Creation Spring/Summer 2014

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reation Marshall University’s College of Arts and Media

Spanning the Globe

From the Big Apple to Florence, Italy, to Costa Rica to downtown Huntington, CAM students find global inspiration for success in the 21st century

{ inside } Visual Arts Center Opening Events Info | Nearly 200 Students Awarded Scholarships | New J-School Master’s Teaches New Media Principles

{ Dean’s Message } There is a building at 927 3rd Avenue in downtown Huntington that was built and opened in 1902 as the Valentine, Newcomb & Carder department store. Originally three stories tall, three additional floors were added in 1920. That six-story building, by then the Anderson-Newcomb department store, survived the 1937 flood that devastated Huntington. In 1970, national retailer Stone & Thomas purchased the store and operated it as Anderson-Newcomb until 1980 when the name of the store changed to Stone & Thomas. The doors were closed one last time in 1996 and the building sat vacant for many years.

Marshall University purchased the building in 2012 and work began in January 2013 to transform it to the permanent home of the School of Art and Design.

Whether providential or mere coincidence, the art program at Marshall College began in 1902 — the same year that the Valentine, Newcomb & Carder department store was built. I much prefer providential! It just sounds so much better.

I have walked numerous people through the building over the past 18 months, and I make sure to point out the stone corbels located above the canopy on the front of the building with the year 1902 carved into the surface. I stick to it: It was providential that the building was built the same year Marshall established an art program. It just took 112 years for the School of Art and Design to come home.

And what a home it is! This is a world-class facility in which everyone associated with Marshall University and Huntington, West Virginia, can take pride. I can’t wait to see and hear the reactions of our students as they enter the building for classes on Aug. 25, 2014.

The Visual Arts Center is one of so many fine opportunities for our college to grow and evolve.

We will be working over the next couple of years on collaborative curricular initiatives that will further distinguish every one of our programs, and it is exciting to think about what the future holds for the College of Arts and Media. Facilities such as the Visual Arts Center, the production facilities in journalism and mass communications and the various performing arts venues combined with forward-looking faculty will lead to new academic programs and more diverse opportunities for students. As a result I believe we can attract larger numbers of students from a broader geographical base.

One such example has recently been gathering steam. Faculty from music and theatre have initiated discussions with colleagues in the College of Health Professions about wellness in the arts. The response from health professions faculty and administration has been overwhelmingly positive, and we will soon see something of a clinical setting where our arts students can go for diagnosis, rehabilitation and training for injuries they suffer as a result of the kinds of work they do in pursuit of their studies. You will also see art faculty, in consultation with faculty in health professions, embedding additional best practices in courses they teach to promote even greater student/practitioner wellness. Faculty across our college are interested in bringing disciplines together to explore other innovative programs that will position this college as the campus leader in preparing students for productive careers and meaningful citizenship in the 21st century.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that two of our faculty have moved on to new chapters in their lives. Steve Barnett, much beloved director of bands at Marshall and most notably the director of the Marching Thunder, and Natalie Larsen, the foundations coordinator in the School of Art and Design, are no longer with Marshall University. We wish them well and thank them for their years of dedication and service to their respective programs, the college and university.

Departures like these — as disappointing as they are to those of us who have the good fortune of working with people like Steve and Natalie — also represent opportunities. As I write this message we are in the process of searching for multiple faculty and staff positions, and I anticipate several new and innovative people joining the ranks of the college.

Stay tuned for news on these searches and other exciting developments in the College of Arts and Media!

Donald Van Horn

College of Arts and Media

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GOT NEWS? Let us know where you are and what you’re doing. We’d love to include you in an upcoming edition of Creation. creation editor | Beth Caruthers

Smith Hall 160, One John Marshall Drive Huntington, WV 25755 (304) 696-3296 | beth.caruthers@marshall.edu

dean | Donald Van Horn

associate dean | David Castleberry associate dean | Janet Dooley

administrative assistant | Maura Conway business manager | Rachel Williamson

student services specialist | Tammy Reynolds

special projects coordinator | beth caruthers

senior director of development | Melanie Griffis

marshall artists series executive director | Penny Watkins School Directors:

school of art and design | Sandra Reed

school of journalism and mass communications | Janet Dooley school of music and theatre | Richard Kravchak

Creation is published by Marshall University’s College of Arts and Media Smith Hall 158, One John marshall drive Huntington, WV 25755 (304) 696-6433 | www.marshall.edu/cam

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C r e at i o n 2 0 1 4

Spring/Summer

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{ School news }

8 { on the cover }

Spanning the Globe

College of Arts and Media students and faculty are pushing the boundaries

Up to the Challenge

Meet the new director for the School of Art and Design

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Get with the Program

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Red-Hot Talent

SOJMC offers Masters of Arts in Journalism with an emphasis in New Media Studies

Theatre professor and alumnus take the Greenbrier Valley stage in “Red”

of learning through outreach efforts, study-away programs and the opening of the nation’s premier center for art and design.

{ F E AT U R E S }

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Putting Money Where Her Mouth Is

First music student to have emphasis in Multi-Disciplinary Studies patents work

The Big Picture

Marshall Artists Series offers students more than just a great show

{ S tay

in the Know }

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram

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Full Circle

Former Anderson-Newcomb and Stone & Thomas employees get sneak peak of new Visual Arts Center

@CAMMarshallU

We’d Love to hear from you Add #CamMarshallU to your tweets and photos to get in on the conversation!

We’re also on Facebook.

Visit us at www.facebook.com/mucam.

The Joy of Giving

Record number of students receive awards made possible from donations both big and small

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Save The Date

Immersed in Italy

Three Weeks in Florence Offers Culture, Education Seventeen students and two professors traveled 4,000 miles in May to explore Italy in the fifth annual Marshall in Florence program. The experience, hosted by the College of Arts and Media, offered students full academic immersion.

Natalie Larsen, an associate professor in the School of Art and Design said that Florence is one of the best places for students to have a greater experience with works of art.

that were striking for them,” Powell said.

“The food and culture is much different from here, and they got a real taste of that.”

Class time each day during the May 11-31 visit required students to engross themselves in the center of Italian Renaissance by visiting many places, including churches, historical sites, museums and observing and participating in life on the streets.

“It’s a totally different experience to see something in the real than it is to see something in print,” Larsen said. “We’re able to take students there to see the work that they’re looking at in their history books.”

The three-week trip is offered not only to art students, but also anyone interested in seeing Italy who attends Marshall.

Visual Arts Center Celebrate the grand opening of the nation’s premier center for the visual arts

Jeff Powell, a professor of Philosophy, said he thinks the students gained an eye-opening perspective on other cultures during the visit.

“There were a lot of things about everyday life in Florence, Italy, and Europe in general

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Sept. 18 Community Tours Sept. 19 Strolling Celebration Sept. 20

September 2014

Top: Students can be seen enjoying the Giardino delle Rose (Rose Garden) that overlooks the entire city of Florence.

Near the top of the hill is Piazzale Michelangelo in which stands a copy of Michelangelo’s famous “David,” and at the top of the same hill stands the beautiful San Minato al Monte church, which was built in 1018.

Bottom: Evening two after arriving in Florence, students and Philosophy Professor Jeff Powell (far right) enjoy a three-hour dining experience at Osteria dei Pazzi, where they sampled a great variety of antipasti and pasta.

CAM NYC

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meets

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Thomson Reuters President and CEO James C. Smith, ‘81, answers questions for The Parthenon’s Managing Editor Rebecca Stephens, BFA in Public Relations, ‘14.

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Journalism and English alumna Sarina Lopresti, ‘08, and painting student Kelly Cunningham strike up a conversation.

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SOJMC Director Janet Dooley, ‘73, Associate VP for Development Christine Anderson, ‘97, and The Parthenon’s Rebecca Stephens pose for a shot in front of the famous ball in Times Square.

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Alumnae Lynn Carroll, ‘66, and CAM Senior Director of Development Melanie Griffis, ‘78, enjoy each other’s company.

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Thomson Reuters’ James C. Smith stands with Marshall President and CEO Stephen J. Kopp.

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Makiko Sasanuma, BA in Print Journalism, ‘01, stands with Hikari Kimura, BFA in Graphic Design, ‘03, and her son Koji Chan.

We can only hope Koji is a future CAM graduate.

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College of Arts and Media students and alumni mingle during the event.

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Jessica Lowman and BA in Public Relations and Theatre BFA graduate Jordan Bean, ‘13, listen intently to upcoming plans for the college alongside other CAM alumni and students.

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The site of the meet and greet was on the 22nd floor of Thomson Reuters Global Headquarters in New York City.

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Bobbie Hayes and Nancy Pelphrey, ‘79, coordinator of alumni programs, stand in the boardroom.

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Lauren Meador and Matt Hayes, ‘94, alumni relations executive director, chat as Marshall University’s First Lady Jane Kopp shines in the background.

Students, Alumni Spend Time in the Big Apple See more

Use your smart phone’s QR code reader to watch a video about the trip.

Nearly 50 students and alumni met off-campus — way off campus — in February on the 22nd floor of Thomson Reuters Global Headquarters in Times Square, New York City. Hosted by Thomson Reuters President and CEO James C. Smith, the College of Arts and Media get-together was in celebration of college announcements, including an update on the new Visual Arts Center and an initiation of the college’s Campaign for Distinction. Mr. Smith is a 1981 graduate of Marshall University and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the university in 2013. Special guests of the event included Marshall University President and CEO Stephen J. Kopp, Ph.D., and College of Arts and Media Dean Donald Van Horn.

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Putting Money Where Her Mouth Is

First Multi-Disciplinary Music Student Patents Mouthpiece When she chose to be the College of Arts and Media’s first undergraduate music student whose degree provided emphasis in Multi-Disciplinary Studies, Kristen Bobuk could not have dreamed she’d also soon be considered an inventor, but her capstone project is making her just that.

Bobuk is in the process of obtaining a patent for the general market sale of a chrome-plated steel mouthpiece for brass instruments.

Bobuk researched the properties of metal that are vital to a mouthpiece’s functionality: An ideal metal would have a hard base to minimize unwanted vibrations, low thermal conductivity to retain heat and low specific heat so that the least amount of energy would be required to warm the mouthpiece.

Of course, cost was also an important factor.

Alumni Spotlight

Of the six prototypes she developed, the chrome-coated steel mouthpiece seemed most promising: it was affordable to produce and increased the surface

Chad Shebey Vice President, CI-Group Since graduating from Marshall’s graphic design program in 1989, Chad Shebey has worked his way to the top — from art director to vice president of human resources and facilities with CI-Group, a marketing and advertising firm in Whitehouse, New Jersey. While he served as art director, Shebey seized the

hardness of the base steel, while the metal’s properties suggested it would easily produce and retain heat.

The chrome version proved competitive to current-market mouthpieces, as it could produce sound quality superior to the existing stainless steel and silver- or gold-plated brass mouthpieces and would be more affordable to produce than currentmarket titanium versions.

“I had no idea I’d have something that could be patented,” Bobuk confessed, “never in a million years as an undergrad!”

The French horn player said that although she didn’t think she’d accomplish so much during her studies, she chose to double major in music and engineering in pursuit of becoming an engineer specializing in sound and vibration.

“I’ve always wanted to be an acoustical engineer, but there aren’t many schools that offer that as an undergrad,” Bobuk said.

opportunity to expand CI-Group’s services, including the warehousing and fulfillment services he now oversees as an executive team member.

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The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Arts with a major I had no in music and idea I’d have an emphasis in something Multi-Disciplinary Studies was that could designed for be patented this type of — never in collaboration: The degree affords a million students the years as an opportunity to major in music undergrad! and also take on a secondary area as a double major.

-Kristen Bobuk Students take Bachelor of Fine Arts a core of music student classes, general education classes and electives that can be used as a second major.

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To learn more about the emphasis in Multi-Disciplinary Studies, visit www.marshall.edu/somt.

he is today — from four employees playing multiple roles to a workforce of 60 in two locations.

“The art program at Marshall really taught me great hands-on technique,” Shebey said. “It allowed me to be very resourceful.”

Shebey partially credits the opportunities through Marshall’s art program and professors Michael Cornfield and Susan Jackson for his company’s success.

When he joined the start-up in 1990, he needed that resourcefulness to get to where

To learn more about Shebey or CI-Group, visit www.ci-group.com.

The Big {Picture} Now in its 78th season, the Marshall Artists Series is well-known in the Huntington community, yet its great acts continue to be newlydiscovered by students every year.

But the nation’s second oldest town-and-gown artist series offers students more than just a great show: every season the Marshall Artists Series hires student employees.

A full-time staff of only three, student aid is beneficial to the series, Executive Director Penny Watkins said.

“We truly couldn’t provide the level of service to our patrons without the outstanding support that student employees bring to the Marshall Artists Series,” Watkins said. “Our student workers bring valuable talents and a fresh perspective, while learning professional job skills to help in their future job search.”

But what most people don’t realize is that, for a select few, the series has been their jumping off point into the real world.

“Marshall Artists Series’ student employees work as artist liaisons,” Watkins said. “They are trained by the international ticketing company Ticketmaster. They work in accounting, customer service, technical theatre, design, create educational outreach study guides that meet the state’s public school academic requirements, public relations and marketing, as well as handle ticket sales through our campus box office.”

Many of the series’ past employees continue to list the job duties from the Marshall Artists Series on their résumés and seek reference letters from the staff during their job search, Watkins said.

But don’t take it from us: Students on the right use their own words to express their affinities toward their employment with the MAS.

Artists Series Primes Students for Careers Learning the Ropes

Climbing the Ladder

Samantha Linthicum, Communications Coordinator Jackson Kelly PLLC in Charleston, WV B.A. in Journalism, ‘12 Hometown: Parkersburg, WV

Brandon Yaconis, Player’s Club Manager Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, LA B.A. in Education, ‘09 Hometown: Parkersburg, WV

“My internship at The Marshall Artists Series was, without a doubt, the most helpful learning experience of my college career. During my time at MAS I learned hands-on job skills that you can’t learn in a classroom setting.

“The time I spent learning from Angela Jones and Penny Watkins contributed to my future in ways that I could not even imagine as a student still pursuing my degree. I currently list duties and skills learned during my internship on my résumé, I often use examples of work or experience from MAS during interviews, and I truly believe that the skills I learned while working at MAS are many of the skills that have led to the job opportunities that I have encountered so far on my career path.”

Working Together for Success Micah Malhotra, Vaccine Specialist Sanofi Pasteur in Charleston, WV B.A. in Marketing, ‘09 | M.B.A., ‘11 Hometown: Parkersburg, WV

“The Marshall Artists Series full-time staff is amazing, and I am very grateful for the time that I spent working with them.

My time with the MAS was able to show me just how small organizations survive. It taught me that working together is important for the overall success of the event. It taught me that, to be successful in any career path, you have to love what you do and who you are working with. This leads to the passion that you will bring to your job day in and day out: at the end of each day leaving happy with who you are and the work that you have done is all a person can ask for.”

“The Marshall Artists Series gave me a start into the entertainment business. During my time with the organization, I learned vital parts of the business through Box Office and Event experience and training.

The organization opened doors for me that eventually developed into a position with Big Sandy Superstore Arena as an Events Supervisor and further with the Arena in Corbin, Kentucky, as the Box Office Manager. MAS was such a wonderful organization to be a part of because of the amazing people involved and its effect on the Huntington community and Marshall University.”

Building a Portfolio Shea Higgins, Content Strategist Digital Relativity in Fayetteville, WV B.A. in Journalism, ‘11 Hometown: Huntington, WV

“Fast-paced, creativityinspiring, fun — that’s the nature of the job at the Marshall Artists Series.

Not only did I love my job, I built a diverse portfolio of creative projects and a résumé rich with numbers and examples. Each project was start-to-finish: I got to research a variety of interesting events, create marketing concepts and then mold them into fully-functional promotions. Angie made sure I got a well-rounded experience. There was no aspect of marketing at MAS I wasn’t given an active role in implementing.

Encouragement from Angie and Penny helped me work outside of my comfort zone and gain unique experiences I might have otherwise shied away from. And I got to meet so many amazing people.

Networking!”

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School of Art and Design { f r o m t h e N E W d i r e c to r } I am honored to join Marshall University at a time when its commitment to visual art and design is transforming Huntington’s downtown city center: After decades of neglect and through an extensive renovation project, the Stone & Thomas building that faces Pullman Square is poised to become Marshall University’s Visual Arts Center. The entrance level is open to the public and features a spectacular art gallery. The academic studios and classrooms on floors two through six are designed with ample interactive flex space and flow between faculty and student areas. The Visual Arts Center is provided with special purpose equipment for the study of art history and art education and creative production in drawing, fibers, graphic design, painting, printmaking, and photography — one piece of note is a custom-built darkroom sink with integrated ventilation.

Alongside preparations to welcome our students to this breath-taking facility, the practice and research of our professors is vigorous. At the outset of the spring semester, full- and part-time faculty members exhibited in “The Art of Teaching: Marshall University Visual Art Faculty Show” at the Huntington Museum of Art. In April, four professors (Frederick Bartolovic, Jonathan Cox, Hayson Harrison and Peter Massing) were selected by public vote as the winning team in “Gallery Divided II,” an exhibition at the Clay Center for the Arts in Charleston, West Virginia. Heather Stark has been elected to the board of the Southeastern College Art Conference, or SECAC, as the state director for West Virginia. In June, Cox received the Best of Show award for his entry to “Art Comes Alive!,” an annual event sponsored by Art Design Consultants Inc. in Cincinnati. Also in June, Professor Mary Grassell exhibited two woodcut prints in the juried exhibition “Cream of the Crop,” at the Southern Ohio Museum in Portsmouth. Over the summer, Bartolovic is co-authoring the 4th edition of “Electric Kiln Ceramics” with its original author, Richard Zakin, and Ian Hagarty is preparing a new body of paintings for a July solo exhibition at the Angela Meleca Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. The art education program, under the direction of Dr. Maribea Barnes, was notified this summer that it has received the 2014-2015 Hedrick Program Grant for Teaching Innovation.

The character of tangible place is a defining aspect of human experience. Colleagues, alumni, and friends, we invite your ideas to develop the Visual Arts Center into a place that fulfills its potential as a site of learning, study, creation and professional practice; aids recruitment of prospective students; and honors the efforts of many individuals whose cumulative vision has brought the Visual Arts Center into existence. Thank you to Professors Daniel Kaufmann and Maribea Barnes, as well as Don Van Horn, our Dean of the College of Arts and Media, for leadership and oversight of the year-long preparations that will allow students to hit the ground running on the first day of classes in August 2014.

I invite you to learn more about me through my website (sandrareedfineart.com), and I look forward to meeting you personally during the Visual Arts Center’s opening events in September 2014.

Sandra Reed, Director School of Art and Design

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Art Professor Snags Distinction Award Ian Hagarty, associate professor of art, was named the junior recipient of the Marshall University Distinguished Artists and Scholars Award on April 28, 2014.

The award is given annually in recognition of a faculty member’s distinction in the fields of artistic and scholarly activity.

Hagarty said the recognition shows the hard work and commitment of the faculty involved in relevant scholarly and research activity. This involvement, he said, ultimately enhances student learning and further expands Marshall as a premier institution of progress in higher education world-wide.

“I feel fortunate to be a representative of our collective efforts as a school to the wider Marshall University community,” Hagarty said.

“Winning this award as I am lucky to an assistant professor of work with an visual arts amazing group highlights the continued of colleagues growth, support who provide and positive energy within constant the School of inspiration, Art and Design encouragement and the College of Arts and and resources to Media.”

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be a successful artist.

Hagarty, since promoted to associate professor, said his most -Ian Hagarty rewarding Associate Professor of Art, experience as School of Art and Design an artist with the university is being a part of the developing cultural community within the School of Art and Design and beyond.

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“I am lucky to work with an amazing group of colleagues who provide constant inspiration, encouragement and resources to be a successful artist,” Hagarty said.

Full Circle

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ightly strolling the original maple floors, a group of Anderson-Newcomb Co./Stone & Thomas employees reminisced about their more than 230 years of combined service to the department stores during their exclusive June 3 tour of Marshall University’s new Visual Arts Center.

“I have so many photographs from my time here,” Lula Cremeans, who spent 44 years with the companies, said. “I even have photographs of my daughters helping wrap presents and tying bows during Christmastime.”

Yvonne Newman, who worked in accounting, remembered lingering on the phone with a young Virgil Newman from delivery. They met and married while they both worked there. Virgil started in 1963 and stayed until the doors to Stone & Thomas closed in 1996.

“Even after I was drafted to Vietnam, I

still worked when I came home on leave,” Virgil said. “I never missed a day of work.”

College of Arts and Media Senior Director of Development Melanie Griffis said the group’s affinity to the six-story building on Third Avenue goes beyond their incredible years of service.

“Our community had such strong ties to those stores,” Griffis said. “We hear so often someone say they grew up in Anderson-Newcomb or Stone & Thomas.”

Before Marshall University purchased the 66,000-square-foot building, it was rapidly

deteriorating. With $9 million in bonds and $4.5 million in private donations, Marshall University reinforced the infrastructure with 65,000 pounds of new steel and updated windows to match the 112-yearold, original ones.

“With the upgrades, this structure will stand for at least another 100 years,” Griffis said.

The building is on track to open to students this summer, while grand opening events for the public will take place Sept. 18 and 19.

Right to left: Jerry and Shirley Blake; Yvonne and Virgil Newman; Opal Blake; Donna Rawley; Lula Cremeans; Elsie Singleton; Lottie Woody; and Fern Fitzpatrick. The former Anderson-Newcomb employees stand with an early-1900s printing press originally owned by The Anderson-Newcomb Co. When Anderson-Newcomb was bought out by Stone & Thomas, the press was donated to Marshall University’s printing department, where it has been used for the past few decades. The press has now found its way back home to the Marshall University Visual Arts Center (formerly the Anderson-Newcomb/Stone & Thomas building) where it will continue to be used by printmaking students.

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School of Journalism and Mass Communications { f r o m t h e d i r e c to r } What in the world is a content creator?

I remember being annoyed by laments about going to the showboat for a dime, movies that played in theatres only on Saturdays, and youngsters in need of money who got newspaper routes. Now I cringe when I hear myself admonishing that we had only three networks, we had to walk to the set to change channels and magazines came in the mail.

And everyone in the industry knew how to use copyediting symbols!

The mass communications industry is in flux.

Critics have hailed recent changes as the demise of mass media as we know it. As we know it, perhaps, but demise, far from it.

When has mass communications not been adapting to change and innovation? Newspapers incorporated photos and color printing. Radio pushed newspapers in new directions and television altered radio operations. Computers pushed the 24-hour news cycle and an abundance of hand-held devices have created “information on demand.”

There is no argument the industry is changing.

Print newspaper circulation is down. Job descriptions have been transformed, delivery systems are expanding, more channels are available and response times are faster than ever. It’s created a few problems, but at the heart of it still lies good, solid storytelling regardless of the medium.

Technology needed to produce content, industry trends and academic curricula have changed.

The expectation of good writing, the demand for underpinning strategic messages and the requirement for accuracy has not changed.

As long as a society needs access to information, needs to hear music, needs to be entertained, needs to be inspired, content creation will flourish.

Janet Dooley, Director

W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications

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Master’s with New Media Studies Emphasis Launches Online It’s no surprise that the majority of the world now communicates largely by digital means. Print publications are readily available through phones deemed smart, and content can be seen or heard on computers the size of a notebook.

The world demands at-our-fingertips information, and beginning this fall a Master’s of Arts in Journalism with an emphasis in New Media Studies in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications will prime students to deliver.

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“Libraries are redefining their roles as information providers,” Ingersoll said. “The New York Public Library is developing interactive content to engage their patrons in using their print collection digitally. The British Library distributes part of their collection though an app subscription, thus transitioning a regional distributer into a global publisher.”

The New Media emphasis, Ingersoll said, will open advanced degree opportunities for media, education and business professionals as they refit their abilities in increasingly fluid areas of their professions.

With the It is a step toward acceleration of digital products’ preparing students for “With the commercial viability of touch marketing jobs that are not yet technology now potential standardized, humanreaching on the radar. centered design is untapped redefining publishing and audiences at digital competence is of unpredictable high value in business rates, SOJMC -Christine Ingersoll and education,” Ingersoll Director Janet Professor of Mass Communications, said. “It is a step toward Dooley said this W. Page Pitt School of Journalism preparing students for shift to the web and Mass Communications jobs that are not yet on the presents mass radar.” communicators with a fresh challenge to keep up with The 30-hour program will not only ever-changing platforms. provide students with the information to communicate via digital means, but it “Consumers expect content to be will also be available completely online available across platforms including (some live, on-campus classes may be mobile devices, and content creation an option). The degree can be earned demands versatility that allows access in as few as three semesters or by through a variety of media,” Dooley taking one class a semester for several said. semesters, Dooley said.

Mass communications Professor Six hours of electives, selected with Christine Ingersoll said both historic the assistance of a faculty adviser and and contemporary content are rapidly taken outside of journalism and mass migrating to nontraditional media. communications, help students tailor the program to meet their individual needs and interests.

See more Visit www.marshall.edu/jmc or scan the Use your smart phone’s QR code to the left to learn more.

QR code reader for

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more on the New Media Studies emphasis.

s PRSSA-MU Chapter Celebrates 35 Years Public Relations Campaign Management students conceived, organized and staged a campaign in honor of the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter’s 35 years on campus that culminated in a major event — Herd4Hoops — in the Cabell Huntington Hospital atrium this past spring.

All money raised was donated to the

Hoops Family Children’s Hospital housed in the Cabell Huntington facility. A book drive conducted in conjunction with the event resulted in each hospitalized child getting three children’s books.

Throughout the semester-long campaign, PRSSA-MU tripled its membership via awareness tactics and a successful series of speakers.

MU public relations students Morgan Switzer (left) and Britany Miller (right) help Hoop’s Family Children’s Hospital patients enjoy finger painting a banner that was used at the students’ main event tactic — a dinner and silent auction that raised money for the hospital this past spring. Switzer and Miller are members of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)-MU chapter, which celebrated its 35th anniversary on the MU campus during spring semester. Money raised from the students’ campaign was donated to the children’s hospital.

WMUL-FM Basketball Program Broadcasts Across Mountain State Marshall University’s radio station WMUL-FM made an innovative move for a college station when it syndicated a high school basketball program across West Virginia this past season.

Called The Fast Break Sports Network’s Basketball Friday Night, the program ran from 9 p.m. to midnight every Friday during the season.

A radio program for high school football in the state already exists but basketball was lacking that coverage due to the throughout-the-week scheduling of the matchups that made it difficult to keep tabs, according to host of the program and SOJMC broadcast journalism graduate Ryan Epling.

“The program, which really is a celebration of basketball in West Virginia, helped add another level of exposure for the kids in an area that had been missing,” Epling said.

Epling said the broadcast wouldn’t have been possible without the state’s high school hoops fans and reporters who already covered the beat.

Contributers to the show would call in or tweet information to the program’s @Hoops_Roundup handle. The often upto-the-minute communication allowed the radio program to have an edge on reporting the news, Epling said.

“We even broke news of a kid becoming eligible,” Epling said. “We had it before any newspaper site did.”

Epling said that, with a push from affiliate WFGH-FM’s Fred Damron and help from WMUL, he and co-hosts Ric Morrone, James Collier, Rudi Raynes and their guests were able to offer a well-produced, compelling basketball program.

“Hopefully we can cast a wider net throughout West Virginia and become the hub for people to get high school basketball scores and information,” Epling said.

Through Basketball Friday Night, WMUL-FM was able to expand its reach to affiliate stations including those in Beckley, Clay, Edmond, Fort Gay, Huntington, Logan and Matewan, West Virginia.

High-Schoolers Discover J-School High school students from three states spent four days on Marshall’s campus in the annual Summer Journalism Workshop June 22-25. This marked the sixth year of delivering a series of workshops that strengthen students’ skills in journalistic writing, photography, design and press law.

Professors in the J-School conducted workshops, and JMC majors served as counselors for the participants.

Students attended the workshop at no cost except transportation thanks to grants from the Huntington Herald Dispatch, from the Office of Multicultural Affairs and from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.

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School of Music and Theatre { f r o m t h e d i r e c to r } It is difficult to believe that I’ve completed my first year as the Director of Music and Theatre at Marshall University. There have been so many highlights this past year, it is difficult to select some to discuss! Jack Cirillo’s brilliant direction of the Shakespeare’s classic “Taming of the Shrew” certainly stands out. Professor Cirillo presented this work in a thoroughly modern setting, while preserving Shakespeare’s language, and most importantly, his meaning. Another highlight of my year was appearing on stage with our Wind Symphony at Chicago’s Symphony Hall. It was a transformative experience for our students to perform in such a beautiful space, both visually and acoustically. In Chicago, our students also had the opportunity to perform for and be taught by World War II veteran and former Commander of the United States Air Force Band, Colonel Arnald Gabriel.

Next year promises to be filled with many exciting and breathtaking moments of performing arts presented by our talented students under the watchful eye of the worldclass faculty at Marshall University. In August, the Marshall University Guitar Quartet, under the direction of Professor Júlio Alves, will present a residency in Costa Rica. In addition to having the opportunity to perform with music students from Costa Rica, our students will experience Costa Rican culture first hand. They will stay with host families, have the opportunity to see volcanoes and the beautiful Costa Rican beach and even have a traditional meal. I know that they are looking forward to this exciting adventure. Next year, our music and theatre programs will collaborate in bringing the beloved musical “Cabaret” to the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

The students, staff and faculty at the School of Music and Theatre look forward to welcoming you to any of our 150 plus performances next year!

Richard Kravchak, Director School of Music and Theatre

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Red-Hot Talent

Theatre Professor and Alumnus Take Greenbrier Valley Stage in “Red” Cast as Russian-born abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, much of Jack Cirillo’s performance in the spring production of “Red” focused on the relationship between him and his hired assistant Ken. The drama was the Marshall University Theatre Director’s third production with the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, and the first of those he starred alongside his former student

Nick Reynolds — a thrill, Cirillo said, that was probably the greatest aspect of this year’s collaboration.

“The parallels between the work of the artists Rothko/Ken and the actors me/ Nick were wonderful to explore,” Cirillo said. “This allowed Nick and myself to bring a good deal of us into them.”

Reynolds, who interned with the Greenbrier Valley Theatre while he

Guitar Ensemble to Visit Costa Rica Four students of Marshall University’s guitar ensemble will travel for the first time to Costa Rica in August to perform with students of the University of Costa Rica’s guitar ensemble.

Associate Professor of music Dr. Júlio Alves will accompany students Kareem Mccullough, Rodrigo Almeida, Jonathan Thorne and Erik Anderson when they arrive in San José, Costa Rica Aug. 7 and return to Charleston, West Virginia, on the 17th.

Alves said this trip is an academic opportunity for the students to learn about music education while also getting acquainted with a different culture.

“The students will be exposed to the music of Costa Rica, and they will also receive instruction by the faculty of the university there,” Alves said.

Conversely, Alves will provide instruction to the guitar ensemble of Costa Rica.

Marshall University Theatre Professor Jack Cirillo (right) and Nick Reynolds (left) perform in the Greenbrier Valley Theatre’s spring production of the six-time Tony-Award-winning drama “Red.”

studied at Marshall, first met Cirillo in 1998 when the two were cast in a play as uncle and nephew.

Cirillo said. “She has developed a very successful and highly creative entity in the state.”

Cirillo said the partnership with the Greenbrier Valley Theatre exemplifies the value that Marshall University Theatre places on collaboration, while allowing the students to work with the company’s Artistic Director Cathey Sawyer.

Two alumni and four current students are working this season for the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, West Virginia’s only professional, year-long theatre: interns Tim Woda, Ryan Gallerani, Josh Fronk, and Remy Sylvain; Stage Manager Christina Baroniel; and Educational Director Courtney Susman.

“(Cathey’s) directorial work is masterful,”

A Costa Rican native, Alves said he wrote and presented this collaborative project in hopes of creating an exchange program to broaden students’ musical experiences and prepare them for the job market of the 21st century.

“The goal is that next year the guitar ensemble from the University of Costa Rica will have the opportunity to come to Huntington,” Alves said.

The South-American trip will be supported and funded by the College of Arts and Media.

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Giving

The Joy of

by Melanie Griffis

T

his year in the College of Arts and Media, a record number of students received awards and scholarships made possible in large part by private donors. While many of our scholarships are the result of planned gifts, a significant percentage are set up by individuals to honor loved ones, acknowledge the value of the Marshall University experience, or simply to assist students studying a discipline the donor loves.

Scholarship support recognizes the accomplishments of students, but most importantly, it helps to relieve the everincreasing cost of higher education. In the College of Arts and Media, our students willingly and articulately communicate the impact of these funds to their donors in their thank you cards: “I just wanted to sincerely thank you and show my utmost gratitude for the support you have awarded me with. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to practice my craft, and I am boundlessly lucky for the assistance I have been granted to do so.

Not many are able to say with honesty that their work is synonymous with their passion, but I stand here today saying that with pride! And I thank you again for the helping hand and positive energy you are lending toward making all of that possible.”

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“I hope someday that I can help students like you have helped me. Being an art student is an expensive area of study. In addition to the cost of my education, the materials for my work as a painting student can be pretty expensive. I have wanted to study art since middle school. I’ve enjoyed learning about famous painters and their inspiration to follow their dreams and create an expression of what is in their heart through their work. That is what I want to do. I realize that I may not be a

through this scholarship, and I would like to send you an invitation to my recital so that you can hear me play. It would mean a great deal to me and my family to have the generous person who helped me reach my goal come to this special part of my educational experience.”

“Like many kids my age, I grew up expecting to go to college. And I expected that I would have to pay for it because my family just can’t help me. It is my responsibility

For more information about how you can contribute to our students or the College of Arts and Media, please contact Senior Director of Development Melanie Griffis at (304) 696-2834 or griffism@marshall.edu. famous painter – at least not at first – but I can work hard to be the best artist I can be. I will study and work hard to honor your generosity. Thank you.”

“I want to thank you for making it possible for me to have a scholarship for next year.

I am the first in my family to attend college and am doing my best to pay my own way.

With your scholarship I will not have to work as many hours. As a music performance major, I perform with ensembles in addition to my studies. All of these require a lot of time, and your generosity means that I can pay more attention to preparation for my recitals. I am very lucky to have a friend

and I am determined to earn my degree.

This scholarship is truly a gift. It means that I can borrow less money, work fewer hours and that I can take a deep breath and relax just a little because someone who doesn’t even know me gave money to help me get my degree. I hope that I will be able to make a difference to a student someday in the amazing way that you have helped me.

You and this scholarship have made my life better.”

These responses are indicative of the value of scholarship support to students in the College of Arts and Media. Every student in this college acknowledges their

Nearly 200 Honored with College Awards Hundreds of excited students gathered on April 25 in Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards Playhouse with hopes of walking away with scholarships at the College of Arts and Media inaugural Awards Convocation. Here are a few of the 189 students whose hopes were fulfilled and financial burdens eased.

1 Music major Joshua Stewart meets Anne Imperi following his acceptance of the Leo V. Imperi Music Scholarship. 2 Broadcast journalism majors Jessica Patterson and Kelsy Dunkle, recipients of the Dr. Charles G. Bailey Scholarship, pose with Dr. Bailey.

3 Music major Gabriel Gray beams with Robin Wilks, Stephen Wilks and Janice Chandler Gold, after receiving the Janice Chandler Gold Music Education Scholarship. 4 Theatre major and scholarship recipient Emily Pritchard (middle) stands with Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, the donors to the WB “Bart” and Doris Andrews Fine Arts Scholarship. 5 College of Arts and Media Dean Donald Van Horn shakes the hand of one of the recipients as he hands her an award.

scholarship with a letter to their donor or to the contact of record for the scholarship.

We have been overwhelmed by the response from donors to these gestures of appreciation. Some donors read between the lines and see the extraordinary sacrifice the student is making to gain their degree. These donors follow their student’s progress and have made extra contributions to assure that their student is not experiencing extra hardship during their time at Marshall.

Many of our donors continue annual contributions to the fund after the endowment is established. Others have included additional support for the fund in their estate plans. These remarkably generous expressions from alumni and friends of Marshall mean that nearly 200 of our students will have less debt and more piece of mind in the next academic year.

On behalf of the dean, faculty and our talent students, I add my thanks. We are humbled by your support.

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How Can a Small Gift Make a Major Impact?

Scholarships do not come only from endowment funds. In fact, you can have an impact as a scholarship donor without establishing an endowment!

Gifts to these funds range from $5 to $500. The pooling of gifts from many interested donors creates general scholarship support, which has significant impact for many recipients.

The College of Arts and Media, School of Art and Design, the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications and School of Music and Theatre have established funds to which alumni and friends can contribute to assist students — without making the major gift required for an endowment.

If you received a scholarship, a thoughtful way to make a smaller gift with big impact is to make a thank you gift in honor of the donor who made your scholarship possible. A gift of any amount can be designated to a particular scholarship endowment to recognize the significant role of that scholarship in your own Marshall University experience. The Marshall University Foundation will notify the endowment donor that a gift has been made in their honor. The value of this gift could be three-fold: the endowment increases, the donor is ensured that the scholarship is appreciated and the likelihood of the donor’s continued support for the fund is increased.

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Marshall University College of Arts and Media One John Marshall Drive Huntington, WV 25755-2200 www.marshall.edu/cam

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