Dunn Center Hosts Advisory Board for its Fall Meeting
Established in 2007, the Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies Advisory Board began with 20 original members. Among this group were church musicians, pastors, Christian artists, business leaders, and distinguished alumni. The Board gathered in its early years to develop a vision for fostering the growth and effectiveness of the Center to utilize Christian music to its God-given potential. Over the years, the Board has directly supported projects through programmatic funding, offered valued consultations for program directions, and volunteered time to work and present at Baylor events.
On Thursday, October 17, the Dunn Center hosted the Fall 2024 meeting of the Advisory Board. Twice per year, once in the fall and once in the spring semester, the Board gathers on campus for a day of updates from the Center, strategic discussion around current Center initiatives, a celebratory lunch, and worship led by current Church Music students.
At this semester's meeting, the Board heard a presentation from the new Dean of the School of Music, Dr. Kevin Sanders, who kindly gave a large portion of his day to interacting with Board members. The Board was then introduced to the newest class of graduate students, which uniquely includes a least one student in each of the available Church Music graduate programs (MM, MM/MDiv, DMA, PhD). Four students who traveled to Malaysia & Indonesia on the Music & Missions trip in May shared their perspective on the trip's impact both personally and professionally. Other conversations included a development update from Amy Grant and an update from Chason Disheroon, Associate Director for the Dunn Center, on new initiatives and the role the Board can play.
Visiting scholars Geraldine Latty-Luce and Carey Luce provided entertainment at the Board luncheon. You can see a clip of their collaborative performance below! The worship service was led by DMA student Sylvia Jones and featured a talented ensemble of Church Music students, both singers and instrumentalists. Dr. Stephen Newby, Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship and Professor of Music, delivered the homily on Colossians 3:16.
The Center's primary goal can be summarized as supporting Christian Music's role in the life of the church and its members. The Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies Advisory Board is a diverse representation of a broad range of gifts and areas of expertise. The board meets two times per year in October and February. As a Center, we are continually looking for ways to enhance our financial position and build our endowment and operational funds. The financial contributions and general support from this board help our Center offer several yearly events, support students using music in missional settings, provide opportunities for students to interact with key Christian music leaders from around the world, and much more.