UNCSA names Karen Beres as Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs
Chancellor Lindsay Bierman of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts has announced that Dr. Karen Beres will be the school’s new Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs, effective Aug. 1.
Beres has served as Interim Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs for a little more than a year, having been appointed in June 2016, when then-Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs David English was tapped to become Interim Provost. English was appointed Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor effective Jan. 1, 2017, and Beres has continued to serve as Interim VP.
Dr. Beres has shown a lifelong commitment to the highest standards of artistic excellence, and focused on improving learning outcomes for more than 25 years.
Chancellor Bierman
“Dr. Beres has shown a lifelong commitment to the highest standards of artistic excellence, and focused on improving learning outcomes for more than 25 years,” said Chancellor Bierman. “She has designed curricula for students ages 4 to 70, taught at all skill levels, and has proven herself to be superbly and uniquely qualified to serve as the University’s second senior academic officer.
“Since joining the School of Music faculty in 2002, she has served in a variety of teaching and administrative roles that prepared her well for this assignment. She has never hesitated to take on the next challenge.”
Provost English said, “A member of the first class of full professors in the recently instituted rank promotion system, she has forged strong, positive relationships with faculty and staff in departments across campus.”
Prior to being tapped as Interim VP, Beres served as Interim Dean of the UNCSA School of Music from July 2015 to July 2016. She served as Assistant Dean of Enrollment, Recruitment and Outreach in the School of Music from October 2014 to June 2015. She was an instructor, associate professor and later professor of Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy in the School of Music.
Before UNCSA, Beres served at the University of Oklahoma School of Music as Interim Coordinator of Group Piano and Undergraduate Pedagogy and was a graduate assistant in group and secondary piano from 1999-2002. At Bowling Green State University in Ohio, she was Class Piano Coordinator and faculty member, and director of the community music program from 1993-99.
Beres received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma School of Music; a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Bowling Green State University School of Music in Ohio; and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania.
“My own education and faculty experience in a widely varied set of institutions, from a private liberal arts college to a tier-one research university, gives me a broad perspective and expansive viewpoint, equipping me with a clear vision for the path forward,” Beres said. “I am energized by the possibilities of creating a strong system in support of student and faculty success and making ours a learner-focused environment.”
Approximately 40 candidates applied for the position and three finalists visited campus for interviews.
The Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs works with the Provost to provide leadership of the arts and academic programs; supervises the offices of Faculty Affairs and Educational Outreach and Summer Programs (EOSP) and the Teaching and Learning Center; and serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Beres is a member of the CanAm Piano Duo, an active professional piano duo presenting numerous recitals, master classes and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. The duo’s book, “The Pianist’s Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Concertos,” was released by Alfred Music Publishing in June 2017. She has been the accompanist for the Bel Canto Company of Greensboro, a 32-voice choir that has performed across the Eastern United States. She also has served on the faculty of the Classical Music Festival in Austria, and was staff accompanist and Valade Program Accompanist for the Interlochen Arts Camp.
Her many honors and achievements include Distinguished Award Winner, IBLA Grand Prize Competition, with the CanAm Piano Duo, Ragusa, Sicily; recipient of the LINKS Commissioning Grant, Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, UNCSA, a major grant to commission, perform, and record a new chamber work by composer David Maslanka, 2009, with CD released on the Albany Records label in 2012; 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award Winner, UNCSA; and Silver Medal Winner, International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition of the Chamber Music Foundation of New England, with the CanAm Piano Duo, Boston.
She is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, the North Carolina Music Teachers Association, and the College Music Society.
July 13, 2017