Michael C. Mason Named Chair of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Michael C. Mason has been named chair of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department at Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Mason, who joined Berklee in 2006, most recently served as assistant chair of the Liberal Arts Department. He took up the chair position on August 1.

“I am happy and honored to continue our work in the department as we look to further diversify both our faculty and curriculum,” said Mason. “Last spring, we received approval to change our name from Liberal Arts to Liberal Arts and Sciences. The new name more accurately reflects the composition of our department and student requirements. It is also the term used at many of our peer institutions and will attract students interested in STEM fields. Students who come to Berklee will receive a well-rounded education in the liberal arts and sciences as well as in theater, dance, and music, preparing them for life after Berklee.” 

"We are very fortunate to welcome Dr. Michael Mason as chair of Berkee's Liberal Arts and Sciences Department,” said Darla Hanley, dean of the Professional Education Division. “Mike brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. He is an accomplished administrator, a fine educator and scholar who always keeps students at the center of our work."

Mason, who has dedicated his career to education, has presented at events nationally and internationally, including the Improving University Teaching Conference in Glasgow, Scotland; the Mentoring Conference at the University of New Mexico (UNM); the Consortium of the Liberal Education of Artists Conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Baltimore, Maryland; and at Harvard Medical School.

His publications include "Mentoring and Socialization of Future Senior Student Affairs Officers" in the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice and “Perceptions of Faculty Mentoring in Higher Education Doctoral Programs” in the eighth annual UNM Mentoring Institute Conference proceedings. He is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). 

Mason serves as cochair of Berklee’s institutional review board, is a member of the Berklee diversity, equity, and inclusion council, and is an accreditation evaluator for the New England Commission for Higher Education (NECHE). He is also a member of the board of trustees and executive committee for Saint John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts, and a member of the board of directors for the Dorchester Historical Society in Boston. 

He holds a B.A. in English literature from Loyola University Maryland, an M.Ed. in K–12 educational administration, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Mason also served as an administrative fellow in the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.