Nashville State Introduces New Dean of English, Humanities, and Creative Technologies
The English, Humanities, and Creative Technologies Division at Nashville State Community College has a new dean. Dr. Michael Sundblad, former dean of Liberal Arts, Business, and Information Technology at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois, was chosen after a nationwide search. Sundblad started on June 1, 2022.
As dean, Dr. Sundblad will be responsible for academic, programmatic, managerial, and fiscal oversight and leadership of the division that has English, Communications, Creative Technologies, Humanities and Arts, and English as a Second Language programs.
“Dr. Sundblad brings a deep desire to lead the division to new heights by building on its success, supporting his faculty, and helping to make Nashville State the national leader in achieving equitable outcomes for our diverse community of learners,” said Dr. Carol Rothstein, vice president of Academic Affairs and Workforce Development.
Before joining Lewis and Clark Community College, Sundblad served as associate professor of Music and the chair of the Performing Arts Department at Thomas Nelson Community College in Virginia, a role he held for 14 years. While at TNCC, he founded and conducted musical theatre productions and the summer light opera series. Sundblad spearheaded a statewide initiative that led to the adoption of a degree structure completely new to Virginia, the Associate of Fine Arts (AFA). Dr. Sundblad currently co-teaches Quantitative Research Methods for doctoral music education students at Boston University each January.
He has worked as the music director for the Peninsula Youth Orchestra in Virginia, was the founding music director of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra at the University of St. Francis, and taught at Elgin Community College and North Central College, all three in Illinois.
“I am excited about the College’s vision, mission, and the core values and being a leader to engrain them in the internal culture and how we serve students and support each other,” said Sundblad. “It is an exciting time to be at Nashville State and I am ready to get ready to work.”
Sundblad holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from North Central College, a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Illinois State University, and a doctorate in Music Education from Boston University.
His dissertation research focused on student evaluations of marginalized community college instructors in the context of humanities courses. Dr. Sundblad is continuing his interest in research through the lens of equity in higher education: He has an article scheduled to run in Community College Review and is working on another research project examining barriers experienced by community college students who seek to enter the teaching profession.
