Exactly one year ago this week, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance announced it would move to Loyola’s College of Music and Fine Arts from Los Angeles. This anniversary is being marked by the departure of senior vice president and New Orleans initiative director Suzan Jenkins.
“Suzan is a very qualified individual who has devoted her life to music and jazz. After almost a year with the Institute, it was mutually agreed that the position was not best suited for her,” Tom Carter, president of the Thelonious Monk Institute, wrote in an e-mail to The Maroon.
She was hired to manage the relocation of the institute from the University of Southern California to Loyola and to help the institute meet its programmatic goals, Jenkins wrote in an e-mail to The Maroon.
“Using jazz as a catalyst, we focused available resources on the establishment of a sound relationship with the faculty and administration at Loyola and worked at fully integrating our students into the Loyola community,” Jenkins wrote.
There was a feeling that “the job wasn’t getting done,” said students close to the institute who asked to remain anonymous. They cite a lack of communication and advertising for the institute from Jenkins, along with students not receiving schedules in enough time before events.
In response to her critics, Jenkins points to her previous administrative experience.
“I stand on my 20-year sterling record as a commended administrator,” she said, citing her experience at the Jazz Alliance International; at the International Association of Jazz Education; at the Smithsonian Institution, and at other institutions and festivals.
The institute is proceeding as usual with its students and the program, Carter wrote. He added that students should contact the office with any concerns.
“The institute has brought on Vincent Bennett to handle the day to day operations and Daniel Seeff of our staff (who has managed the college program for over eight years) is working closely with Vincent and our students regarding their academic responsibilities,” he wrote.
Carter said he has spoken with Edward Kvet, dean of Loyola’s College of Music and Fine Arts, about the turnover and is confident the institute will maintain its strong relationship with the college.
Jordan Hultine can be reached at [email protected].
