Berklee College of Music President Roger H. Brown announced yesterday the appointment of Dr. Lawrence J. Simpson as the school’s Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, a position only created recently. Simpson will begin his duties, which will include leading and overseeing the academic initiatives of the college, on Aug. 22.
Simpson comes with a history in university leadership, as he enhanced programs at the Cuyahoga Community College’s (Tri-C) Metropolitan Campus in Cleveland, Ohio where he had served as the president and chief academic officer for the past year. Prior to that, he was head of the college’s Eastern Campus for 11 years.
At Cuyahoga Community College, he was responsible for expanding the college’s arts and cultural programs including the Tri-C Jazz Festival-Cleveland and the college’s recording arts and technology and community music programs. In addition, Simpson managed Tri-C’s partnerships with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Playhouse Square. He earned his undergraduate degree from Kent State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
