CCM welcomes Jordan M. Davis as Assistant Dean of Admissions

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Jordan M. Davis, MA, as the college's new Assistant Dean of Admissions. In this role, Davis will be responsible for the vision, strategy and execution of all undergraduate and graduate recruitment and admissions for CCM. Working in partnership with college and university leadership, Davis will work to ensure that CCM's enrollment goals continue to align with its artistic and academic priorities. His appointment begins on Oct. 1, 2026.

Davis has similarly focused on strengthening the role of faculty as partners in enrollment and recruitment. Understanding that performing arts recruitment is fundamentally relational — and that faculty often serve as an institution’s most compelling ambassadors — he developed and implemented a digital faculty recruitment toolkit designed to give faculty practical, accessible resources for engaging prospective students. The toolkit was complemented by a refreshed suite of physical recruitment materials and helped create clearer pathways between faculty-led recruitment conversations and the university’s formal admissions processes. This work strengthened faculty confidence in participating actively in recruitment while helping the Conservatory better capture and support the prospective-student relationships that faculty cultivate through performances, master classes, conferences, guest lectures, off-site auditions and other activities.

Davis’ approach to admissions is grounded in the belief that effective recruitment is not simply a matter of increasing application numbers, but of building systems that allow students to develop authentic relationships with the institution and visualize their futures as members of our community. His work emphasizes thoughtful communication, process improvement, cross-functional collaboration, and the intentional use of technology to remove barriers between students, faculty, staff, and the institution. In the performing arts — where an applicant’s decision to enroll is often deeply connected to professional training opportunities, community, and a sense of belonging — Davis is particularly interested in developing admissions practices that recognize the student as a whole person with uniquely situated opportunities, questions and challenges.

Davis holds an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Sociology and History from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. His academic background informs his professional interest in the ways that institutional and personal feelings of opportunity, belonging and access blend, as well as his broader commitment to understanding the social and cultural dimensions of higher education.

Outside of his work in admissions, Davis is a passionate artist and arts enthusiast. He is an active choral singer who has served as a substitute section leader with several Kansas City church choirs and performed with ensembles under the direction of Dr. Robert Bode, Dr. Jennifer Sengin, and Ms. Susan Klebanow. Davis has also been an active adult recreational ballet dancer since 2021. In addition, he is an avid fan of the Eurovision Song Contest which he had the privilege of attending in Basel, Switzerland in May 2025.

"Jordan Davis brings great experience from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, which is a large public institution with a structure very similar to ours, and we look forward to the ideas and strategies he will bring to this important office," said Jutras. "We are very excited to welcome Jordan to our team next month. Please join me in thanking our search committee — chaired by Larry Daniels with Dror Biran, Rachel Calin, Charlie Calvert, Elaine Cox, Jessie Grant, Jasmine Guo, Meg Hensley, Stephanie Schlagel, Matthew Schatt and Jon Weller — which did an outstanding job of bringing in a very strong pool of candidates."

Davis will succeed John Martin, CCM's current Assistant Dean of Admissions, who is retiring from the university this fall. "Please also join me in thanking our retiring Assistant Dean of Admissions, John Martin, as he concludes his time at CCM," said Jutras. "John cares deeply about CCM and our students, and his work in CCM Prep and the Office of Admissions has had an indelible positive impact on CCM.”

Featured image at the top: Jordan Davis, CCM's incoming Assistant Dean of Admissions. Photo/Brandon Parigo