University of Miami’s Frost School of Music Names Matt Serletic Dean

Matt Serletic has been named the new dean for University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Serletic attended University of Miami and graduated from the program holding both a Bachelors and Masters in music performance, and has gone on to produce songs for Aerosmith, Santana, Willie Nelson and more.

Serleta has also won two Grammys, including record of the year for Santana’s “Smooth” and album of the year for Supernatural. Since 2018, he’s served as a member of the dean’s advisory committee for the Frost School of Music. The program recently commemorated 100 years of the program, with Serleta named the school’s sixth dean.

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“The Frost School of Music taught me to listen,” Serletic tells Billboard. “A professor told me to play it again, slower, and listen this time. I’ve spent 30 years doing exactly that in studios and inside the biggest technology companies in the world, and now I get to pay it back. The business has never needed better-trained people more than it does right now. I want this school to be fearless, close to Miami and the industry, and serious about every student graduating with a career, not just a degree.”

Joel Samuels, executive vp for academic affairs at University of Miami, said of Serletic’s appointment, “Across the University of Miami, we are seeing innovation take shape in new and meaningful ways, opening opportunities within our schools, departments and academic programs that span the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. That’s why we recognize that Matt Serletic’s remarkable and wide-ranging experience as a musician and music industry veteran positions him to lead the Frost School of Music into its next century of landmark transformation for the benefit of its students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners.

“The Frost School of Music has earned a reputation as one of the top music schools in the U.S. and around the world and, as such, regularly brings new students, faculty, and opportunities to the University of Miami,” Samuels continued. “With a unique background that combines musical creation, performance, business, technology and leadership skills, Matt Serletic will be able to partner with the extraordinary faculty and students of the Frost School to further elevate the school’s impact and reach.”

Serletic was one of 100 alumni of the program to receive a Frost Centennial Medal recognizing his contributions to the music industry.