From Billboard · Ariel King · · 1m 30s
A Grammy producer takes over Frost
Matt Serletic went from Frost student to producing Santana and Aerosmith, and now he runs the school.
In brief
Matt Serletic went from Frost student to producing Santana and Aerosmith, and now he runs the school. Frost's next chapter is being led by someone who built a career in the industry it trains students for, and his stated bar is a career at graduation, not just a degree. Originally reported by Billboard.
Frost names its sixth dean
Matt Serletic is the new dean of the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, the sixth person to hold the job as the program passes its 100th year.
He studied in that building
Serletic earned both a bachelor's and a master's in music performance at the University of Miami before going out to produce Aerosmith, Santana and Willie Nelson.
Two Grammys on the shelf
He won record of the year for Santana's "Smooth" with Rob Thomas and album of the year for Supernatural, plus two producer of the year nominations in 2000 and 2001.
Not a cold start
Serletic has sat on the Frost dean's advisory committee since 2018, and he was one of 100 alumni given a Frost Centennial Medal for their work in the music industry.
Play it again, slower
Serletic traces 30 years in studios and tech companies back to one professor's note in class, and frames the deanship as paying that lesson back.
“The Frost School of Music taught me to listen.”
Careers, not just degrees
His pitch is a school tied tightly to Miami and the industry, with every student walking out employable. The provost points to Serletic's mix of creation, business and technology.
“I want this school to be fearless, close to Miami and the industry, and serious about every student graduating with a career, not just a degree.”
The essence
Frost's next chapter is being led by someone who built a career in the industry it trains students for, and his stated bar is a career at graduation, not just a degree.
