EASTBRIDGE, Vt. — The American College of Arts and Performing Arts (ACAPA) announced today the appointment of Dr. Marcus Webb as Dean of Academic Affairs, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Webb joins ACAPA from the Harrington Institute of the Arts in Providence, Rhode Island, where he served as Vice Provost for Academic Programs and spearheaded a sweeping curriculum reform initiative that drew national attention in arts higher education.
The appointment follows a six-month national search led by an eleven-member search committee composed of faculty, students, staff, and Board of Trustees representatives. ACAPA President Dr. Eleanor Marsh made the announcement in a letter to the campus community on Friday morning.
"Dr. Webb brings to ACAPA exactly the qualities we sought in this search: a deep commitment to artistic excellence, a clear-eyed understanding of how conservatory education must evolve, and a genuine warmth toward students and faculty alike. We are thrilled to welcome him to Eastbridge." — Dr. Eleanor Marsh, President, ACAPA
Background and Career
Dr. Webb, 51, holds a Ph.D. in Music Education and Curriculum Theory from the University of Michigan, a Master of Music in Composition from the New England Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Philosophy from Bowdoin College. He began his academic career as a lecturer in music theory at Bard College before joining the Harrington Institute of the Arts in 2009.
At Harrington, Dr. Webb rose quickly through the ranks, serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies from 2012 to 2017, then as Associate Provost before assuming the Vice Provost role in 2020. He is perhaps best known for leading Harrington's ambitious Integrated Artistry Initiative, a three-year curriculum reform project that reorganized the institute's degree programs to better reflect the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary creative practice. The initiative earned recognition from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and was profiled in a 2023 feature in Arts & Academe magazine.
Dr. Webb has also published extensively in peer-reviewed journals on topics including arts curriculum design, assessment in performance-based education, and the integration of technology into conservatory instruction. His 2021 monograph, Beyond the Masterclass: Rethinking Pedagogy in American Arts Conservatories (University of Chicago Press), has become widely assigned in graduate programs in arts administration.
Dr. Webb on Joining ACAPA
"ACAPA has an extraordinary legacy — 78 years of training artists who go on to shape American culture. What excites me most is this institution's willingness to ask hard questions about what arts education should look like in the 21st century. I look forward to working with the faculty and students here to build on that foundation." — Dr. Marcus Webb
In a telephone interview following the announcement, Dr. Webb spoke at length about his vision for ACAPA's academic programs. He emphasized his intention to listen before acting, noting that his first semester would be devoted to individual meetings with department chairs, faculty, and students across all six divisions.
"You can't lead curriculum reform from an office. The first thing I intend to do is sit in on classes, attend student performances, and have honest conversations with the people who make this place what it is." — Dr. Marcus Webb
Priorities and Plans
Dr. Webb outlined several areas he plans to focus on in his first two years at ACAPA. Among them:
Interdisciplinary programming. ACAPA's Integrated Arts Studies division, established in 2008, has grown steadily but remains somewhat siloed from the conservatory's more traditional departments. Dr. Webb indicated he hopes to create new cross-divisional curricular pathways that allow, for example, a composition student to incorporate choreography into a degree project, or a theatre student to develop an original score as part of their senior thesis.
Technology and emerging media. While ACAPA has made incremental investments in recording technology and digital fabrication, Dr. Webb believes the college needs a more coordinated strategy. He referenced the Technology and the Arts working group convened by the faculty senate last fall and expressed interest in building on its preliminary recommendations.
Assessment and accreditation. ACAPA is due for its decennial NASM reaccreditation review in 2027. Dr. Webb acknowledged this as both a challenge and an opportunity, noting that the review process can serve as a useful framework for broader self-examination.
Student wellbeing. In what may have been his most emphatic remarks, Dr. Webb spoke about the mental health challenges facing conservatory students. He cited data from ACAPA's most recent Student Wellness Survey and indicated his strong support for expanding counseling resources specifically tailored to the performance anxiety and career pressures experienced by pre-professional artists.
Faculty development. Dr. Webb also expressed interest in creating more structured opportunities for faculty research and creative activity, including a proposed sabbatical reform proposal he plans to bring before the Faculty Senate in the fall 2025 semester.
Reaction from the ACAPA Community
The appointment was met with widespread enthusiasm across campus. Professor Diane Koll, Chair of the Music Performance Division and a member of the search committee, called Dr. Webb "an unusually gifted listener who also knows how to make decisions." Professor Koll added that the committee was impressed by Dr. Webb's capacity to "hold the tension between artistic tradition and necessary change."
Student Government Association President Tomás Reyes, a third-year student in the Theatre Arts program, expressed optimism. "Dr. Webb came to campus and actually sat down with students informally — not just in the official presentation. That meant a lot to us. He asked real questions and took real notes."
The outgoing Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Patricia Noel, who announced her retirement last October after sixteen years in the role, offered her congratulations. "Marcus inherits a strong faculty and a student body of remarkable talent. ACAPA is in good hands."
About the Harrington Institute of the Arts
The Harrington Institute of the Arts, where Dr. Webb spent the last sixteen years of his career, is a private arts college in Providence, Rhode Island, founded in 1921. It enrolls approximately 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students across programs in fine arts, music, film, and design. Harrington is accredited by NASM and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Search Process
The national search was launched in September 2024 following Dr. Noel's retirement announcement. The search committee, chaired by Provost James Farwell, reviewed applications from 47 candidates across the country. Four finalists were brought to campus for public presentations and interviews over two weeks in January 2025. Dr. Webb's campus visit took place January 23-24.
A full summary of the search process, including the position profile and search committee membership, is available on the Dean Search page.
Contact Information
Media inquiries should be directed to the ACAPA Office of Communications at press@acapa.edu or (802) 555-0147. Dr. Webb will be available for media interviews beginning March 10, 2025, by appointment.