As we approach the halfway mark of the spring semester, and the two-year mark for the pandemic, I am pleased to be able to report that for the most part we are functioning normally, and that as the trajectory continues to improve, we look forward to the relaxation of restrictions that affect all our lives.\u00a0 I continue to be so proud of how our students have persevered during this very challenging time, and how our faculty and staff have worked hard to ensure that we could continue to fulfill the mission of educating the next generation of performing artists, teachers, and scholars.<\/p>\n
We were pleased to recently welcome Sam Wilson<\/a> to Peabody as our new Associate Dean for Finance & Administration\/Divisional Business Officer.\u00a0 Sam came to us with over 14 years of experience, from his post as Chief Business Officer for the College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, a position he held for five years.\u00a0 In his previous role Sam was responsible for the management and oversight of all administrative and business functions including budgeting and planning; procurement services; human resources; research administration; information technology; and facilities planning.\u00a0 Sam brings deep knowledge in strategic business development as well as strong experience and analysis of financial business models to manage and plan for current and future activities, programs, and the development of new revenue streams.<\/p>\n The Peabody Preparatory<\/a> is a critical part of the Institute, and a primary connector throughout the region.\u00a0 With campuses in Mt. Vernon, Towson, Howard County, and Annapolis, Peabody Prep serves thousands of budding musicians and dancers across the mid-Atlantic area.\u00a0 A new location in Howard County, housed in St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church, is an exciting development that will allow us to further expand our base of activities in Howard County.<\/p>\n While we have mostly been able to weather the financial fallout of two years of COVID, a slowdown in the pace of enrollment growth coupled with significant investments we have needed to make in COVID protocols to carry on and keep our community safe has inevitably had some impact.\u00a0 Nonetheless, Peabody has been determined to remain on track with both our strategic Breakthrough Plan 2024 and the accompanying financial plan to reduce longstanding structural deficits.\u00a0 While we remain poised to post the smallest operating deficit in years for FY22, we expect to continue the hard work of reducing and eliminating structural deficits in the coming year.\u00a0 As we turn this important financial corner, we can turn our attention to building positive operating margins in the years ahead which will be critical to help fund major capital upgrades to our Mt. Vernon campus.<\/p>\nPeabody Prep Expansion<\/h3>\n
Continuing to Strengthen our Financial Position<\/h3>\n