Attorney Jim Lucchese Appointed President of Berklee College of Music

Attorney Jim Lucchese, who is also a seasoned leader in the music industry with over two decades of experience in artist advocacy and service innovation, has been appointed as the 5th President of Berklee College of Music effective January 1, 2025.  Lucchese has been the CEO of Sofar Sounds and The Echo Nest.  In 2017 and 2018, Lucchese was a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, where he focused on artists' rights to terminate exclusive grants of copyright.

A graduate of Georgetown University School of Law, he began his legal career as an artist-side music attorney at Greenberg Traurig in New York. 

Lucchese has served on several Berklee advisory committees over the past 15 years, including the President’s Advisory Council, the Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship, and the Pre-College, Online, and Professional Programs Advisory Committee.

Dickinson State College President Stephen Easton, J.D. Resigns Amid Nursing Crisis

President Easton of Dickinson State College in North Dakota resigned this month amid tensions with the faculty in the College’s nursing program. 

The seven full-time faculty members refused to renew their contracts because of a requirement that they teach an average of 13.3 student per class stating that it was unreasonable. While the College attempted to hire new faculty members to replace the seven, the State Nursing Board blocked the move. Since the only option was to rehire the seven faculty members, Easton resigned since he did not support the action.  Easton was attempting to reorganize the program that was not financially sustainable.

Easton had been appointed President of Dickinson State College in 2020 following a four-month appointment as interim President.  He had previously served as the Dean and professor of law at the University of Wyoming College of Law, where he also taught trial skills. He was also on the faculty at the University of Missouri Columbia School of Law.  

Easton served as U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota. He also had been a partner in the law firm of Pearce & Durick in North Dakota. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School.  

David Wippman to Retire from Hamilton College

David Wippman who has served as President of Hamilton College since 2016 is set to retire at the end of the month.  He gave an interview to Inside Higher Ed today.

President Wipmman served as the dean of Cornell Law School (where he also served as vice provost for international relations) and he was dean at the University of Minnesota Law School prior to his appointment at Hamilton College.  Prior to his law school experience, Wippman was in private practice in Washington, DC.  The Hamilton magazine contains an article discussing Wippman’s background.