Dean Allan Cole didn’t pick up a bass guitar until he was 55, and it wasn’t until his daughter — now a Plan II student at UT Austin and fellow musician — had heard enough of his reasons to not play an instrument.
“When you’re done with the excuses, call me,” she told him. He called.
Cole, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease several years ago, has written extensively about music’s role in well-being and quality of life. He converted his Hyde Park garage into a practice space, invited some colleagues over and, somewhere between Tom Petty covers and a Rolling Stones setlist, The Dean’s List was born.
The band — Dean Allan Cole on bass; Bobby Chesney, dean of the School of Law, on lead guitar; Charles Martinez Jr., who stepped down as dean of the College of Education this spring, on vocals and rhythm guitar; Sam Poloyac, dean of the College of Pharmacy, on drums; and Rich Reddick, senior vice provost for undergraduate education, on bass — has since played an opening event at the School, rocked “Devchella” and drew a standing-room–only crowd at the Science Fest. The Alcalde, UT’s alumni magazine, featured them in its May/June 2026 issue.
As the School’s deputy for health humanities and technology at Dell Medical School, Cole has long argued that the arts aren’t separate from care — they’re part of it. Research on music and well-being, the Moritz Center for Societal Impact’s arts and humanities programming, and the School’s artist-in-residence all reflect the same belief.
“We have creative differences occasionally,” Cole said. “The cool thing is we genuinely like each other. We’re friends, we’re colleagues.”
Read the full story in The Alcalde.