Dorothy Payne was appointed as the first dean of the School of Music in 1994. She came to Columbia from the University of Arizona, where she had served as Director of the School of Music. Previous appointments included the Head of Music at the University of Connecticut, Associate Professor at the University of Texas, Assistant Professor at the Eastman School of Music, and Instructor at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Trained as a pianist with secondary study in organ, she earned her Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Ph.D. in Music Theory, all from the Eastman School of Music.

She has received teaching awards from the Eastman School, the University of Texas, and the University of South Carolina. In 2002 she was invited to present the Robert Trotter Lecture "In Praise of Mentors" at the annual meeting of the College Music Society. In 2004 she was awarded the Gail Boyd de Stwolinski Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Music Theory Teaching and Scholarship. In addition to a number of articles in professional journals, she is co-author with Stefan Kostka of Tonal Harmony with an Introduction to Twentieth-Century Music, published by McGraw-Hill and is now in its sixth edition.

During her years as a music administrator, she was active in the National Association of Schools of Music, serving as a secretary of the Executive Committee and member of the Commission on Accreditation. In addition, she participated in numerous visitations to music institutions undergoing review for membership or renewal of membership in the Association. She was also involved for many years in designing and scoring the Advanced Placement Music Exams, administered by the College Board.

Finally, returning to her roots as a pianist, she established a biennial event featuring solo and ensemble work performed by herself and her two pianist siblings, Karl and Becky. The Payne Family Concert has attracted anumber of faithful fans over the past decade.

Dr. Payne retired from the School of Music in December 2006.