Mel Unger

Background

About Mel Unger

Melvin Unger is the Director of the School of Music at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he oversees more than 100 faculty and staff members and approximately 600 music majors. From 1998 to 2015 he served as Professor of Music and Director of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute at Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, Ohio). In 2012–2013, as a Fellow with the Emerging Leaders Program of the American Council on Education, he worked at Roosevelt University (Chicago) with President Charles Middleton in the university’s strategic planning process, alongside consultants from Penson Associates and Noel Levitz. During the year, he also met with leaders of more than 20 institutions of higher education, participating in discussions of the most pressing issues in higher education today. For Baldwin Wallace University, he researched best practices in integrating the liberal arts with professional career programs, referencing 46 colleges and universities. For Roosevelt University, he produced a study that identified the commonalities among 9 of the centers of excellence, relating his findings to the national literature and making recommendations on how the centers could be replicated. For DePaul University, he co-wrote a white paper on opportunities for leveraging their efforts in community engagement. During the year, he also completed the requirements for certification by the Society of College and University Planning. Dr. Unger has conducted the Singers’ Club of Cleveland since 2001. For 18 years he directed the Da Camera Singers of Edmonton (Canada). He holds degrees in music from the Universities of Illinois, Oregon, and Saskatchewan (Canada), and he was one of the first North American conductors to study with Bach specialist Helmuth Rilling at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst (Frankfurt). Dr. Unger's publications include scholarly articles, critical music editions, and 5 books.