Dear Rice colleagues,
I am writing to you following the conclusion of Dean Matthew Loden’s review. As you know, the dean review process is a rigorous one that involves significant input from faculty and staff, as well as Rice leadership and external arts leaders.
Drawing on this comprehensive feedback, I reappointed Matthew as dean of the Shepherd School of Music for a second term, effective July 1, 2026. I look forward to working with Matthew now and throughout his second term while he leads the school, partnering with the music faculty to initiate new projects and expand shared governance.
When Matthew became dean, Rice sought an accomplished leader to guide the Shepherd School through a significant period of transition and heighten the school’s visibility across the Rice campus, Houston community and broader arts world. In Matthew’s first term, he recruited world-class faculty, bolstered student recruitment and support, and deepened external partnerships and philanthropy.
He stepped up to lead at a time marked by many planned faculty retirements and the untimely deaths of Larry Rachleff and Miah Im. Matthew responded to these key vacancies in the director of orchestra studies and director of opera studies by assembling faculty search committees to fill these roles with top artistic talent. Matthew has successfully recruited the largest cohort of new faculty ever to arrive at Shepherd this fall, solidifying the school’s artistic and pedagogical direction.
Most critically, Matthew has greatly expanded faculty resources, activating new relationships with the Office of Research to provide a series of faculty commissions, support for Creative Lab explorations, and individual faculty grants to further research and creative practice. He will continue to bolster support for faculty by engaging with the school’s faculty to hire an associate dean of academic affairs from faculty ranks to provide strategic leadership to advance academic programs, curriculum and academic policy within the school.
Matthew has improved the student experience through an expanded orientation, new mental health resources, all-school programming, scholarships, and a special fund to support students traveling to professional auditions and summer festivals. The school has attracted the largest number of applicants in its history, all while successfully placing graduates in professional opportunities in the field.
Matthew has also expanded and strengthened the staff at the Shepherd School, fostering a culture of service and support for students and faculty alike. These key staff members have already initiated professional development opportunities and implemented critical technical systems, leading to more efficient operations. New technologies have also increased revenue for the school.
Additionally, the Shepherd School has achieved remarkable external interest while more intentionally integrating into the Greater Houston arts community and beyond. Matthew led planning for the opening of the Brockman Hall for Opera, launched the Shepherd School of Music’s largest Community Day experience, and strengthened strategic partnerships with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and DaCamera, embedding students in ensembles and community service. For the first time, Chamber Music America partnered with the Shepherd School to host its annual conference outside of New York City. The school’s unique initiatives and robust programming have consistently generated positive local and national press.
Further, Matthew has taken a proactive approach to fundraising and working with Development and Alumni Relations to secure support and bring unique experiences to Rice’s donor and alumni community locally and globally. One noteworthy success was a Traveling Owls trip to Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympics. The trip included a performance of the National Orchestra of France, conducted by Shepherd School alumnus Cristian Măcelaru, one of Shepherd’s new distinguished visiting artist faculty.
Please join me in working with Matthew as he continues to lead the Shepherd School of Music.
Warm regards,
Amy Dittmar, Howard R. Hughes Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs