More than three years after a search committee first convened to select a new director for the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, the position has finally been filled.
Ethnomusicologist Leon Dunkley, the leading candidate who withdrew his name from consideration in July, will take over the post next summer.
"While there are still a few details to be worked out and signatures to be gotten, he should be here by the start of next year," said Vice President for Student Affairs Janet Dickerson in a brief announcement Sunday night.
Dunkley, reached at his parents' home in New Jersey, confirmed his acceptance. "It's a singular opportunity, so I'm very, very excited to be accepting the position," he said, adding that he remained actively interested in the position during the past five months.
Sunday's announcement concludes the search saga that began in 1995 with the death of the center's founder, Professor of English Ed Hill. A national search was abandoned in 1996 when it failed to yield a qualified candidate, and since then the process has been plagued by setbacks and abandoned deadlines.
The most recent occurred last month, when it became clear that the only official finalist for the job would not be available for the spring semester.
Dunkley, a jazz pianist with a recent doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, has not been an official candidate since July. But he spoke informally with several top administrators about the position during a November campus visit.
"The 'official' and 'non-official' status, I don't really understand a lot of that," he said. "I was down there to speak [about Mary Lou Williams, a jazz musician], and I was just concentrating on doing a good job at that."
Ever since that weekend, Dunkley has been negotiating with the University.
Dunkley accepted a one-year appointment at Brooklyn College last summer because he wanted to teach. Afterward, however, it became clear that he would have had teaching opportunities at the University through a joint appointment with the music department.
Dunkley said that although he does not know if he will receive an appointment in the music department, he will investigate the possibility.
Trinity senior and Black Student Alliance President Micah Mitchell, who met with Dunkley during his initial interview, called the appointment an important step.
"[It] will definitely contribute to the campus climate by improving programming and enabling the center to have a visible and clear presence on the campus," she said.
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