DAN QUAGLIANA
Managing Editor
Dr. Rob Deemer is a name that most students have probably heard floating around campus, even if they don’t know exactly who he is.
Finding out all that he does will take a long time, simply because he accomplishes so much around the university.
Deemer is, first and foremost, a professor in the School of Music who focuses on music composition.
He grew up in DeKalb, Illinois, “in the cornfields about 80 miles west of Chicago,” as he describes it. He completed his undergraduate degree in music education at Northern Illinois University (NIU).
“After playing saxophone for a year on a cruise ship in the western Caribbean,” he said, “I studied film scoring at the University of Southern California, did my master’s in composition and a Performer’s Certificate in conducting back at NIU[. I] finally completed my studies with my doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin.”
In the fall of 2007, Fredonia hired him to become the head of the music composition program, a role he continues to fill to this day.
Deemer is also the chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance (TADA), a department that he doesn’t teach in.
He admits that he never formally studied the area in academia, but, “I’ve been in theatrical productions for most of my life, and having experience as an actor, lighting designer, pit conductor and composer for both theatre and dance gives me enough context in order to understand the needs of the students, faculty, staff and the department as a whole,” he explained.
In 2022, the administration “asked if I would serve as an interim [TADA chair] for a year, and after a year of working with my theatre colleagues, they elected me to officially fill the role.”
Working with both music and theatre students has given Deemer a unique perspective on those departments, whose projects often overlap because of their similarities.
“Both the School of Music and the Department of Theatre and Dance stand out [to me] because our doors are always open for students pursuing other majors to get involved in the performing arts in ways that most schools can’t offer,” he said. “Besides our amazing students and our incredibly passionate and talented faculty, we have so many standout degree programs that provide our students with the opportunity not only to dig deep into one primary discipline but to get the chance to try their hand at whatever else they’d like to explore.”
Students who study outside of the School of Music and TADA might recognize Deemer’s name in a completely different context. This year, he’ll be serving as the president of Fredonia’s University Senate, making him the de facto spokesperson for faculty and staff.
“I was Senate Chair from 2012-2016,” he explained, “so I’m taking on this role for the second time for two reasons: the number of faculty who have time, experience and inclination to facilitate the Senate has dwindled considerably, and we’re obviously dealing with some incredibly important issues in the next few years.”
Deemer has been active in faculty governance since the 2009-2010 academic year at Fredonia, which was his third one teaching. Since then, he has “always been interested in exploring how to improve how things work here at Fredonia.”
Being so involved in governance matters for so long has allowed him to be unusually privy to the constantly changing nature of the university.
“The university’s overall character — the ethos, [if] you will — has remained essentially the same. We are known for being caring and friendly and giving students the chance to create strong relationships with both their faculty and other students that will last far beyond their graduation,” he said. “While our numbers have reduced greatly, we’ve never not been in a financially precarious position, so, unfortunately, that hasn’t changed either. Our student body has, however, become much more diverse, and I think that has helped make this a better campus.”
The work of one who’s involved in so many goings-on in the university is never done, and Deemer is “quite sure most of our work will entail jump scares and surprises that we have no idea are coming,” he said, remarking on the Senate’s agenda for the upcoming year.
“Still, as much as one can plan for things, I intend to work with the Senate and our administration on issues that we can address, including Senate representation, strengthening faculty agency in curricular matters, implementing the Strategic Plan and ultimately finding ways to bring more students to Fredonia.”
Deemer took care to stress that, “The University Senate represents students as well as faculty and staff here at Fredonia, so if they have any issues they feel that the Senate should be aware of, feel free to reach out to me at deemer@fredonia.edu.
“Other than that,” he declared, “I suppose I will remain a quiet man of mystery.”