Creation Fall 2015

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reation Marshall University’s College of Arts and Media

In the Field

CAM students gain experience, culture and skills by putting their knowledge and talents to work in and out of state, overseas

{ INSIDE } Remembering Those Lost | Through the Lens: Abroad in Italy | SOJMC Students Win Big in 2015

{ DEAN’S MESSAGE } As you know, President Stephen Kopp passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 17, 2014. His death leaves a void for many of us who worked with him, and it also reminds Donald Van Horn all of us that Dean, College of Arts and Media life is precious. Jenkins Fenstermaker attorney Barry Taylor, chair of the College of Arts and Media fundraising campaign for the Visual Arts Center and Global Horizons and a close friend of Steve Kopp, shares a tribute to the late president on page 14.

Liz Bradley, Dr. Kopp’s daughter, spoke about him at a memorial service held in the Henderson Center on January 13,. Her poignant comments about her father struck a chord with me as a father and as someone whose life has been invested in higher education. Ms. Bradley, quoted in The Herald-Dispatch, said, “I hope you will think of Stephen Kopp when you are faced with something particularly challenging.” She said, “I hope you will hear his voice moving you forward even as your own voice resists.”

I want to share with you some of Steve Kopp’s voice. What follows is the text of remarks he made at the Marshall University Intercultural Scholars Breakfast on Nov. 8, 2014: “Often, I have been asked, ‘What do you do as the President of Marshall University?’

Perhaps you have the same question.

“This question is a bit of a perplexing one because a multitude of responses come to mind, most of which fail to convey the essence of this role.

“As I have thought about it, I have chosen to describe my most important roles and responsibilities as follows: “I am an artist, an imaginer, a translator of dreams; I am a person who listens, composes and paints visions—and then brings them to life!

“I have many, many assistants, some who are more helpful than others, but that’s true about many situations in life.

“One of my greatest challenges is how to capture and harmonize new visions, new dreams with old ones—to find that perfect harmony between what has been, what is and what will be.

“So imagine: we—you and I—are standing at a blank canvas, and we begin to paint the vision of our dreams and aspirations—yours and mine—for the future. Close your eyes and visualize in your mind’s eye.

“Where should we begin? What images should we paint? Does what we feel we should paint harmonize with what we are passionate about painting?

“What colors, textures and dimensions should we use? How should we compose and blend them? How do we capture the all-important 4th dimension, time, in the progression of the visual creations we are composing?

“Now, the really big question: how do we bring our vision to life—move it from the canvas to the real world?”

Dr. Kopp’s greatest challenge—to “capture and harmonize new visions, new dreams with old ones”—is one we now face daily, yet one we must adopt with enthusiasm and vigor.

The College of Arts and Media is heeding the words of our late President as we embrace the fact that change is an essential response to an evolving world. That recognition places us in the midst of discussions about some new curricular initiatives that will better prepare our students for careers that, today, can be challenging to imagine. It is difficult work and it does not come easy. Nonetheless, we accept Dr. Kopp’s challenge to move visions to life, ideas to reality.

A person particularly effective at moving ideas to reality was Michael Perry, a pillar of our community and former Marshall University President. We lost Mike this past spring, and he is deeply missed by a community he worked tirelessly to strengthen. Dedicated to preserving the rich Appalachian cultural heritage that defines our region, Mike was a visionary in every sense of the word.

If anyone could “capture and harmonize” visions for the future with valuable lessons from the past, it was Mike Perry. Mike and wife Henriella created Heritage Farm in Huntington, a priceless living museum that explores and preserves all things Appalachia.

While Heritage Farm celebrates the past, it also informs our future, and that was Mike Perry’s unique gift to all of us—the ability to look ahead with extraordinary clarity because he understood so well the region’s roots.

Joe Murphy at Trifecta Productions in Huntington worked extensively with Mike Perry to capture on film the essence of Heritage Farm and what it brings to our community. Joe graciously reflects on his good friend Mike Perry on page 15.

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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

program assistant | TERESA HOLSCHUH business manager | RACHEL WILLIAMSON student services specialist | TAMMY REYNOLDS special projects coordinator | BETH CARUTHERS 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 / / FA L L 2 0 1 5

{ SCHOOL NEWS }

8 { ON THE COVER } Students Interview Stars at the Greenbrier WMUL Executive Director Adam Rogers, not pictured, interviewed Tiger Woods at the Greenbrier Classic in July. WMUL staffers also interviewed Bubba Watson and Shaquille O’Neal. Five students from the station joined Rogers for five days to produce and release daily sports packages covering the Pro-Am tournament and the full PGA event.

(Photo by Autumn Vallandingham/WMUL)

{ F E AT U R E S }

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Events Calendar

Check out what’s happening in the College of Arts and Media this fall

Italy Abroad

Two CAM students provide a glimpse of Italy through photography

Fund Established for Kopps The Kopps’ support for Marshall University’s visual arts program will continue through an endowment

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SOJMC Reaccredited

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Band Director Joins Music

School is one of 119 in the world accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications

Former Captain begn with the music program this fall

Mark your calendar for Empty Bowls 2016

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In Memoriam: Kopp

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In Memoriam: Perry

A rememberance of late Marshall University President Steven J. Kopp, by friend and colleague Barry Taylor

Former MU President and friend of the college, A. Michael Perry, is remembered by friend Joe Murphy

Friday, April 15 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church 1015 5th Avenue Huntington, WV Join the movement to end hunger www.marshall.edu/emptybowls

marshall.edu/cam

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events* AUG

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Anila Agha // Exhibition Opening

A mixed-media artist and Lahore, Pakistan native, Anila Quayyum Agha is the Visual Arts Center Gallery’s fall featured artists and one of this year’s Joan C. Edwards Distinguished Professors in the Arts. Agha’s award-winning artwork explores global politics, cultural multiplicity, mass media, and social and gender roles in our current cultural and global scenario. Admission to the gallery is free.

Aug. 24-Oct. 30 — M-F, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Visual Arts Center Gallery, 927 Third Ave.

AUG

26

Duo Savoyard in Concert

Composed of northern Italian musicians flutist Paolo Dalmoro and guitarist Giorgio Signorile, Duo Savoyard visits as Joan C. Edwards Distinguished Professors in the Arts. The duo will be joined by MU music’s Wendell Dobbs, Júlio Ribeiro Alves and student performers for this free concert. Another free performance is set for noon Friday, Aug. 28 at First Presbyterian Church (1015 Fifth Ave.), as part of the MUsic Alive! series.

Wednesday, Aug. 26 — 7:30 p.m.

Smith Recital Hall, Marshall campus

SEPT

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Pastorale Woodwinds // Concert

Oboist Richard Kravchak, flutist Wendell Dobbs and pianist Henning Vauth will perform in one of the last performances of the summer when they take on music from the 19th century. This performance is free and open to the public.

Thursday, Sept. 3 — 7:30 p.m.

Smith Recital Hall, Marshall campus

SEPT

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Huntington Area Art Society // Lecture Series

This lecture series will offers ongoing opportunities for community members to learn more about art. Additional dates for the lectures are set for Oct. 7, Nov. 11 and Dec. 2. A meet and greet begins at 6 p.m. Cost of attendance is $10 for each presentation, payable by cash or check to MU School of Art & Design. Registration will be capped at 50 attendees per presentation. Please call (304) 696-7299 to register.

Wednesday, Sept. 9 — 6:30 p.m.

Cellar Door, 905 Third Ave.

SEPT

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Violauta Duo in Concert

The Violauta Duo consists of guitarist Júlio Ribeiro Alves and flutist Wendell Dobbs, colleagues in the School of Music and Theatre at Marshall. Ribeiro Alves performs on guitars by John H. Dick and on a Romantic guitar from c. 1840 (attributed to French luthier Aubry Maire), while Dobbs performs on a modern wooden flute by Chris Abell and historical reproductions by John Gallagher. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, Sept. 17 — 7:30 p.m.

Jomie Jazz Forum, Marshall campus

SEPT

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From Greer Museum: Collected Prints— Title: Sundown in Jackson, 2014. By Traci Molloy.

Photo-lithography and screenprint.

AUG

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Greer Museum: Collected Prints // Reception/Gallery Talk

This exhibition will feature collaborative print editions created at the University of Rio Grande and now a part of the Greer Museum.

Admission is free. The exhibition will be on display from Aug. 27-Oct. 2. Admission is free and the gallery is open M-F, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 27 — 5-7 p.m.

Birke Art Gallery, Hal Greer and Third Ave.

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Ah, Wilderness! // Opening Night

By Eugene O’Neill—Revived in 1998 to acclaim at New York’s Lincoln Center, Ah, Wilderness! is a sharp departure from the gritty reality of the author’s renowned dramas.

Taking place over the July Fourth weekend of 1906 in an idyllic Connecticut town, it offers a tender retrospective portrait of small town family values, teenage growing pains and young love. Free for full-time Marshall students with valid ID. For more information, call the Marshall Theatre Box Office at (304) 696-ARTS (2787).

Sept. 30-Oct. 3 & Oct. 8-10 — 7:30 p.m.

The Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre at The JCE Performing Arts Center

OCT

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An Evening of Comedy with Anthony Jeselnik

Marshall Artists Series kicks off the season with Emmy nominee Anthony Jeselnik, a stand-up comedian most famous for his Comedy Central roasts of both Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen, as well as his writing stints on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” To order tickets, call (304) 696-3326.

Thursday, Oct. 1 — 7:30 p.m.

Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center

OCT

2

Kacey Musgraves in Concert

Twenty-six year old singer/ songwriter Kacey Musgraves’ Grammy-winning debut album, Same Trailer Different Park, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and the country music sweetheart already has two Grammy awards to her name. To order tickets, call (304) 696-3326.

Friday, Oct. 2 — 7:30 p.m.

Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center

OCT

2

Workman & Alves // Guest Recital

Stan Workman, voice, visits campus to perform with guitarist Júlio Ribeiro Alves, associate professor at Marshall. This performance is free and open to the public.

Friday, Oct. 2 — 7:30 p.m.

Jomie Jazz Forum, Marshall campus

OCT

13

Orchestra Concert

Under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Reed Smith, The 50+ members of the Marshall University Symphony Orchestra will perform free for the public. For more information, call the music program at (304) 696-3117.

Tuesday, Oct. 13 — 7:30 p.m.

Smith Recital Hall, Marshall campus

OCT

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Anila Agha // Artist Reception

Currently an associate professor of drawing at Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, Agha has been invited to Marshall as a Joan C. Edwards Distinguished Professor in the Arts. Agha will talk about her work, experiences, and methods during this free event.

Monday, Oct. 26 — 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Visual Arts Center Gallery, 927 Third Ave

OCT

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Boz Scaggs in Concert

This Marshall Artists Series concert will feature Grammy Award-winning rock pioneer Boz Scaggs, whose remarkable career dates back to the late sixties, when he performed with the Steve Miller Band. To order tickets, call (304) 696-3326.

Tuesday, Oct. 27 — 7:30 p.m.

Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center

OCT

31

Choral Festival // Finale Concert

Hear Tri-State high school students in a culminating performance following two days of coaching from MU music faculty, including voice professors Linda Dobbs and Larry Stickler, and current Marshall students. This performance, under the direction of Rob Wray and Dr. David Castleberry, is free and open to the public

NOV

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A Christmas Carol // Opening Night

By Charles Dickens/Adaptation by Romulus Linney—An adaptation of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey from an embittered, ungenerous creature into a giving, caring human being at the hands of three spirits, who, one Christmas Eve, show him what life means. This richly textured play brings the full spirit of the book, as well as those of Christmases Past, Present and Yet To Come, to life on the stage. Free for full-time Marshall students with valid ID. For more information, call the Marshall Theatre Box Office at (304) 696-ARTS (2787).

Nov. 18-21 — 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 21 — 2 p.m. (matinee) The Joan C. Edwards Playhouse at the JCE Performing Arts Center

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One Room, One World // Exhibition Opening

This exhibition, presented by Marshall University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, showcases objects from Marshall University’s Ethnographic Collection. Admission is free. Learn more about the Ethnographic Collection during a reception and gallery talk from 5-7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 13.

Nov. 9-Dec. 4 — M-F, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Birke Art Gallery, Hal Greer and Third Ave.

NOV

15

Chamber Choir Concert

Under the direction of Dr. David Castleberry, Marshall University’s Chamber Choir was featured in an award-winning broadcast with West Virginia Public Television entitled Choral Fusion and may be heard through available CD recordings. In addition to concerts in town, the ensemble makes frequent spring concert tours, including a ten-day performance tour to France in 2012 that featured a performance at Paris’s famed Cathedral de Notre Dame.

Sunday, Nov. 15 — 3 p.m.

Smith Recital Hall, Marshall campus

WMUL 88.1 FM The award-winning student broadcast voice of Marshall University, WMUL has been broadcasting in the Huntington region since Nov. 1, 1961.

marshall.edu/wmul

*information This impressive list shows only a handful of the more than 100 events in the College of Arts and Media this fall. Dates, times and performances are subject to change.

Wednesday, Nov. 4 — 7:30 p.m.

Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center

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marshallparthenon.com

youtube.com/user/HerdVideo

MAMMA MIA!

The Marshall Artists Series brings the world’s No. 1 show to town with the story of a mother, a daughter, three possible dads, and a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget! Over 50 million people all around the world have fallen in love with the characters, the story and the music that make MAMMA MIA! the ultimate feel-good show. To order tickets to this Broadway production, call (304) 696-3326.

NOV

The Parthenon Marshall’s student newspaper since 1897 goes to print two days a week and is available online 24/7.

MU Report Marshall University’s student produced newscast is available online or on WVPBS every other Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and repeated at 1 p.m. Monday.

Saturday, Oct. 31 — 11 a.m.

Smith Recital Hall, Marshall campus

NOV

Stay up with the latest from the Marshall University community through the School of Journalism and Mass Communications’ student media

NOV

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Walk The Moon in Concert

One of the biggest stories in music this year has been the meteoric rise of Cincinnati four-piece band Walk The Moon on the back of their single “Shut Up and Dance,” which has persistently remained near the top of the iTunes download charts and the Billboard charts for the past several months. Call (304) 696-3326 for information.

Thursday, Nov. 19 — 7:30 p.m.

Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center

DEC

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Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas

In a once in a life-time collaboration, the Marshall Artists Series and The Huntington Symphony Orchestra team up for a holiday multimedia extravaganza.

Tim Burton’s film, The Nightmare Before Christmas will be projected on the Keith-Albee’s huge screen, while legendary composer Danny Elfman’s enigmatic score comes to life by The Huntington Symphony Orchestra and special guests.

Saturday, Dec. 12 — 7:30 p.m.

Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center

College of Arts and Media (304) 696-6433 School of Art & Design (304) 696-7299 School of Journalism & Mass Communications (304) 696-2360

(304) 696-3326 Music Program (304) 696-3117 Theatre Program (Tickets) (304) 696-ARTS (2787) Or visit us online at

www.marshall.edu/cam

for the most up-to-date information.

marshall.edu/cam

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LEFT: Emily Rice/Online Journalism, ‘16

The Duomo, Florence’s most iconic landmark and the largest brick dome ever constructed.

RIGHT: Madeline Grant/Photography, ‘16

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The entire group in the Boboli Gardens before their last critique. Back: Robert Greer, Alissa Stricker, Madeline Grant, Emily Rice, Professor Ian Hagarty, Megan Curry, Danica Ross and Jesica Randolph. Front: Professor Heather Stark, Lara Peavler, Grayson Collins, Toby Werthammer, Shannon Reynolds, Rebecca Keith, Christina Rodes and Joe Werthammer.

Through the Lens: Abroad in Italy

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or the sixth year students were able to travel across the globe with the College of Arts and Media to learn more about art. In May, Marshall University art Professors Ian Hagarty and Heather Stark accompanied 14 students to Florence, Italy.

Madeline Grant, a photography major, described how the experience effected her: “History has never been one of my strong subjects but being able to walk through such a city was a lesson in itself,” she said.

“Sure, we could remember facts about these places from a lesson back here in a classroom, but we wouldn’t have learned nearly as much without becoming a part of such a beautiful city and culture.

“Since coming home, I’ve become homesick for a place I visited. The people and the friends I met while there were part of something so much more than just a class.”

Emily Rice/Online Journalism, ‘16

Above: Students hiked to the villages of Cinque Terre, a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera.

Below: Students stand ready to board a boat in Venice.

Madeline Grant/Photography, ‘16

The nighttime facade of the the Santa Maria del Fiore, the main cathedral in Florence.

marshall.edu/cam

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School of Art and Design In botany, a rhizome is the main stem of a plant that sends out both roots and shoots from its nodes. Using the rhizome as a metaphor, our state-of the-art Visual Arts Center is an educational and cultural node Sandra Reed from which we have Director School of Art and Design sent out lively shoots within our Marshall and downtown communities, as well as toward alumni, prospective students and patrons.

In the spring, the Visual Arts Center Gallery welcomed its first solo exhibition, Midnight Sun, from multi-media artist Brooks Dierdorff. Based in Oregon, the artist traveled to Huntington to create installations that drew from a range of approaches, incorporating sculptural elements, silver gelatin contact prints and video projection. In February, 50 students traveled together on the school’s 41st annual New York City trip.

A new lecture series dubbed the Huntington Area Art Society was launched this spring and will be continued in the fall. Four presentation made for an audience of around 35-45 community members, will be led by Assistant Professor Heather Stark. The aim is to uncover unstated biases and to consider multiple points of view regarding challenging work. If you are interested to know more, please call (304) 696-6760.

Speaking of downtown, our surrounding community is an important part of our experience and we look to contribute and engage with it in ways that make a difference. In March, faculty and students visited the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Manufacturing. They walked away with a comprehensive introduction to various 3-D printing materials and to other manufacturing equipment.

The roots of the School of Art & Design are deep.

For instance, students had work juried into our 29th Annual Juried Student Exhibition by jurors Paula Clendenin, a WV artist, and Dr. Judy Wellington, former director of the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences. The jurors also awarded $2900 to 11 of these talented students. The contribution of President Kopp’s memorial fund to support student awards, alongside the generosity of all donors, made the event a highlight within the academic year.

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Visual Arts Fund Established to Honor Kopps Starting in spring 2016, the College of Arts and Media will make awards from the Stephen J. Kopp Memorial Endowment Fund for Achievement in the Visual Arts in honor of the university’s late President and his wife, Jane.

Established by the Marshall University Foundation to reward students’ exhibition work, the endowment will place priority with standouts from the Annual Student Juried Exhibition. Each year during his tenure, Dr. Kopp hand selected art from the Annual Student Juried Exhibition to be featured in a special, one-year exhibition located in his office, according to Mrs. Kopp.

“It meant a lot to him to be able to display the students’ art,” Mrs. Kopp explained, “and I think it meant a lot to the students, as well.”

School of Art and Design Director, Sandra Reed, said the endowment would help students finance defining experiences of their Marshall education, such as ambitious final projects, Capstone artwork and travel to New York City and Florence.

“This is a most remarkable gift to support students’ creative futures,” Reed said.

“Dr. Kopp had a true appreciation for the arts and recognized their importance in building a strong and vibrant community,” Marshall’s Senior Vice President for Development and CEO of The Marshall University Foundation, Ron Area, said.

That kind of appreciation is perhaps most recognizable in the heart of downtown at the Visual Arts Center, but the Kopps also personally supported the university’s visual arts. In 2007, they turned to visual art students for a unique gift for donors and began sponsoring a design competition for a commemorative plate and a holiday card and, in recent years, a digital greeting.

“Steve really wanted to encourage the student artists he crossed paths with,” Mrs. Kopp said.

Winners of the 2014 President’s Holiday Design Contest. From left, standing behind School of Art and Design Program Director Mary Grassell, First Lady Jane Kopp and late President Stephen J. Kopp, are Ashley Taylor, Erica Gallimore, Kaitlin Blatt, Karl Shaver, Ashley Loftis, Jasmine Felder, Adam Schultz, Rebecca Keith and Laura Miller.

The 30th Annual Juried Student Exhibition can be seen April 7-May 6, 2016, at the Birke Art Gallery in Smith Hall on Marshall’s Huntington campus.

{OPENING UP} Views From Opposite Ends of the Spectrum Here’s what conversation ensues when Professor Susan Jackson, the School of Art and Design’s longest-serving faculty member, chats with Assistant Professor Ryan Wilson, a first-year faculty member.

JACKSON: Tell me what it’s like from your perspective as a new faculty member to be part of the School of Art and Design in a new facility with a new director.

WILSON: The new Visual Arts Center for the School of Art and Design was one of the reasons why I was drawn to teach at Marshall University. The new building offers a great experience for students, a new gallery space and lots of open walls to hang work on. From what I hear about the last location, we have more space and better student facilities. What was it like going through the process of getting this done?

SJ: I’m the old curmudgeon. When I interviewed in 1985, they told me that the university was planning a new visual arts facility. Now, 30 years later, that promise has finally been kept. As the years became decades I became more and more cynical, convinced that if they built it, it would look and function nothing like what we asked for and needed. When Don Van Horn asked me about a year ago if I was excited about the move, I told him I wouldn’t believe it until I was given keys to the new space. Seeing is believing, and it’s a beauty, because of all the hard work and visionary leadership of Stephen Kopp, Don Van Horn, and Byron Clercx. And I am delighted with our new director, Sandra Reed. She has just the right

mix of skills to guide us through a welcome but still challenging transition.

RW: I didn’t have any experience with the past director, but working with Sandra has been positive and helpful. Sandra has helped me add two new motion graphics programs to our Motion Graphics Lab (Cinema 4D and RealFlow), as well as assisted in getting memory upgrades to the same lab. I also feel like I have a lot of freedom to develop new courses and modify existing student courses to better represent what is currently happening in the graphic design industry. MU Graphic Design graduates are able to compete nationally.

SJ: Welcome to Marshall, Ryan! I’m looking forward to working with you. Good things lie ahead for the School of Art and Design, and I’m glad you’re part of the team.

RW: Thanks Susan! Good chatting with you!

In Brief Experience in the Field Senior art education major Kayla Varndell was competitively selected for a job working with artist Mark Licari during the creation of a site-specific wall and window drawing at the Clay Center earlier this year. The position was funded by a National Endowment for the Arts grant and entailed visits to three junior and senior high schools in Boone County to provide arts exposure to students who may otherwise have none. Thank you to the Clay Center personnel, including Arif Khan, who wrote the school into the grant!

Distinguished Professor to Visit Anila Agha, who won both the Juried Grand Prize and the Public Prize in the 2014 Artprize competition, will be the featured solo exhibitor in the Visual Arts Center Gallery in Fall 2015. Agha will present a public lecture in late October, conduct a week-long workshop for students in fibers courses, and talk with upper level students about their work in one-on-one discussions, among other activities. Associate Professor Miyuki Cook wrote the application to garner support from the remarkable Edwards Distinguished Professors in the Art Endowment, which supports programming otherwise out of reach.

Recruitment Through Scholarships The Bart and Doris Andrews Fine Arts Scholarship enabled the school to recruit Eleanor Paybins from Capital High in Charleston, WV. With an outstanding academic career, extensive community service and a dynamic and accomplished portfolio, Eleanor will be joined in Fall 2015 by what is expected to be a historically substantial group of incoming visual art majors who have decided, like Eleanor, that they don’t need to leave home to receive a rigorous and innovative education in art and design.

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School of Journalism and Mass Communications Was it worth it?

It took 158 pages of self-study. The appendix was measured in pounds.

Frustration was typical, rewrites were frequent, and days were long.

Accreditation can be a grueling process. It requires deep reflection about the past six years and planning for the next six. The end Janet Dooley result might recommend Director, W. Page Pitt School alterations in course of Journalism and Mass offerings or modifications Communications in the way students are advised. The final report often suggests the unwieldy process called “change.” There were times we asked ourselves, “Is this worth it?”

Clearly the benefits outweigh the issues.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). That organization has developed a systematic process of external quality review. A team of five professors and professionals review self-studies that provide documentation and evidence of a program’s quality. The teams visit campuses for conversations with various constituencies. Their recommendations are reviewed by the Accrediting Committee and finally by the Accrediting Council. Such scrutiny is intended to reflect quality assurance and to suggest quality improvement.

ACEJMC has identified a number of groups who weigh accreditation in decision-making. Earning accreditation helps ensure prospective students they will find appropriate, challenging curriculum, adequate resources and competent faculty. Accreditation signals to parents a program that has been reviewed by peers and that is ready to prepare students for careers. High school teachers and guidance counselors may provide recommendations based on accreditation status. College administrators appreciate the recognition accreditation brings, media and communications professionals connect accreditation with firm grounding in the profession, and government agencies often use accreditation as a qualification for federal funds. Accreditation generally “enhances the stature and reputation” of programs.

One of the most recent concerns of ACEJMC is guarding against “diploma mills” that grant degrees without the rigor required for accreditation. The cyclical, disciplined and exhaustive examination of journalism and mass communications programs against a clearly defined set of criteria confers academic legitimacy.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications has been accredited since 1976, and we were just reaccredited for another six-year cycle. Going through the process is a bit like the sentiment of American author and satirist Dorothy Parker who said, “I hate writing, but I love having written.”

Getting there was challenging, but we respect external assessment, we appreciate feedback and we’re proud to continue the tradition.

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Members of the WMUL-FM staff celebrate with Dr. Charles Bailey (far right), as the 2015 winners of the annual WMUL/Parthenon softball game. Marshall University Interim President Gary White and his wife, Jo Ann, can be see in the stands.

SOJMC Earns Reaccreditation School Accreditated Continuously Since 1976

The W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications was reaccredited for another six-year cycle

by Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). The council vote was the culmination of a yearlong review process. The organization has accredited 119 schools in the United States and outside the country.

Marshall’s Interim President Gary White in a statement said, “I was pleased and proud of the impression the SOJMC made on the accreditation team.”

The site team report noted a strong reputation and visibility of the program in the Tri-State and beyond, a cohesive student body with a strong work ethic, a passionate and dedicated faculty known for outstanding teaching and an over-achieving student FM radio station as strengths of the program.

The ACEJMC vote followed the submission of a lengthy self-study provided by the SOJMC last fall, a four-day site visit by a five-member team, and review of the site team’s recommendations by ACEJMC’s

“I was pleased and proud of the impression the SOJMC made on the accreditation team.”

-Marshall Interim President Gary White accrediting committee. The longstanding, systematic, voluntary review process examines curriculum, governance, scholarly and creative productivity, diversity, faculty, student services, resources, professional and public service activity, and assessment.

A favorable vote from ACEJMC is intended to reflect quality assurance for journalism and mass communications programs.

The W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications has been accredited since 1976. School director Janet Dooley said, “Getting there was challenging, but we respect external review, we appreciate feedback and we’re proud to continue the tradition.”

W. Page Pitt Students Win Big in 2015 PR Students Receive 13 State and Regional Awards for Campaigns for Nonprofit Organizations Two Marshall University public relations classes took home 13 state and regional awards from the PRSA-East Central District for their campaign work for two area nonprofit organizations.

The 2013 MU public relations campaign management class—Shaver Media Group— won the 2014 Diamond Award for the students’ work on the “Questions” campaign for River Valley Child Development Services, a Huntington early-childhood education nonprofit organization.

Dr. Terry L. Hapney, Jr., associate professor of public relations at MU, said the award recognizes the top public relations campaigns in a six-state region.

“There were only three organizations in West Virginia to attain the prestigious Diamond Award honors,” Hapney said. “The other two were professional organizations at the regional and state levels, including a state agency.”

PRSA-WV and PRSA-ECD Executive Director, Diane Slaughter, said, “As a Marshall University graduate, I am especially proud of the students, faculty and staff for exhibiting the highest levels of quality and professionalism in public relations.”

Different aspects of the “Questions” campaign earned the group two Crystal Awards as well. The “Herd for Hoops” Campaign, which benefitted the Hoops Family Children’s Hospital and recognized Public Relations Student Society of America—Marshall University chapter’s 35th anniversary on the MU campus, brought in one Crystal Award. The two campaigns also earned students nine honorable mentions.

This is not a comprehensive list of awards won by the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications in 2015.

For more, visit www.marshall.edu/jmc

MU Report Students Take Home First Place at National Competition The National Broadcasting Society ranked Marshall University’s student produced newscast, MU Report, first place for the Best Prerecorded Newscast.

The winning newscast, “MU Report Special Edition: Remembering the 75” focused on the 1971 Marshall plane crash and the annual fountain ceremony.

“These students are passionate and truly dedicated to journalism and our television program,” MU Report advisor Hanna Francis said. “I’m so proud of them for earning this award.”

University Radio Station Racks Up Accolades From the Associated Press Broadcasters Awards Students from Marshall University’s public radio station, WMUL-FM, received five superior awards and nine merit awards in the non-metropolitan classification during the second annual “The Virginias” Associated Press Broadcasters awards ceremony March 28 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Dr. Chuck G. Bailey, professor of radiotelevision production and management in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall and faculty manager of WMUL-FM, said that the university competed with commercial and noncommercial radio stations from throughout the two states.

“WMUL-FM won the Outstanding Sports Operation award for the seventh time since 1985 (The other years were for just West Virginia in 1990, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2005 and 2010). This contest marks the second consecutive year that a WMUL-FM student broadcaster has been recognized for the Outstanding Effort by an Individual Reporter award. Overall, this tremendous effort helps to build upon another successful year and demonstrates the value of this campus radio station to Marshall University, the College of Arts and Media and the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications.”

Top: Dr. Terry Hapney, associate professor of public relations at MU, and three alumni from the ​MU PR academic program—Michael Circle, Amber Payne and Ashley Peach—hold awards from the PRSA-WV and PRSA-EDC organizations.

Middle: MU Report students Gabi Warwick and Rob Engle accepted the first-place award from the National Broadcasting Society on March 28 in Atlanta, Ga. Below: Three members of the WMUL-FM Student Board of Directors— Katlyn Swecker, promotions director; Jessica Patterson, production director and Amanda Reesman, news director—accepted the WMUL awards.

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School of Music and Theatre We have much excitement in the School of Music and Theatre that I would like to share with all of you.

The Center for Wellness in the Arts, coordinated

by Associate Professor of Theatre, Nicole Perrone, and Associate Richard Kravchak Professor of Music, Director Henning Vauth, conSchool of Music and Theatre tinues to expand both the depth and breadth of its offerings—making it one of the few centers of its kind in the nation. In addition to providing treatment and preventive education for physical injuries, we also have added vocal therapy and hearing health to our offerings.

Our Theatre for Young Audiences is starting its second season. TYA brings theatre directly to public school children. This year’s production will be the contemporary Ray Bradbury classic “Fahrenheit 451.” Our on-campus season begins with Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilderness,” a tender story set in small town America. We will open the holiday season with Charles Dickens “Christmas Carol.” February brings Theresa Rebeck’s “Mauritius,” which shows that stamp collecting can be surprisingly risky! We close our season with perhaps the greatest love story of all time, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

This summer, the music program was delighted to sponsor Reedx2, a double reed workshop. This year’s workshop featured Grammy-nominated, former New York Philharmonic English horn soloist Tom Stacy, often called the Heifetz of the English horn. Seminar participants came from all over the United States and studied tone production, reed making, orchestral excerpts and recital solos with Maestro Stacy. This August, Professor of Horn, Stephen Lawson, Associate Professor of Piano, Henning Vauth, and myself went to Los Angeles, where we were invited to perform at the conference of the International Horn Society. Dr. Lawson and I both performed on 19th century instruments.

The music program is thrilled to welcome Captain Brian Walden and Mr. Jesse Nolan to our faculty this fall. Captain Walden has been the Director of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C, and will join us as Director of Bands at Marshall. He joins an already stellar band faculty that includes Dr. Adam Dalton, Director of Athletic Bands, and noted clinician and instructor at the American Band College, Dr. Ben Miller, who will conduct our Concert Band and teach instrumental conducting. Jesse Nolan was the artistic director for the Blue Man Group and is a noted jazz drummer. He joins us as full-time visiting jazz artist.

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Former US Navy Band Officer Joins Music Faculty Brian O. Walden will join the Marshall faculty in August as the new Director of Bands at Marshall University following his retirement as Commanding Officer of the United States Navy Band.

Walden earned a bachelor’s degree in music with a double major in religious studies from Saint Leo University in Florida and a master’s degree in wind ensemble conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award by the Alumni Council in 2012. He also holds a graduate diploma in national security strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Walden is currently studying in the doctoral program for music education at George Mason University.

Walden enlisted in the Navy in 1981 and served as a trumpet instrumentalist in Charleston, New Orleans, Guam, the Marianas Islands and Norfolk. Highlights of these tours were his selection as the Commander, Naval Forces Marianas Sailor of the Year (1988) as well as assistant leader of the U.S. Navy Showband for UNITAS (1991) throughout South America and Africa and tours onboard USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), USS O’Bannon (DD 987) and USS Barnstable County (LST 1197). Before assuming his current position, he was the leader of the U.S. Naval Academy Band. At the Navy School of Music in Little Creek, Va., he has served as the executive officer as well as the director of training. Other previous officer assignments include tours as the director of the Allied Forces Southern

Brian O. Walden

Europe (NATO) Band in Naples, Italy, and as the director of Navy Band Great Lakes in Illinois.

A native of Trenton, S.C., Walden has guest-conducted ensembles and has performed as a trumpet instrumentalist in more than 74 countries. He has performed with the Virginia Wind Symphony, the Virginia Beach Symphony Orchestra and La Orquesta Salsa y Mas, a Latin salsa ensemble.

Walden has served as director of music at Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in Cambridge, Md., and St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach, Va., and also served as the orchestral brass instructor for the Virginia Beach Public Schools Academy of Visual and Performing Arts. His current research project is on the music and literature of composer George Thaddeus Jones.

His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service Meritorious Unit Award, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (seven awards).

The Student Perspective: Watching Professionals Helps Students Grow

By Olivia Watson Music Education Major

A

s a musician and future music educator, it is important to expose myself to different performance facets—from elementary Christmas programs, high school musical theatre productions and college operas to professional productions.

As of this spring, I had seen only one professional opera: a traveling production of Puccini’s “La Boheme” sponsored by the Marshall Artist Series. When (fellow music student) Hillary Herold and I were selected to go to Washington, D.C., for a student of opera trip, I couldn’t have known how the exposure to a new level of performance would spark ideas and inspiration from the professional vocalists, as well provide guidance for how I could put on my own productions one day.

Hillary and I started our trip by catching the Washington National Opera’s production

of Rossini’s “Cinderella” at the historic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. I was particularly excited to see this production because the Marshall University Opera Workshop performed the very first and last scenes of the performance, and in our version, I played one of the stepsisters, Tisbe, and Hillary played Cenerentola.

Maestra Speranza Scappucci conducted the overture at the start of the opera. It was refreshing to see a female conductor on the podium of a professional stage. As it is a male dominated field, every Metropolitan Opera broadcast performance I’ve seen has been conducted by a man. As an added bonus, maestra Scappucci, an Italian native, was making her Washington National Opera debut.

Maestra Speranza led the orchestra with ease and precision, with beautiful, smooth crescendos and decrescendos, along with exciting accelerandos and ritardandos.

Along with conducting, she also played the recitatives on the cembalo from her podium—fittting, as piano is her primary instrument.

As the curtains rose following the overture, the audience saw a large, gorgeous set.

The stepsisters’ colorful, extravagant wigs and costumes and the color-changing set were very visually appealing. I noticed they took the very first scene faster than how we performed it at Marshall.

Meeting the cast after the opera during the Q & A was a great experience. They were very welcoming and friendly. We learned a lot of behind the scenes work, such as that a speaker backstage allows the cast to hear the orchestra, which naturally faces the audience.

The next day we visited the other realm of vocal performance—musical theatre. We visited Ford’s Theater to see “Freedom’s Song,” a musical about the civil war and slavery during Lincoln’s presidency. The

story itself was moving, hearing to the soldiers’ stories about war and listening the slaves’ pleas for freedom. My eyes brimmed with tears during many of parts of the show.

The cast was fantastic! Every performer was strong in their part and belting, considering the fact that belting is typically the musical theatre singing style.

The number of spoken lines was interesting.

Between numbers the cast would turn toward the audience to read letters written

by Lincoln, which were also projected in the background. Lincoln’s words had an effect on, and sometimes foreshadowed, the story, and the audience got historical background before the story kept moving.

The shows made for a fantastic experience.

It lit a fire of inspiration for both my performance and conducting needs. I’ve practiced voice nonstop since I’ve been home because the professional performers showed me I had a lot of work to do, and I want to be at their level someday. It was great to see how different an opera and a musical theatre performance are, especially since I was able to watch them without much time in between. I’m thankful we were chosen to go on this trip.

Note: This experience was made possible in part by the Students of Opera Endowment Fund.

“(The experience) lit a fire of inspiration for both my performance and conducting needs.” marshall.edu/cam

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In Memoriam

Dr. Stephen J. Kopp 1951-2014

We see them in so many places, don’t we? I mean Steve Kopp’s handprints, as he tied Marshall even closer to the arts and Huntington’s downtown. For many of us, the tangible culmination of his efforts is our world-class Visual Arts Center, planted with care in the middle of Huntington’s commercial district.

Steve’s hands-on commitment to the College of Arts and Media, our city, and our region was purposeful and persistent.

I came to know him as a member of our executive committee when I chaired our Chamber of Commerce. Steve partnered with the Chamber because he wanted all Marshall grads to have relevance in our workplaces as both creative thinkers and excellent technicians. He continually committed Marshall’s considerable resources to improving our region as a better place to live and work. A scientist by training, he found partnering with artists inspiring, provoking and wonderful. His frustration, although rarely expressed publicly, was that we were not moving fast enough with the talent at hand.

Partnerships allow continuity of effort in a way that singular enterprises cannot.

With Steve having gone on ahead of us, and Marshall’s presidency in a period of transition and newness, we, as the College’s partners, now are called to pull harder, move faster and think more deeply. Good partners carry on with old tasks and begin new ones, and we were chosen as good partners.

The intangible culmination of Marshall’s hands-on partnerships with the arts and our city will prove to be far greater than the tangible. The students training in the VAC and throughout the College of Arts and Media this year and for the next 100 years are changing our city, region and the world with excellence and creativity, and they are a lasting tribute to Steve Kopp, who would be pleased, but impatient with our pace. We, therefore, must push the pace.

Barry Taylor chairs the Campaign for Distinction committee.

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In Memoriam

A. Michael Perry 1936-2015

Many people knew A. Michael Perry as a business giant, an attorney and a community leader. While true on all counts, I found him to be an artist, a visionary, and one of the most creative men I have ever known. Obviously he was creative; he built and curated a worldclass museum, wrote books and even recorded an album. However, it was the way in which he nurtured and developed people and created a community of men and women to share his dream—that was his true talent.

I spent the better part of a decade learning from him, as we worked together on the History Channel’s “Hatfields & McCoys: An American Feud” and “American Pickers,” while also documenting his own legacy. He inspired me as an artist by demonstrating that my creative spirit was the same one my ancestors shared; They too put their hearts and souls into everything they made. In a film that I wrote about Mr. Perry in 2014 entitled “To Dream,” he said of his ancestors, “The (Appalachian pioneer) wasn’t wanting to own the world; he just was wanting a little piece of land that was his and that he could be proud of, that he had taken care of his family and laid down and put his head on his pillow at night and said ‘well done.’”

On the morning of February 20th, I was present at a most inspiring meeting at the home of A. Michael Perry. To be clear, the meeting itself wasn’t at his home, it was 500 yards away at his beloved Heritage Farm. Due to his then advanced terminal cancer, Mr. Perry was physically unable to leave his bed. As his health began rapidly declining, he sent an email requesting a meeting with selected leaders in politics, finance, design, architecture, manufacturing, first response, law enforcement, healthcare, several private sector companies, trade and commerce organizations, and, not surprisingly, many invitees affiliated with his alma mater, Marshall University, where he was honored to serve briefly as president.

Despite his extreme illness, Mike Perry had set a meeting, and he intended to keep it. Thanks to the care of Hospice of Huntington and his family, modern technology, and more than a little help from above, Mike Perry called his final meeting to order promptly at 9 a.m. using a laptop, an iPad and Apple® FaceTime connected to a projector in the farm’s Pioneer Hall. A man who often poked fun at his lack of tech savvy was teleconferencing in to what would be the most prolific meeting of his life.

He began the meeting as he always would by greeting and thanking every attendee individually. He explained to his guests on a 20-foot screen that only by working together with innovative ideas and dogged determination would Huntington once again see the prosperity that he knew was our promised future. For over two hours, he watched each speaker exchange ideas and information with a sense of pride on his face. Shortly before Mayor Steve Williams, who was himself mentored by Perry from the time he was a 26-yearold city planner, took the floor, Mr. Perry

whispered to me that he thought that the meeting was going very well and was accomplishing exactly what he had prayed that it would.

“Steve has it from here. He knows what to do. I think I’ll rest now, Joe. Thank you.”

Mike Perry then went to sleep, very pleased with the morning. I took the laptop off his bed, told him I loved him and hugged his wife, Henriella, goodbye. I got a call from his son a short while later that Mike Perry was unresponsive and, soon after, another call that my mentor and friend had passed.

There is comfort in knowing Mike Perry closed his eyes and dreamt about the future of a community he spent his life serving would one day look like—our promised land. I know his head rested peacefully on his pillow that final night.

Well Done, Mr. Perry.

Joe Murphy is president of Trifecta Productions.

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