Michael Mehler, professor of theater and department chair of music, was recently named one of 10 Great Lakes Colleges Association academic leadership fellows in the arts and humanities program. As part of Mehler’s fellowship, he will transition into serving as dean of visual and performing arts for the academic years of 2026-27 and 2027-28.
Mehler started his career at Allegheny after he received his Masters of Fine Arts in theater design at the University of Texas at Austin. He taught from 1994 to 1999 before going back to school at the University of Pittsburgh to get his doctorate in theatre history and criticism. Mehler returned to Allegheny in 2008, and finished his Ph.D. in 2010.
“I’ve been at Allegheny a long time,” Mehler said. “I’ve kind of always stretched. So, as a visual designer in a theater program, I’ve always had some engagement with the art program. I was part of the group that started Art, Science and Innovation.”
Mehler currently heads the lighting and scenery for the Playshop Theatre, and he explained that through his experience as a designer he’s been able to stay engaged in multiple programs across campus, including the arts and dance programs.
Hannah Standiford, an assistant professor of music who started at Allegheny in 2024, described her experience working with Mehler as a positive one.
“I think if you talk to people at (other) colleges, their relationships with their chairs are often contentious,” Standiford said. “That’s not my experience at all. Michael has been an advocate and ally for me ever since I started this position. It’s a brand new position.”
When Standiford started, she brought in an expertise in world music. As part of her position, she started the Gamelan ensemble, but she doesn’t take the credit without mentioning Mehler.
“To get these things off the ground, I really needed somebody with the vision to see them going somewhere. I had a unique issue, which is that for other ensembles on campus the folks who join these ensembles have played or sang before. I was trying to start an ensemble where, when I talk about it, people are like, ‘What is Gamelan’,” Standiford said. “Michael was just constantly a resource, you know, like, ‘OK, what do you need?’”
Part of Mehler’s role as dean will encompass raising admissions for the arts programs, including theatre, music and the two art majors, according to an announcement from the college.
“The primary work is really going to be helping to kind of coordinate the departments in terms of admissions, trying to build more relationships with the region,” Mehler said. “What I’m hoping to do is create a kind of small select group where we’re giving them more mentorship and leadership training. So, trying to identify among the CAPA applications. Let’s say we brought in 30 in a given year, trying to identify maybe six or eight of them.”
Allegheny offers a renewable scholarship amount of up to $2,000 for eligible students who apply and participate in the Creative and Performing Arts program, regardless of major or minor.
Mehler credits a lot of his achievements to his colleagues, saying that the work he’s done couldn’t have been accomplished without them.
“I’ve been really lucky in that all of those people that I’ve known have been really thoughtful and generous mentors. That’s like, that’s been huge,” Mehler said. “That has been a whole growth process that, you know, has really shaped how I’m imagining that I can do this work. And I’m going to be able to work with other people to get it done.”
A year after she started her position, Standiford had to take maternity leave in fall 2025. She explained that as a new hire, despite her anxieties, Mehler made the transition easy for her.
“There was just, like, never a doubt in my mind, and I was right about this, that his response was going to be, like, ‘Hannah, that’s awesome!’ And it was,” Standiford said. “Then he was immediately like, ‘We’re going to get you everything you need.’ So, you know, getting me a room with a lock on the door and a fridge so that I can breast pump while my baby’s at daycare. He never made me feel like it was inconvenient or hard. I felt celebrated about it.”
