Reflecting on the Presidential Inauguration

Dear Berklee community,

As I reflect on the presidential inauguration, I would like to share a few thoughts on the themes that guided my inaugural address: gratitude, vocation, and healing.

Gratitude

I extend my sincere thanks to all who attended, participated in, and contributed to the planning and execution of the inauguration ceremony, and appreciate the kindness and support from the community. The event was a celebratory showcase of the talent, artistry, and creativity that define this place. One thing’s for sure: Berklee knows how to have a good time. It also served as an important moment to come together around our shared mission and vision. I hope you have a chance to explore the recordings of the ceremony, which highlight remarkable performances by our students, faculty, and alumni, as well as inspiring remarks from our guest speakers.

Berklee’s strength lies in its ability to honor its history while continually evolving. We remain contemporary by listening to and learning from our students, whose curiosity and creativity shape our future. I am also grateful that Berklee is a truly global community, with students representing more than 140 countries and partnerships around the world. This international diversity is not only part of our identity—it is integral to how we teach, learn, and create together.

Vocation

The idea of vocation is also central to who we are. Some institutions talk about helping students “find” their calling. Here, it has found them; our students arrive knowing that they feel most alive when pursuing their art. It creates a special connection—our faculty see that calling in our students, and our students see themselves in their teachers. Our students are called to use their talent for social good, and Berklee’s role is to help enable them to live creative lives on their own terms. 

Healing

I believe our students are driven by the impact they’ve seen their art make on those around them. The power to heal and to bring people together on a deeper level. This impact is real, measurable, and profound. From music therapy helping patients recover speech and movement to the synchrony of brain activity between musicians improvising together, science is validating what artists have long recognized: the incredible power of music and the arts to create empathy and human connection. 

Looking Ahead

In a uniquely challenging time marked by rapid technological change and fragmented public discourse, our mission has never been more vital. We will continue to move forward with focus and urgency around our strategic pillars: 

• Affordability: Making Berklee more accessible and affordable for exceptional students around the world.
• Careers: Ensuring our curriculum and student support put our students in first position for living creative lives on their own terms. Alumni should look at Berklee as the greatest investment they ever made toward living a creative life. 
• Sustainability: Innovating to ensure the long-term sustainability of Berklee’s mission, impact, and singular role in the world. 

These priorities will guide our work for the next three years and beyond as we help our students bring their power—to connect, to heal, and to inspire—into the world. 

Thank you for all you do to make this community thrive. I am honored to be part of it—and deeply grateful to call Berklee home.

Yours,

Jim Lucchese
President