Erica Muhl has served as professor of composition at USC for 22 years.

Erica Muhl has been appointed dean of the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, USC President C. L. Max Nikias announced on May 1.

Muhl, professor of composition at the USC Thornton School of Music, has served as the school’s interim dean since September, after assisting in an advisory capacity beginning in January 2012.

“The appointment of Dr. Muhl comes at an auspicious time for the Roski School,” Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Elizabeth Garrett wrote in a memo to USC faculty and staff. “Situated in one of the cultural capitals of the Pacific Rim and nurtured by the university’s vibrant and growing artistic and scholarly community, the school is poised to ascend to the highest levels of creative work and recognition under the leadership of Dr. Muhl.”

Since taking the reins as interim director, Muhl has worked with faculty and staff to complete key components of the strategic planning process, including the recent academic review of the Master of Fine Arts and Master of Arts programs. She has also begun the development and implementation of curricular and programmatic changes, including several new international partnerships for educational and creative exchange.

Muhl currently chairs the University Committee on Academic Review. Among other positions, she has previously served as associate dean for faculty affairs at USC Thornton, chair of the Mellon Mentoring Forum, and a member of the University Committee on Appointments, Promotions and Tenure.

“The strength of Dr. Muhl’s artistic background, coupled with her proven skills in academic leadership, make her uniquely qualified to lead the Roski School,” Garrett added. “In addition to a successful career as a performing and creative artist, she also brings to the position extensive experience across the arts and humanities in the areas of tenure, faculty development and mentoring, transformative faculty hires, strategic vision and academic excellence.”

Muhl’s professional experience spans the fields of classical, contemporary and experimental music; film, video and broadcast media; opera and music theater; dance; and other forms of audio-visual collaboration. As a composer, her works have been commissioned and featured by leading ensembles, venues and festivals worldwide.

She has received grants and awards from various organizations, such as the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the prestigious Whitaker Commissioning Prize. Muhl has also been awarded residencies and fellowships from, among others, Italy’s Civitella Ranieri Foundation, the Charles Ives Center for American Music, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the American Academy in Rome, the Cultural Ministry of Venezuela and the State of Saxony, Germany.

Muhl holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts from USC, and graduate certificates from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy.

More stories about: Fine Arts