School of Music

1894—Howe resigns from deanship; Belle A. Mansfield appointed dean of the School of Music; Resigns in 1911

Belle A. Mansfield was named dean of the School of Art in 1893, and succeeded Howe as dean of the School of Music in 1894. Mansfield was the first woman to be admitted to the bar in the United States, and was not a professional musician, though she played the viola in the university orchestra.

Mansfield possessed extraordinary business and executive skills, and under her administration both schools overcame considerable debts and operated efficiently within a few years. Under Mansfield’s direction, enrollment in the School of Music increased from 116 students in 1895 to 300 in 1906. Each year, forty to fifty recital and concert performances were scheduled and featured performances from prominent visiting artists, most notably composer Edward MacDowell, violinist Maud Powell, John Philip Sousa and his band, and the Chicago and Cincinnati orchestras. One of Mansfield’s enduring contributions was to offer music lessons to Greencastle children in what was to become the Preparatory Department. Mansfield resigned in 1911 after a severe illness and died later that year.