Join the Annual State of Berklee Address

Dear Berklee community,

I hope your spring is going well. Things are really ramping up: we’re starting to see the sun, and there are multiple amazing performances happening across campus nearly every night. I’d like to give a special shout-out to both Soul Jam and the Career Jam Concert and Award Show this past week. Both were truly incredible.  

Spring also means that my annual State of Berklee address is coming up. It will take place on Wednesday, April 8, at 11:00 a.m. at the Berklee Performance Center. In addition to answering your questions and sharing my thoughts on several other important topics, I will give an update on Berklee’s strategic plan.  

Our strategic plan centers around three pillars: 

• Affordability—expanding access and affordability for exceptional students around the world.
• Careers—preparing and supporting our students to live creative lives on their own terms.
• Sustainability—maintaining and amplifying the Berklee mission in a way that ensures our sustainability for the coming decades.  

This strategy started with you, developed from the feedback gathered through my listening sessions in 2025 and the conversations that continue today, and my hope is that its focus on dialogue and connection will remain a guiding force in our ongoing work together. In January, I set a goal to meet with every department this year to learn more about the work of our dedicated faculty and staff, share ideas, and hear concerns. I’ve connected with a dozen areas across the institution and will continue these conversations throughout the spring. I’ve also continued listening sessions with our talented students. Each exchange has been deeply valuable and I continue to learn so much from our community.

I hope you can join me for State of Berklee in person or via the livestream.

Yours,

Jim Lucchese
President