Nancy J. Uscher

President, Cornish College of the Arts

Dr. Nancy J. Uscher served as president of Cornish College of the Arts from 2011 until 2016.  Previously she spent 12 years at the University of New Mexico in a variety of positions, including associate provost for academic affairs, professor of music and chairperson of the Music Department. She also created the Center for the Arts in Society, a think tank to examine arts-related public policy issues and to explore the arts as a catalyst for social change. From 2004 to 2011, Dr. Uscher was the provost and chief academic officer of the California Institute of the Arts as well as a faculty member of its Herb Alpert School of Music.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in music with distinction from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, a master’s degree in music from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. in music from New York University. She is also an Associate of the Royal College of Music in London. For two decades Dr. Uscher taught and performed as a concert violist before transitioning to a full-time career in academia. Her performance career included radio broadcasts, recitals, festival performances   and as a resident artist at a range of institutions. She has performed as a solo artist for the BBC and has participated in the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the Casals Festivals in Puerto Rico and Mexico. Dr. Uscher is the author of dozens of articles and two books: Your Own Way in Music: A Career and Resource Guide and The Schirmer Guide to Schools of Music and throughout the World.