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Condolence From: David Lane
Condolence: Janice's story at Peabody is interesting.

I started traveling to Asia in 1990, and quickly recognized that our ability to serve international students was directly proportional to our ability to deal with English language issues. Back then, we had no ESL program. We were sending international students to another school for that purpose.

The trouble was, they were not going.

They told us that what they were learning had nothing to do with music, so they saw no purpose in it. When pressed, for an example, one of the young women said she did not understand why they needed to learn about "diverse." Suspecting something odd, I asked her what "diverse" meant.

She said, "Diverse. You know, like when you don't love him anymore."

We learned that diver....um.....divorce was uncommon in her country, so on several levels it was not going to help her succeed in her Peabody classes.

My supervisor and I leaned on the bigwigs as hard as we could. It was an era with a lot of interest from international students to study music in the United States.


Eventually Janice was hired to start our own ESL program. She was also the international student adviser. Janice, Betsy, and I worked really well together.

We started bringing in more international students, and (of course) the faculty started complaining because the students' English was weak. Janice actually attended some of the classes that were problematic, and tailored her ESL program accordingly. Further, she did some research, and developed numbers that showed the international students who began with English issues were just as likely to persist to graduation as students from the US. The faculty calmed down, and we were able to accept students regardless of their TOEFL scores.

I recall the dean of the conservatory telling Janice to keep the numbers close to her; that she would need to trot them out every few years. The faculty had a short collective memory for such things.

With the resources Janice provided, the international population flourished at Peabody.

After Janice left, the faculty got up in arms about ESL again. I can't tell you how many times I wished she was still at the school. She was a great advocate for our international students. And whenever we worked together I left with a smile on my face.

Janice was a good person, and a real character.

David Lane
Retired Director of Admissions
Peabody Conservatory of
Johns Hopkins University
Sunday July 16, 2017
Condolence From: Betsy Nelson
Condolence: I worked with Janice at Peabody. She was an elegant woman who was smart, caring, and dedicated to her international students. She was a dedicated member of our "lunch bunch" that provided a midday respite from the pressures of work. She brought a wonderful sense of humor, an intellect and a refreshing way to look at the world around us. We lost a good one when she moved on from Peabody. I will always remember her with respect for who she was and her commitment to her ideals. My condolences to her family and friends who have lost her.
Saturday July 15, 2017
Condolence From: Ted Spring
Condolence: Janice was a wonderful, caring and thoughtful person. She'll be missed by all of us who knew her. Condolences to the family.
Thursday July 13, 2017
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