Walnut Hill School, the oldest secondary school for the
arts in the nation, has appointed Eileen
Soskin of Johns Hopkins as the 11th head of the
institution, effective July 1. Soskin currently serves
as associate vice provost for the arts at the university
and as associate dean for academic affairs at
the Peabody Conservatory.
Founded in 1893 and located in Natick, Mass., Walnut
Hill is a private, coeducational, boarding
and day school for grades 9 to 12 with students from all
over the world.
Elizabeth Paine McClendon, president of the school's
board of trustees, said, "A professor,
administrator, published writer, singer and pianist, Dr.
Soskin has the experience, integrity and
ambition to lead Walnut Hill with a clear understanding of
our goals and mission."
"Eileen Soskin's passion for the arts is infectious,"
said Kristina M. Johnson, provost and senior
vice president for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins. "Her
vision for the role of the arts in culture
and education is compelling. Equally important, however,
for Walnut Hill: Eileen is also unusually good
at focusing that passion and vision in very practical ways
to achieve outstanding results."
Jeffrey Sharkey, director of the Peabody Institute,
said, "While I am saddened to lose such a
wonderful colleague at Peabody, I am delighted that Walnut
Hill will benefit from Eileen's leadership.
I am also glad to continue the warm friendship between
Walnut Hill School and the Peabody
Institute."
Soskin has chaired Peabody's Music Theory Department,
overseen curricular and accreditation
reviews, led all academic affairs for the conservatory and,
most recently, has been charged with
raising the visibility of the arts on the Homewood campus.
She holds a bachelor's degree in music from
the University of California at Berkeley, a master's in
music theory from San Francisco State
University and a doctorate in musicology from Berkeley.
An official inauguration is being planned for fall.