On April 7, 2025, Michigan State University College of Music faculty Michael Dease and Ryan Shaw were honored with prestigious university awards at a ceremony held on campus. These recognitions illustrate their personal dedication to teaching and research, and they embody the excellence in instruction that the college offers its students.
Professor of Jazz Trombone Michael Dease, center, receives the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award from MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, left, and MSU Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko.
Professor Michael Dease enjoyed the MSU faculty award festivities with his two daughters and spouse, Professor of Percussion Gwendolyn Dease (not pictured).
Michael Dease: William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award
Professor of Jazz Trombone Michael Dease received the 2025 William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award, a testament to his comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence in research, creative activities, instruction, and outreach.
“The Beal Outstanding Faculty Award means a lot to me, and stands out among my cadre of awards,” he said. “It’s a much-appreciated vote of confidence and affirmation from my peers, whom I have immense respect for.”
Dease’s journey from an in-demand performer in New York City to his lasting work on the MSU campus underscores his dedication to the MSU community.
“My amazing colleagues are literally the reason I moved from the heart of the worldwide Jazz scene, New York City, to make a home in East Lansing. They, and our students, challenge me to grow and get better each and every day,” Dease said. “There’s no place like this in the country, and it’s an honor to be a part of this team mentoring the next generation with unbridled passion and singular expertise.”
Dease is a prolific performer, composer, arranger, and recording artist, and he has appeared on more than two hundred recordings. He has won Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll as Trombonist of the Year multiple times among multiple recognitions.
Associate Professor of Music Education Ryan Shaw, center, receives an MSU Teacher-Scholar Award from MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, left, and MSU Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko.
Ryan Shaw: Teacher-Scholar Award
Associate Professor of Music Education Ryan Shaw was honored with the 2025 Teacher-Scholar Award, which recognizes faculty who have earned the respect of students and colleagues early in their careers for their devotion to and skill in teaching, and whose instruction is linked to and informed by their research and creative activities.
“I’m really humbled and excited to receive this award because it represents things that I take really seriously – my teaching and my scholarship,” he said. “I aim for students to have fun and be challenged in my classes. Similarly, an aim with my research is that people reach out to tell me they were impacted by something I wrote.”
At MSU, Shaw teaches Introduction to Music Education, Teaching Instrumental Music, Woodwind/Brass Methods, and a variety of graduate courses. His scholarly interests include arts education policy and the ways that policy intersect with music teacher stress, planning, and micropolitical literacy. He has presented his work at conferences and published in a variety of journals, and he is active in professional organizations. Among all his accomplishments, this recognition from colleagues and students is particularly gratifying.
“With this award, it was really gratifying to have colleagues and students affirm things I’m always striving for,” Shaw said.
Exemplifying Excellence in Instruction
These awards highlight the exceptional talent and dedication of the MSU College of Music faculty. The Beal Award dates to 1952. Past winners from the College of Music include current faculty members Zhou Tian, Kevin Sedatole, Michael Kroth, Richard Sherman, Michael Largey, Richard Fracker, Sandra Snow, Suren Bagratuni, Rodney Whitaker, and Deborah Moriarty, and several more now-retired Music faculty have earned the Beal. Among past Teacher-Scholar Award winners from the College of Music are Largey, Whitaker, Dease, and Snow, as well as Joseph Lulloff, Kevin Bartig, Derek Polischuk, Michael Callahan, Yvonne Lam, and several retired Music faculty.
Dease, Shaw, and their colleagues have demonstrated a profound commitment to their students and their craft, contributing to the college’s reputation for fostering an environment of academic and creative excellence.
