USC Celebrates the Installation of Dean Jason King
By Deanna Gasparyan
On Monday, October 9 at USC’s Town & Gown, colleagues, friends and students gathered to witness the official installation of Jason King as Dean of the USC Thornton School of Music. Inducted into his new role by USC President Carol L. Folt, King was joined on stage by Provost Andrew T. Guzman, former Dean Robert Cutietta and Vice Provost of the Arts and former Interim Dean of USC Thornton, Josh Kun.
Following the ceremony, USC Today celebrated Dean King with a feature published on October 10. They covered the highlights including King’s installation speech about discovering music in his childhood, his work as a ‘multihyphenate,’ and his vision as dean of USC Thornton.
Provost Andrew T. Guzman and USC President Carol L. Folt join USC Thornton Dean Jason King onstage to present the Tracy and Gene Sykes Dean’s Chair of the USC Thornton School of Music, alongside former Dean Robert Cutietta and Vice Provost Josh Kun. (Photos by Sean David Christensen & Steve Cohn)
“The Thornton School must be poised to respond and to educate music creators on how to sustain themselves professionally and have established careers in the midst of such unpredictability,” King said in his speech. “There’s a huge opportunity for Thornton to lead and to proactively push us forward into a sustainable and robust future of music.”
In addition to his goals for the future, USC Today highlighted King’s respect for the past. This was not only evident in King’s opening remarks honoring his ancestors, but also in his closing remarks. He thanked former USC Thornton Dean Robert Cutietta as well as the family of the school’s namesake, Flora Thornton. Both were in the audience at the installation ceremony.
“I’m proud to lead a school that bears your family name,” King said to the Thornton family. “I promise to elevate it and give it the honor that it deserves.”
The celebration continued Monday over national airwaves when King was featured as a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered. As a frequent contributor for NPR Music, King discussed his latest review of Doja Cat’s new album, Scarlet.
