By RACHEL EMERSON
Student Reporter
Mike Knedler, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern has announced that he will retire at the end of June.
Knedler has been a part of Northwestern for 32 years. During his time at Northwestern he has served as professor of music, director of bands, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and currently serves as the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. He also serves as the general manager of the Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series.
He said that after thinking about it for a while, he decided that now is the “right time” to retire.
He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Phillips University, a Master of Music degree from Baylor University and a Ph. D. in music education from the University of Oklahoma. He is also a graduate of the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University.
Knedler’s career at Northwestern began in 1983 as an instructor of music and assistant band director. In 1989 he became the Ranger band director until 2005. Knedler served as the dean of Humanities and Social Sciences starting in 1990. He reconstructed the University’s academic organization and was selected as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.
Knedler said he has many memories about his time at Northwestern as a band director, as a professor and as a dean. He has also seen many changes in the school . He shared that his favorite aspect of the University is that “Northwestern is a hard-working, supportive community, and I have had many opportunities for both personal and professional growth.”
Many of Knedler’s students have gone on to become successful band directors and people
Knedler said he is grateful for his long journey as a Northwestern Ranger and all of the opportunities he received from the University throughout his career, adding that retirement doesn’t always mean leaving and that he will always be a Northwestern Ranger.
Although he said he doesn’t have any specific plans for his retirement yet, he did joke that his first project is probably going to be “cleaning out the garage.”
Knedler said that there is someone set to take over his position, but that he couldn’t release that information yet. He said that the University Relations office would release an announcement at a later date about his replacement.