A few months ago Simon Andrews approached officials at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music and said he was very concerned about the school's future.

"I let it be known that whatever I could do to help the institution, I was very willing to do," said Andrews, a faculty member who teaches harpsichord at the school.

Last week PAM co-founders Frances Veri and Michael Jamanis took him up on his offer — by naming him dean of the embattled school.

He will replace both Veri, who served as dean of students, and Michael T. Jamanis, Veri's son, who was dean of faculty. His promotion comes at a tumultuous time for the 21-year-old academy.

After defaulting on the mortgage for its gleaming $32 million downtown facility, PAM appointed a new board of trustees, which eliminated some $18 million in academy debt, but also turned over the academy building to the mortgage lender. Millersville University has expressed an interest in the facility.

The board of trustees resigned en masse earlier this month, saying that the refusal of co-founders Veri and Jamanis to make further budget cuts imperiled the school's future. Veri and Jamanis responded that "the business plan must support the mission" of the academy — and that she hoped to soon turn the school over to "the next generation."

In an interview Friday, Andrews echoed that, saying his appointment represented "the new generation of the academy."

"There's been so much misinformation out there about the current situation of the academy," Andrews said. "I think the academy and faculty would speak with one voice and say we are determined to carry on providing services for the community."

The two dean positions have been combined into the single "dean of school" post, said Andrews: "It was just one position when the school was founded" he said, with the duties later being split between Veri and her son.

Reports last month asserted that Michael T. Jamanis would be among the "new generation" to lead the academy. But Andrews said the family wanted to step back from the day-to-day affairs at PAM: "This was part of the plan," he said.

Andrews, who joined the PAM faculty in 2001, pursued composition and piano accompaniment studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London and has a doctorate degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

He said he was asked at a board meeting last Wednesday to take the position. "It is a key time for the academy," he said.

He expressed pride in stellar instruction offered at the school, noting PAM's "track record of putting students at the top schools all over the country and the world ... and our faculty continues to be committed to that.

"We are very proud of what we do here, and we are very good at what we do here," Andrews said.

Frances Veri declined to comment on the decision to promote Andrews, saying only that "he will represent things in a truthful manner."

"He's a pretty capable guy," said Art Mann, one of nine trustees who resigned in mid-February. "I think it's a step in the right direction."

But the direction of the academy may still be a matter of dispute.

Andrews expressed concern over "unhelpful" comments made by some former trustees in recent news accounts.

"I can't imagine why anyone who's had a relationship with this institution and wants the students of the academy to be able to succeed in the way they have the past 10 years would want to make it harder for us," he said.

In a news article earlier this month, Mann, chairman of the Donsco foundries, said PAM has $2 million in annual operating expenses and $500,000 in annual income. And another former trustee, Dr. Robert Falk Jr., said Veri and Jamanis simply "want someone to come in and dump a lot of money" into the academy, rather than make cuts.

Andrews said he worries about the impact of such statements on both potential donors and students.

"Any bad publicity about the school damages our ability to get more students, and [PAM's fiscal issues] will only be solved by getting more students."

Millersville University could play a role, as well.

Millersville officials have said the university is interested in purchasing the PAM building if a deal can be worked out. "We're still in negotiations with the bank, but our interest continues to be very high," said Amy Dmitzak, vice president for university advancement, Friday.

"We hope to have some news by the time our trustees meet" March 17, she said.

Officials with Union National Bank, which owns the 63,000-square-foot building, have said the bank is talking to several prospective buyers.

Andrews maintained that for the foreseeable future, PAM will remain a tenant in the building. "To say we're going to close our doors now would be a massive disservice to our students, and we're not about to do that," he said.

"Every available avenue of remedying our sometimes dire financial situation is being explored," he said.

In the meantime, he's already focusing on developing a new curriculum for the 2010-2011 school year, "so we can enhance what we are doing." That may include "external examiners" who come in and grade students, leaving instructors free to teach.

"All the wrangles aside, the faculty is very excited" about the future, he said.

As for his new position, "it's a little intimidating. But I have Frannie and Michael's full confidence."