Meet the Interim Assistant Dean
Dr. Meghan Merciers
Dr. Meghan Merciers is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a current resident of Florence, Alabama. She is Interim Assistant Dean of the School of the Arts (SOTA) in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering and Associate Professor of Music at the University of North Alabama (UNA) with an applied focus in clarinet. Dr. Merciers has a passion for education and interdisciplinary collaboration and believes these to be some of the most effective forms of arts advocacy. Dr. Merciers has given numerous masterclasses throughout the United States and held performer and lecturer residencies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Courbevoie near Paris and the Conservatoire de Limonest in Lyon, France. Before joining UNA in August 2013, Dr. Merciers taught at Albion College and the Flint School of Performing Arts in Michigan.
Dr. Merciers is principal clarinet of the Shoals Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs in the Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, and North Mississippi Symphony Orchestras. She is an active soloist and chamber musician and frequently performs recitals and lectures with her ensembles, Una Duo, Trio Leo, I voci delle leonesse, and Devil Sticks. Dr. Merciers has toured internationally with the French-American Chamber Orchestra in Lyon, France, for a multilingual adaptation of Bernstein's West Side Story; in clarinet trio in Assisi, Italy, at the 2013 International Clarinet Association's ClarinetFest; and performed and lectured at numerous state, regional, national, and international conferences. Her most current publication is Radio Static with her ensemble Devil Sticks, which can be streamed on Apple Music, Spotify, and Band Camp.
Dr. Merciers earned all of her degrees in Music Performance, including a Doctor of Musical Arts from Michigan State University, a Master of Music from the University of New Mexico, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Her primary artist-teachers include Dr. Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, Professor Keith Lemmons, Dr. Nikolasa Tejero, and Dr. Peter Temko. Dr. Merciers has endorsements as a Silverstein Pro Team Artist, Backun Artist, and Yamaha Performing Artist. She is also active in the Alabama Music Educators Association and is a member of the Governing Board as State Collegiate Advisor for the Alabama Collegiate National Association for Music Education (ALcNAfME). Dr. Merciers earned certification from the Performing Arts Medicine Association as an Arts Educator for the Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine Certificate Course in Instrumental Music.
Dr. Meghan Merciers has been selected as the new Executive Director of the School of the Arts at the University of North Alabama.
"I am honored to serve as the first female Executive Director of SOTA and delighted that this appointment coincided with the sesquicentennial celebration of the admittance of women at UNA," Merciers said.
The University launched the Year of the UNA Woman in June, a celebration of 150 years of admitting women to the institution, making UNA the first state-supported four-year institution of higher education in the southeast to do so.
"Dr. Merciers is the exact right leader at the exact right time for SOTA," said Dr. Ross Alexander, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. "She has great ideas, and I support them fully."
Before being named SOTA's Executive Director, Merciers was the Chair of the Department of Music, a position she had from 2018 until 2021.
"Dr. Merciers has distinguished herself as an outstanding administrator during her term as Chair of the Department of Music," said. Dr. Sara Lynn Baird, Dean of the College of Arts, Science, and Engineering. "She brings leadership skills, a strong student-focused vision and goals, exceptional credentials as a musician and teacher, and a passion for the arts in her community to her new role. We are excited about the possibilities for SOTA under her leadership."
SOTA is at work on a five-year strategic plan that will align with the goals set forth by CASE and the University. The variety of exhibitions, performances, plays, catered events, films, and showcases by the departments of Visual Art and Design, Music, and Cinematic Arts and Theatre have continued under Merciers's leadership.
"Our vision is to connect and collaborate to grow arts advocacy in our UNA community, the Shoals, and beyond," Merciers said. "With a SOTA Student Leader team comprised of almost all of the School of the Arts programs, multidisciplinary projects will be a highlight, with endeavors such as a group art installation at I2E2 and a partnership with the Sesquicentennial Task Force showcasing all of the arts for the Year of the UNA Woman."
Additionally, SOTA is co-sponsoring several events this academic year, including I2E2: GenCCreatives Building Community, a conference promoting equity and inclusion in the arts in collaboration with the Mitchell-West Center for Social Inclusion. SOTA will also have a residency by The Innocents, advocacy for social justice through performance art, with the UNA Contemporary Ensemble and the UNA Percussion Studio in February 2022. The residency with The Innocents will include a concert and workshops with the UNA Percussion Ensemble as well as the UNA Contemporary Ensemble.
- Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256-606-2033 or 256-765-4392