Daehler

slideshow

FRANK LEWIS

PDT Staff Writer

Dr. Carl Daehler has stepped down as executive director of the Shawnee State University Vern Riffe Center for the Arts to accept a position on the faculty at SSU teaching in the expanding SSU Music Department, and he says there is more to the story than what is being announced at this time.

“I really can’t comment on it right now,” Daehler said Wednesday afternoon. “All I can say is there’s more to the story, as you might expect.”

The University told the Times on Wednesday that Daehler was in the process of returning to the classroom.

“Carl has helped us bring a number of world-class performers to the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts over the past 17 years,” SSU President Rita Rice Morris said, “and he has helped to promote the arts in our community. We thank him for his years of service in that role and know that he will help a growing number of students gain a better understanding and appreciation of music in the classroom.”

Daehler said Wednesday he had not seen the news release sent from the University.

“My comment would be that this came somewhat as a surprise,” Daehler said. “But we were able to work things out amicably. And, it is true that I wanted to keep my options open, and I think the university agreed with that and worked with me on that. That’s not to say that things might change in the future, but, for right now, I think that we have worked together on doing something that I have thought about — that is, get back into teaching, and I’m just leaving my options open, and that they were able to work with me on that. I think there is more of the story to tell. I think right now that I am pleased to be able to go back to teaching, which I did for about six to eight years before getting into the arts management business. And they certainly need some help in that area and I am glad to help them out.”

Daehler holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts, a Master of Music Education, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Michigan. He also attended Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria. Before joining SSU in 1995, he spent five years conducting and appeared with a variety of orchestras throughout the country. He also previously served as administrator of the Ann Arbor Chamber Orchestra for 10 years.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to continue to grow our music department at Shawnee State University,” said Dr. Dave Todt, SSU Provost. “We will soon launch a new musical theater program and our goal is to kick-start the program with the incredible talent and resources we have available to us in this community.”

Daehler will begin teaching this fall semester.

“I think my big concern in this whole situation was the integrity of the Performing Arts Series with SOPAA (Southern Ohio Performing Arts Association), and I have certainly left the operation of that to SOPAA, and I trust they will have the ability to move ahead with that,” Daehler said. “One reason for coming back to Portsmouth was to do the most we could in making the arts a positive part of the community amongst all of the other things that go on, and I think we’ve accomplished that. Certainly I don’t leave this in someone else’s hands because I felt frustrated or felt that it wasn’t working, but that I felt we had accomplished a great deal, and look forward to years to come.”

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.com.