In Loving Memory of Jerrold Ross, Ph.D.

Jerrold Ross, Ph.D.
Dean, The School of Education (1995–2014) 

With deepest regret, we share with you the sad news of the passing of Jerrold Ross, Ph.D., a beloved member of The School of Education family. Dean of The School of Education from 1995 to 2014, Dr. Ross had a long, diverse, and distinguished career. While Dean, he also served as Academic Vice President of the Staten Island, NY, campus.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Ross was a staunch New Yorker who was always enthusiastic about working on the Queens and Staten Island campuses. He attended the High School of Music and Art, New York University (NYU) for his Bachelor of Science degree, and Queens College for his Master of Science degree. He then returned to NYU to earn his Ph.D. in music education. In 1997, Dr. Ross was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Emerson College in Boston, MA, for his work in arts education.

Dr. Ross’s career in the field of higher education was very diverse. When he was 30, he held the position of President of the New York College of Music, New York’s oldest conservatory. He then became Chair of the Department of Music and Music Education, and subsequently Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at NYU’s School of Education (now the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development).

During that period, he was also director of Town Hall, which NYU then owned. One of the critical programs he introduced on that stage was the “Legendary Ladies of the Movies,” which was expanded by the Kennedy Center into the Kennedy Center Honors.

In 1995, Dr. Ross found a place to call home at St. John’s University, where he served passionately as Dean of The School of Education until his retirement in 2014. Under his leadership, the New York City Department of Education placed St. John’s at the top of several categories, the most important being the appointment and continuing tenure of teachers in the city’s schools. Also, under his leadership, The School of Education became renowned for its many partnerships with public, charter, and Catholic schools.  

Dr. Ross believed that “all schools are part of one city.” In a 2012 interview, he described The School of Education in five words: “engaging, quality, innovative, and proactive.” Under his tenure, the School introduced many new programs, the faculty became more diverse, and many special programs were implemented to help graduate students teach students from different cultures.

Dr. Ross was passionately committed to education. From 1967 to 2003, he was President of the Board of Trustees of the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the country’s leading summer arts camp for children ages six to 19. A new building for early childhood was named in his honor.

Dr. Ross also worked to obtain grants and research contracts from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, the US Department of Education, and the National Endowment for the Arts, among many others.

He consistently championed the Catholic and Vincentian mission of St. John’s and was an ardent advocate of its importance at The School of Education and beyond. Dr. Ross will be greatly missed.

Memorial Service

Monday, February 5, at 10:30 a.m., a reception will follow
Temple Emanu-El
One East 65th Street at Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10065

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Dr. Ross may be sent to the Alice Murray and Jerrold Ross Scholarship Fund at St. John’s University, Office of Gift Planning, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439