Elisa Dekaney is associate provost for strategic initiatives. In this role, she works to strengthen the academic experience through strong connections with campus and community-based programs, particularly in the arts and humanities. Dekaney oversees University-based cultural organizations like the Syracuse University Art Museum, La Casita Cultural Center and Punto de Contacto/Point of Contact, among others. She also has oversight of the University’s study abroad and study away initiatives.
Dekaney, who served as associate dean for research and global engagement and a professor of music education in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence.
Her scholarly research focuses on aesthetic response to music, world music and cultures, International Phonetic Alphabet, Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian culture and clinical simulation applied to music education. She holds a Ph.D. in choral music education from Florida State University, a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas, a bachelor’s degree in sacred music (piano) from the Seminário Teológico Batista do Sul do Brasil and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the Universidade Federal Fluminense.