Elected: 2024
Current Term Ends: 2028
Committees: Academic Affairs & Student Experience, Philanthropy & Engagement
Sara Haefeli is an associate professor of music theory, history, and composition in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. She teaches courses on music in its historical and social contexts. Her research focuses on music history pedagogy and is currently working on the eleventh edition of A History of Western Music,the most widely adopted music history textbook worldwide. She is also an expert on the American experimental tradition and has published on the composers John Cage and Caroline Shaw. She has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences and festivals. Haefeli is also an accomplished cellist who has performed as a soloist and chamber musician.
During her time at Ithaca College, Haefeli has volunteered to serve in a number of key capacities. As chair of the Academic Program Committee for six years, she mentored academic policy, program, and curricular development across the college, particularly with an eye toward issues of cross-disciplinary collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability. As a member of the most recent Presidential Search Committee, she helped craft the leadership profile and participated in difficult discussions as the committee narrowed the field of candidates. And as a member of the Academic Program Prioritization Strategic Plan Subgroup and then co-chair of the Academic Program Prioritization Advisory Committee, she helped draft the principles that guided difficult but critically important decisions about the size of the college, work that continued with her service on the Teaching Resource Allocation Committee.