers is finishing her doctorate in experimental psychology at the Behavioural Neuroscience Training Program and is a fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music, Media and Technology at McGill’s Schulich School of Music. Ms. Rogers is a member of the Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory and studies under renowned psychoacoustician Dr. Stephen McAdams and cognitive psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Daniel J. Levitin ’80. Her research interests include auditory short-term memory and cognitive differences between musicians and nonmusicians.

In a professional music career that spans more than 20 years, Ms. Rogers produced, engineered, and mixed albums for Prince, David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies, Geggy Tah, Edie Brickell, and many more.

This fall, we have also brought on 12 part-time members. We welcome all these new members to the faculty and to our academic community. Their diverse scholarly and professional backgrounds will inspire our students and broaden their educational experience.