CIM adopts visionary Blueprint:2030 plan at 2025 Annual Meeting

CIM’s 2025 Annual Meeting looked forward – to a bold, re-imagined future – as the CIM Board and leadership unveiled Blueprint:2030, a new, five-year strategic plan to cement CIM’s place as a top destination for the world’s most talented classical music students.  

The plan, which contains ambitious goals related to graduate outcomes, enrollment, budgeting, and philanthropy, was adopted Tuesday, Dec. 9 by CIM’s Board of Trustees at a private organizational meeting which followed the public Annual Meeting.   

“There is no long-term future for a tuition-centric top conservatory that refuses to operate with the disciplines and best practices of an institution of higher learning,” said Paul W. Hogle, CIM’s President & CEO, in his introduction to the plan.  

“Peer institutions are moving decisively toward tuition-free or no-loan models. If we do not match that boldness and further refine our practice of educational norms, we cannot compete for the world’s most gifted student artists.” 

Blueprint:2030 outlines the task ahead. Following more than two years of strategic workshops, planning sessions, and visioning exercises, a “prevailing reality” was identified, alongside the pathways to ensure CIM was able to respond.  

That pivotal question, “Does CIM consistently prepare every student to envision and compete for a top-echelon music career?,” guides each step outlined in the new strategic plan. “It is the Northstar by which we will measure our progress in these next five years,” Hogle said.  

Three strategic imperatives form the core of Blueprint:2030. They are: Student Achievement, People and Practices, and CIM’s Business Model.  

Toward the first imperative, Student Achievement, Blueprint:2030 envisions new courses, secondary majors, and enhanced career planning to better prepare graduates for a rapidly changing professional landscape. 

“This is not about producing more graduates,” said Dean Southern, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute. “It is a commitment to developing artists whose excellence earns them the profession’s most esteemed opportunities and whose contributions shape the future of our art form.” 

Board Chair Dr. Susan A. Rothmann shared details of the second imperative, People and Practices. She outlined plans for leadership succession, structured shared governance via a permanent version of CIM’s Transitional Faculty Council, a focus on attracting and retaining great employees committed to “a culture of belonging” and “authentic inclusivity,” and a global push for greater awareness of and pride in the CIM brand. 

“People and Practices is not the soft side of our plan,” Rothmann said. “It is the beating heart.”  

The contours of the third and final imperative, the Business Model, were made clear by Eric W. Bower (MM ’82, HDMA ’23), Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and the school’s former Senior Vice President.  

No longer, Bower said, can CIM rely on tuition as its primary source of revenue. Indeed, he shared, the tuition model among small colleges is “collapsing.” The best option for CIM, then, is to pursue its “Moonshot” vision – a tuition-free future. 

To that end, Bower said, CIM will enact several measures, with the short-term goal of balanced budgets by 2028. It will seek an economically driven balance among areas of study; test and launch secondary majors; invest in “pipeline” youth, summer, and continuing education programs; and maximize income from facility rentals and ticket sales.  

By way of conclusion, Executive Vice President & Provost Scott Harrison encouraged the school’s many other constituencies to help CIM realize the vision of Blueprint:2030. 

In his remarks, Provost Harrison also shared an update on negotiations with the union representing approximately 120 of CIM’s faculty. Negotiations have been progressing productively, respectfully, and on pace, with the parties reaching agreement on 15 articles to be included in this first Collective Bargaining Agreement. He shared CIM’s commitment to completing a fair and equitable agreement that values faculty contributions. 

Below are other highlights from the last fiscal year. For more information about CIM’s many other successes in 2025, please visit cim.edu/advantage. 

ACCREDITATION 

A 10-year journey reached a successful conclusion this May, when the Higher Learning Commission reaffirmed the school’s accreditation for the next decade.  

The decision marked the next, critical step in a 20-year process that began in 2015, when the HLC put CIM on Notice, and the school embarked on a thorough re-evaluation of its educational practices and standards.  

During that time, virtually every faculty and staff system in place to deliver a world-class education was considered, and many required adaptations, even as the teaching and student outcomes of CIM’s studios, ensembles, and classrooms maintained their high standards.  

In its evaluation, the HLC Visiting Team praised CIM for implementing its Blueprint:100 strategic plan and for making notable strides in assessment, program review, general education, use of data, operational effectiveness, facilities, fundraising, and planning.  

“The discipline of many led to the success of the 2025 accreditation evaluation,” said Trustee Charles P. Cooley, co-chair of the CIM Academic Affairs Committee and Chair of the 2016 Accreditation Working Team.   

“While there remains, and to some degree will always remain, work to do, our faculty, staff, trustees, and students should feel valued as members of a community that earned these high marks of progress.”    

KULAS HALL  

CIM this fall renewed its dedication to the world’s finest classical music students and status as a premier concert destination with the grand reopening of a state-of-the-art Kulas Hall.   

Every facet of the $22.5 million transformation was conceived with cutting-edge acoustic technology to ensure clarity, warmth, and balance of sound. The result is a space in which music can be heard at its finest, a hall that elevates the artistry of musicians and will serve as a vibrant hub for Greater Cleveland for years to come.  

“Kulas Hall represents a bold investment in the future of music,” Hogle said. “This makes our school a destination for aspiring musicians from around the globe who want to study, perform, and thrive in a setting that supports their talent.” 

Funding for the renovation kicked off with a planning grant followed by a $1 million gift from the Kulas Foundation. A history-making $5 million gift from Kevin & Kristen Stein and Family soon followed. Eventually, with the help of dozens of donors and generous support from the State of Ohio, the project exceeded its funding goals.  

Under the leadership of Board Chair Dr. Susan A. Rothmann and Kulas Hall Task Force Chair and CIM Trustee Bonnie M. Cook (BM ’77), planning for the renovation of Kulas Hall began in earnest in 2022. 

Cleveland-based J. KURTZ Architects designed the new space with a darker color palette that centers attention on the stage and music and fosters connections between performers and audiences.   

Work by Turner Construction began in May 2024 and was completed on time and on budget in September 2025. Other partners included engineering firms Algebra AEC and Barber & Hoffman, as well as Theatre Projects and project manager Cost+Plus.   

NEW FACULTY 

CIM received a significant infusion of talent this year, as the school prepares to conduct national searches to fill important vacancies. Over the course of 2025, 12 artist-teachers were appointed, most of them as guest lecturers.  

A complete list of new appointments is below:  

• Jerome Bell, guest lecturer, music theory
• Katherine Bormann, guest lecturer, violin
• Dean Buck, conducting faculty
• Benjamin Czarnota, voice, Joint Music Program
• Jeff Dee, guest lecturer, trombone
• Dani Dowler, guest lecturer, opera
• Lucas Harris, guest lecturer, lute
• Eun-song Koh, guest lecturer, violin
• Kiirsi Maunula Johnson, guest lecturer, horn
• Tito Muñoz, interim principal conductor and guest lecturer, orchestral studies
• Zoe Stier (BM ’22, Fink/Sindell), guest lecturer, flute
• Stephen Tavani, guest lecturer, violin 

OUTCOMES 

CIM alumni all over the world reported good news throughout 2025, alerting the school to professional appointments, competition prizes, notable awards, and other remarkable achievements.  

Among the many appointments were positions in the acclaimed New York Philharmonic and the internationally esteemed orchestras of Detroit, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. Others won posts in the Royal Swedish Orchestra, the United States Navy Band, and Seattle Opera.  

Alumni also won prominent posts in regional orchestras and performing arts institutions and received faculty appointments at noted colleges, universities, and conservatories. Three alumni also competed in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, while others won a Cleveland Arts Prize, Awards in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a spot in Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of 2025.  

“This is what we mean when we talk about the ‘CIM Advantage,’” Harrison said. “The top-echelon careers, awards, and accolades our graduates earn continue to illustrate the value of a CIM education.”  

A list of notable outcomes (in alphabetical order) is below: 

• Alabama Symphony Orchestra
• American Academy of Arts and Letters (Awards in Music)
• Angelo State University
• Asheville Symphony Orchestra
• Aviv Quartet
• Boston Symphony Orchestra (administration)
• Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
• Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles
• 2025 Cleveland Arts Prize
• Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Detroit Opera Orchestra
• Erie Philharmonic Orchestra
• Fort Worth Opera
• Hawaii Symphony Orchestra
• Lawrence University
• Metropolitan Opera Chorus
• Musical America Top 30 Professional of the Year for 2025
• New York Philharmonic
• Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
• Royal Swedish Orchestra
• Seattle Opera
• San Francisco Symphony
• San Francisco Conservatory of Music
• United States Navy Band
• University of Houston, Moores School of Music
• University of Louisville
• University of Nevada, Reno
• Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
• Virginia Tech  

PHILANTHROPY 

Below are some of the year’s many philanthropic highlights: 

• Fundraising for the Kulas Hall renovation surpassed the $12.5 million goal.
• More than 50 individuals gave gifts naming a seat in the new space.
• The 2025 Luminaries event was the most successful yet, welcoming some 200 guests and raising $175,000.  

• Institutional giving remained robust with more than 60 grants totaling nearly $750,000. 

   

TRUSTEES  

In addition to launching Blueprint:2030, Trustees at the 2025 Annual Meeting elected the class of 2028 and recognized retiring Trustees and those who passed away this year.  

The following Trustees were re-elected to new, three-year terms:  

• Michael W. Beedles
• C. Thomas Harvie
• Richard J. Hipple
• Peter Kjome
• Charles S. Marston
• Elliott L. Schlang 

The group also recognized two Trustees who were elected in the past calendar year:  

• Arthur F. Anton
• Duncan Stuart 

Additionally, Erica E. McGregor, a nationally recognized estate planning attorney, was unanimously elected to the Board of Trustees.  

With great appreciation for their service, CIM also thanked the following Trustees and ex-officio Members who retired from or rotated off the Board in the past year: 

• Trent M. Meyerhoefer 
• Susan Silverberg Bewie (ex-officio) 

Two Trustees also were appointed as Trustee Emeriti: Jeffrey B. Linton, Senior Advisor at Dixon & Eaton; and Shawn M. Riley, Chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee at McDonald Hopkins.  

The Board of Trustees also re-elected five members to leadership positions.  

Unanimously re-elected were Susan A. Rothmann, PhD, Chair; Eric W. Bower, Vice Chair; Kevin Stein, Vice Chair; Katrina Redmond, Treasurer; and Bonnie M. Cook, Secretary.  

Also re-elected were three Officers of the Institute: Paul W. Hogle, President & CEO; Scott Harrison, Executive Vice President & Provost; and Sarah Best, Assistant Secretary. Joseph Lawrence was newly elected as Assistant Treasurer.  

Two new figures with ongoing connections to the Institute were also added to CIM’s International Council: pianist Lang Lang and conductor JoAnn Falletta. This esteemed body of artists includes conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the late pianist André Watts, and Christoph von Dohnányi, music director laureate of The Cleveland Orchestra, who passed away in September.  

Finally, all those gathered reflected on members of the CIM community who passed away in 2025, viewing a commemorative slideshow accompanied by student violinist Hiroka Matsumoto.