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BYU-Idaho’s production of Mary Stuart gets high marks The quality of work produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance has recently been endorsed by the prestigious Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which nominated five students to compete in the regional festival after adjudicating the department’s presentation of Mary Stuart. During its successful two-week run, a representative of KCACTF came to Rexburg to evaluate the Fredriech Schiller play, nominating two actors, two designers, and one stage manager for scholarships and to compete in the regional festival in February. Justin Bates, a member of the Department of Theatre and Dance and director of Mary Stuart, said the department has wanted to bring in a KCACTF representative to evaluate the quality of the work of the theatre department. “We wanted to see if we were producing the same caliber of productions as other universities,” Bates said. “The adjudicator said we should feel very good about the work we are doing here, and that it was very comparable to other universities.” Lani Call, who played the title character in Mary Stuart, said the adjudicator told them he didn’t expect much coming into little Rexburg, Idaho, but he was pleasantly surprised. “After the show he sat in front of us with his booklet of notes he had taken during the play and asked us questions about it,” Call said. “He didn’t just give his opinion about the show, but asked good questions to see if we knew the reasons behind the production.”
Sound designer, Camilla Martinez, called it “an amazing learning experience.” “It gives us a broader perspective of where we align with the rest of the country,” Martinez said. The KCACTF adjudication process goes much deeper than simply evaluating the actors. The adjudicator responds to the design, facilities, stage management, ushers, box office, and the overall experience, from the front door to the end of the evening. In February the five nominated students will present their work and perform at the regional festival in Denver. According to Martinez, the regional festival is an opportunity to learn from peers from around the country, earn awards and scholarships, network with those in the industry, and find out more about grad school opportunities. “It’s an exciting event about furthering our educational field of study,” Martinez said. In addition to Call and Martinez, Kendal Raleigh (actor), Bryce Petersen (lighting designer), and Cassie Kanios (stage manager) were nominated for scholarships. The KCACTF Region 7 is February 15-19, 2016.
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BYU-Idaho’s exhibit showcasing the diverse wildlife and geology in Eastern Idaho will be on display through Spring 2016. Bottom right: BYU-Idaho Director of Public Affairs, Brett Sampson cuts the ribbon with Driggs mayor Hyrum Johnson.
BYU-Idaho wildlife exhibit opens in Driggs There is now a warm place to enjoy the wildlife and geology of Eastern Idaho this winter. The Teton Geotourism Center (TGC) in Driggs opened a new exhibit inside its community gallery in November, featuring specimens of the region’s wild animals and geology from BYU-Idaho’s permanent collections.
The pieces on display in the TGC’s community gallery come from the vast collections of BYU-Idaho’s Department of Biology and Department of Geology, used for instruction and learning both in the classroom and in the university’s Wildlife Museum and Geology Museum.
BYU-Idaho is excited about this first time ever loan to an outside entity.
The Department of Geology is also The exhibit entitled Wildlife and preparing to unveil new displays inside of its Geology: Along the Teton Scenic Byway museum on campus. inside the downtown Driggs museum “This is a light version of what we are BRETT SAMPSON, features taxidermy animals such as a gray developing in the Romney,” said Forest U N I V E R S I T Y P U B L I C A F FA I R S wolf, cougar, porcupine, American bison, DIRECTOR Gahn, a geology faculty member. North American moose, and a Rocky Mountain goat. Additional fossil and BYU-Idaho Public Affairs Director Brett mineral collections and specimens add Sampson said the university’s loan to the a sense of the terrain and geological history of the Teton Valley TGC marks the first time the university has displayed samples of landscape. its collection off campus. continued on page 3
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Wildlife exhibit: continued from page 2 “BYU-Idaho is excited about this first time ever loan to an outside entity. It seems natural that a university and the center here, both having education at the center of their missions, would join forces,” Sampson said. The Teton Geotourism Center opened in August 2014, and was developed in collaboration with National Geographic and the Idaho Scenic Byways program to form a new concept in place-based visitor centers. Geotourism is described as “best practice” tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place, including its culture, environment, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.
“We hope you will take the time to learn about this piece of heaven we love so much,” said Driggs Mayor Hyrum Johnson the opening night of the exhibit.
I couldn’t be more proud of this partnership with BYU-Idaho. DEB HINKLEY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE TETON GEOTOURISM CENTER
The TGC is one of the first visitor centers in the nation to be designed from the ground up with these tenets, to provide the traveler with a glimpse into the life and lifestyle of the distinct region along the Teton Scenic Byway, which includes communities from Ashton to Swan Valley.
The BYU-Idaho exhibit is the second temporary exhibit inside of the museum and is expected to be on display through Spring 2016. “I couldn’t be more proud of this partnership with BYU-Idaho,” said Deb Hinkley, executive director of the Teton Geotourism Center. University students are also working to help the center to gain more exposure in the community. Sampson’s public relations class has taken the Center on as a client to develop a campaign to lure in more visitors. “We have a ways to go in defining what it means to be a geotourist,” said Hinkley.
In its first year more than 11,000 people visited the center from over 20 countries. The museum is open every day but Wednesday.
I-Learn 3.0 meets needs for growing university Many courses are being offered on a new learning management system (LMS) this semester, and the university will be completely transitioned to the new system by Fall Semester 2016. The university’s new LMS, Brightspace by Desire2Learn, an educational technology company, is helping BYU-Idaho accommodate the growth and expansion of the university. During the past three to four years, BYU-Idaho has experienced a substantial increase in students both on-campus and online.
Many physical facilities have been remodeled in response to the growth on campus. New improvements to the LMS are also being made to better meet the needs of the growing student body both in Rexburg and beyond. Cary Johnson, BYU-Idaho’s LMS coordinator and Brightspace Transition Team member, said that when choosing a new LMS the university focused on three characteristics: technical infrastructure, features, and partnership.
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I-Learn 3.0: continued from page 3 Johnson said the university wanted a system that was stable and could operate with limited down time. “We wanted a system with the technical aspects to support our growing needs, and the ability to communicate functionally and efficiently with a number of different parties,” Johnson said. “We also wanted strong features that could enhance our teaching and learning capabilities, and a company that was willing to work closely with their clients.” What followed were several months of research, internal collaboration, and even some evaluation with the Church. During that time the university received several proposals for new LMS systems. After careful analysis and consultation with other universities using the LMS, BYU-Idaho decided on Brightspace. According to Johnson, Brightspace came highly recommended from consulting universities due to their company’s willingness to listen to clients and continually seek improvement. Shortly after the university decided to contract with Brightspace, university administrators visited the company to begin planning its implementation. “We flew to their corporate headquarters,” said Fenton Broadhead,
emeritus academic vice president. ”We got a feel for the culture of the company and we’ve been very impressed with their response to us on helping us deal with those concerns we had and looking at what they had on the roadmap for the future.” BYU-Idaho piloted the system in two classes and six sections in Winter Semester 2014. “Of course there are always challenges with new changes,” said Johnson, “but it’s working and, for the most part, it’s going well. As we continue to learn we are able to improve the system and make it better for teachers and students.” Steve Hunsaker, member of the Department of Languages and International Studies, has been working with Brightspace for four semesters now and says it gives teachers a wider range of tools that benefit the teaching and learning process. “I don’t even realize it’s a different system anymore,” Hunsaker said, “it’s just the tool I use for my classes now.” Hunsaker advised faculty members making the transition to make use of the many resources the university provides. “Draw on the experience of those who have gone ahead,” Hunsaker said. “They’ve
Christmas gathering for employees President Gilbert and the Executive Group invite all employees to join them for a Christmas Gathering. Thursday, December 17 10 am - 1 pm Taylor Cultural Hall Come visit with and write notes of appreciation to campus employees, enjoy refreshments, and pick up your freshly baked pie.
explored these things and know what to do.” Johnson is confident that the new LMS will continue to support the mission of the university to provide a quality education and prepare students for lifelong learning. “I-Learn 3.0 is a robust system that provides opportunities for stability and growth in the direction the Lord is guiding this university,” Johnson said. “The Lord is in the details of this project.”
Employee parking permits set to expire All employee parking permits (‘A’, ‘FN’, and ‘FS’) will expire at the end of 2015 with the exception of temporary ‘A’ permits issued to adjunct faculty members. Replacement permits are now available at the Parking Services Office in Kimball 150H. The new permits issued will be good for three years. Parking zones and signage will remain the same but FN and FS permits will have a new design. Please update your vehicle information
at www.byui.edu/ParkingServices before coming in to expedite your visit. You do not need to bring your old permit in for an exchange. Employees who park in ‘A’, ‘FN’ and ‘FS’ lots with expired permits next semester will be cited. “We will start citing the first day of school with students and we will start citing with employees,” said Parking Specialist Brian Tuttle.
News & Notes A monthly publication of University Relations A D V I S O R Brett Crandall W R I T E R Clint Urick P H O T O G R A P H E R S Michael Lewis, Katelyn Crompton, Erik Hill, Kalan Lysenko, Tyler Rickenbach If you have any ideas for future issues, please e-mail newsdesk@byui.edu.
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