Schools

CCBC Names New Dean for School of Liberal Arts

William Watson is a 35-year employee of The Community College of Baltimore County.

William Watson has been named the new Dean of Instruction for The Community College of Baltimore County's School of Liberal Arts.

Watson, a 35-year employee of the college, steps in to the position vacated when F. Scott Black retired, according to a statement from the college.

In his new role, Watson will be responsible for the "quality of teaching and learning" and will be in charge of the development and evaluation of curriculum and programs within the School of Liberal Arts.

He will also oversee the college system's three theaters.

The college has main campuses in Dundalk, Essex and Catonsville.

"I am honored to be able to continue in fulfilling the legacy of my predecessors, particularly that of F. Scott Black, whom I have known since 1975, when I was the pit percussionist at the Cockpit in Court Theatre and he was Managing Director," Watson wrote in an email to Patch. "Since that time, he has been a teacher, mentor, and friend, and his tireless work in shaping the School of Liberal Arts into the well-structured and well-run entity that it is today has made my work all the easier."

Watson began his career at CCBC in 1978 as a music adjunct faculty member. After he joined the college full-time, Watson held a variety of positions, including music program coordinator and chairman of the performing arts and humanities program with the liberal arts school.

During Watson's tenure as performing arts and humanities chairman, the school's music program renewed its 10-year reaccreditation with the National Association of Schools of Music, according to the statement. The school is for the first time applying for accreditation of its dance program this year, and the theater program's reaccreditation process will begin in 2015.

Successful bids for those programs would make CCBC the only community college in the country to have all three of its performing arts programs with the national recognition of excellence provided by such accreditation, according to the statement.

Watson is a drummer and percussionist who has been performing for over 40 years, He is also a composer and has performed and conducted at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and the Lyric and Hippodrome theaters.

He received a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in music composition from Towson University. He earned his doctoral degree in music composition from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Watson grew up in Baltimore County and is a 1975 graduate of Overlea High School. He now lives in the Beverly Hills neighborhood of northeast Baltimore.


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