�ǿմ�ý

Foundation supports establishment of fellowship in popular music studies

Laina Dawes, PhD, is an ethnomusicologist, an author, a cultural critic—and a lifelong heavy metal fan.

Come fall, she’ll add another title to that list: the John P. Murphy Fellow in �ǿմ�ý’s Center for Popular Music Studies. In this role, she’ll teach courses on specialized topics in popular music, work with graduate students on their own research, and find new ways to collaborate with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located just minutes from �ǿմ�ý.

Dawes, the author of What Are You Doing Here? A Black Woman's Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal, arrives at �ǿմ�ý after serving as a lecturer at Columbia University, where she earned her PhD.

The two-year fellowship was created through a four-year, $200,000 grant from the John P. Murphy Foundation—which supports artistic and cultural institutions, community organizations and colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio—and a previous $1 million gift from university trustee James “Great Neck” Richman (ADL ’72), Elissa Richman and the Richman Family Foundation of the Jewish Communal Fund.

“We’re excited to offer �ǿմ�ý the support to establish the postdoctoral fellow in the study and research of a wide range of topics in popular music,” said Nancy McCann, president of the John P. Murphy Foundation.  

“With Northeast Ohio’s diverse and vibrant music community and important music institutions,” McCann continued, “this fellowship will expand and enrich the university's efforts in the field of popular music while enabling it to grow its partnership with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

The initial gift, the Richman Fund for Popular Music Studies, strengthened the university’s Center for Popular Music Studies—now in its 13th year—including its partnership with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, where Richman has serves as a trustee. The center promotes teaching and scholarship about the significance and history of popular music.

“We are thrilled to have this support from the John P. Murphy Foundation, in association with the Richman Fund for Popular Music Studies, to help establish the fellowship,” said Daniel Goldmark, director of the center. “What a wonderful opportunity it gives us to bring up-and-coming scholars to Cleveland to work with our students and connect with our faculty.”

Originally published in the summer 2023 issue of Forward Thinking magazine