Fall 2013 Newsletter
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FAU Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
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www.fau.edu/artsandletters
DOROTHY F. SCHMIDT COLLEGE
of Arts and Letters This edition highlights events and activities from the 2012-13 Academic Year
College Leads New FAU
Initiative on Human Rights
A Message from the
Interim Dean We are excited to have new faculty joining the College in the Fall of 2013. I am also pleased to announce that Ben Lowe has accepted the position of chair of the Department of History, Eric Berlatsky will be chair of the Department of English, Renat Shaykhutdinov (Political Science) will serve as director of Peace Studies, Barbara Ganson (History) will serve as director of the Caribbean and Latin American Studies (CLAS) Certificate Program, and Lynn Appleton (Sociology) will serve as interim director for the Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. In other developments, the College completed the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan. – Heather Coltman, DMA Interim Dean
In April 2013, more than 50 FAU faculty and staff from across the University met to discuss the launch of the FAU Human Rights Initiative (HRI). Building on the success of the College´s Peace Studies Program generously supported by the Lynn-Wold-Schmidt Endowment for Peace Studies, this initiative seeks to bring together the various entities on campus invested in the theme of Human Rights, Peace and Social Justice, both locally and globally. The variety of programs represented at the meeting bodes well for the future of the initiative, which has as its goal the establishment of a Center for Peace and Human Rights that can channel the energies of scholars and activists to develop curricular and research projects. A working group of College stakeholders has been investigating the various programs at peer and aspirational institutions across the nation with the goal to sketch out a niche for our program that is unique and that serves our cosmopolitan South Florida community as well as reaches out to places beyond our borders. Some of the goals discussed at the April meeting included research initiatives, curricular expansion and community outreach. The stakeholders present at the meeting identified 15 core themes for future faculty collaborations, grant writing and scholarship. They also discussed the formation of faculty
research “clusters” around themes to pursue projects. An inventory of courses from across the University was taken with the objective to expand Peace Studies Certificate course offerings in the short term and to think about the interest and demand for a new degree, undergraduate or graduate. In addition, the group discussed increasing outreach to alumni and community partners, enhancing a website for greater visibility, linking to more student groups, and researching careers related to Peace and Human Rights. One exciting idea that emerged was the combining of faculty and graduate student interests in an outcome meaningful to our South Florida community: The Annual Human Rights “Report Card,” a multidisciplinary index of the status of our region in relationship to Peace, Human Rights and Social Justice. Groups of interested faculty and staff will be meeting this fall to continue work on this initiative. In addition, we anticipate making important linkages between the HRI and the new University programs related to Civic Discourse and Academic Freedom. For more information or if you are interested in participating in this exciting initiative, contact Interim Associate Dean Michael Horswell at horswell@fau.edu.
Human Rights, Peace and Social Justice
College Welcomes
New Cohort of Ph.D. Students
Alan B. Larkin Symposium FAU’s Alan B. Larkin Symposium on the American Presidency in the Department of History celebrated the Sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation with the symposium “Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America,” which took place in February 2013. More than 1,200 people attended the symposium, which opened with a keynote address titled “Lincoln’s Constitutionalism and the Meaning of the Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus,” presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Mark E. Neely, Jr. The Symposium is funded by the Alan B. Larkin Endowed Fund.
Off the Page: Events for Readers & Writers For the third year, the Department of English hosted the yearlong “Off the Page: Events for Readers and Writers Literary Series.” This series is underwritten by Chris and Lori Fluehr. A reading by poet and fiction writer Barbara Hamby opened the series in October 2012, and literary agent Betsy Lerner presented “What Writers Need to Know, An Evening with a Literary Agent” in January 2013. Idra Novey presented a reading in January and David Lehman presented a poetry reading in February. Nick Flynn finished the series in March, as the Lawrence A. Sanders Writer- in-Residence for 2013. Flynn is the author of several books, including “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City,” which was made into the movie “Being Flynn.” The Lawrence A. Sanders Writer-in-Residence Endowment was established in 2007 by the Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation.
The College’s interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Comparative Studies is welcoming a cohort of students into the newly revised track, Cultures, Languages, and Literatures (CLL). Recruitment efforts resulted in a total of 14 new students starting the program this fall. Thanks to funding from the Departments of English and Languages, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature, and from the Jupiter Lifelong Learning Society, the program is able to support 10 students with Graduate Teaching Assistantships. All students will begin their studies with their first “Theory and Criticism” seminar on the topic of Postcolonial Theory, taught by Associate Professor of English Taylor Hagood. In addition, they will be taking seminars in several departments from across the College as they pursue their interdisciplinary interests in a variety of fields. The College was pleased to award two Presidential Fellowships to complement the GTAships: Jonathan O’ Neil plans to study literary and political essays that address the cultures of the European Union, with an emphasis on Spain and Italy, and Candy Hurtado plans to combine her interests in Ethnomusicology and Latin American Studies to study the folk music and literature of her native Peru. Hurtado is also a recipient of a prestigious McKnight Fellowship, which will support her studies in our program. In addition to this new cohort, students in the tracks of Fine and Performing Arts (FPA), Languages, Literacies, and Linguistics (LLL), and Public Intellectuals (PI) continue to advance in the completion of their degrees. A total of 44 students are at various stages of research and dissertation writing. Last year the program graduated eight students: Daniel Copher (FPA), Shane Gunderson (PI), Nadja Johnson (PI), John Batey (PI), Mark Kattoura (PI), Merrie Meyers (PI), Elizabeth Petersen (LLL), and Nancy Stein (PI). For more information on the Comparative Studies program, visit www.fau.edu/ comparativestudies.
GALLERIES
exhibitions
The University Galleries hosted several major exhibitions in 2012-13. In the Fall of 2012, the “New Art: South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual and Media Artists Fellowship Exhibition” displayed the works of 11 artists from Florida’s five southeastern counties who won a highly competitive and generous annual grant. Included were works of FAU faculty Tom Scicluna and Eric Landes. Then in the Spring of 2013, the Galleries hosted the “POUR” and “Papercuts” exhibitions. “POUR” featured nine contemporary artists whose abstract works explore paint’s liquidity. The artists included Ingrid Calame,
Gloria Steinem at FAU More than 400 people attended a panel discussion on women and politics featuring writer and feminist activist Gloria Steinem, Florida Congresswoman Lois Frankel and FAU faculty in October 2012 on the Boca Raton campus. The panel was organized by the Department of Political Science and the Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
The Department of Philosophy recently inaugurated a new undergraduate philosophy journal titled Athene Noctua. The journal publishes selected research papers from a given year’s “Senior Seminar in Philosophy” course, which serves as the capstone for the philosophy major at FAU. The journal can be found online at http:// www.fau.edu/ athenenoctua and will also be available in print.
Kris Chatterson, Roland Flexner, Angelina Gualdoni, Carrie Moyer, Carolanna Parlato, David Reed, Jackie Saccoccio and Carrie Yamaoka. “Papercuts” featured seven artists: Jaq Belcher, Béatrice Coron, Michelle Forsyth, Reni Gower, Lenka Konopasek, Lauren Scanlon and Daniella Woolf. Several lectures were held in conjunction with these exhibitions, as well as a POUR/Papercuts Family Day, and an exhibition of works by Seminole Ridge High School students who were inspired by the exhibitions. These activities were part of FAU’s Museum Education Program. Image: Seminole Ridge High School students on a guided tour of the Papercuts exhibition.
Following the panel, there was a debate watch party to view the final Presidential Debate on the big screen in FAU’s Living Room Theaters. This was the third debate watch party on campus. Hundreds of members of the public and students attended these events, which were preceded by commentary from FAU faculty Burt Atkins, Tim Lenz, Kevin Wagner, Mirya Holman and Aimee Arias.
Charles Strouse Visit Commemorates Anniversary The Department of Music celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Commercial Music Program with a visit from acclaimed composer Charles Strouse in October 2012. Strouse held a master class in the afternoon that was open to the public before attending a reception at FAU’s Eleanor R. Baldwin House that was generously underwritten by Marta and Jim Batmasian. Strouse was presented with the inaugural FAU Making Waves Award during the Baldwin House event. This award recognizes artists who have made a significant contribution to the arts. Strouse, a three–time Tony Award winner for “Annie,”“Applause,” and “Bye Bye Birdie,” performed songs
from these shows, as well as his song “Those Were the Days” that launched over 200 episodes of “All in the Family.” Strouse has been inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame. The Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in the Performing Arts Endowment was established in 1991 by the Schmidt Family Foundation.
FACULTY focus DOROTHY F. SCHMIDT COLLEGE OF
Compassionate Care Conference More than 300 people attended “A Compassionate Care Conference: The Spiritual Dimensions of Healing, Trauma, and Suffering” that took place in April. The event was presented by FAU’s Peace Studies Program and Peaceful Mind/ Peaceful Life in collaboration with the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, FAU School of Social Work, the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center, and Hospice by the Sea, Inc.
PEN/O. Henry &
Pushcart Prizes
The conference was intended for mental health and medical professionals and students, those in ministry, those in various treatment disciplines, and anyone interested in approaches to healing that treat the whole person. James Finley, a Thomas Merton scholar, led the group in a seven-step approach to treating trauma and all psychological and medical symptoms.
Madrigal Dinner More than 150 people attended the 2nd annual Madrigal Dinner presented by the Department of Music and underwritten by Madelyn Savarick with support from the FAU University Club. Guests were entertained with an evening full of pageantry including court jesters, wandering minstrels and other characters, as well as delicious food and extraordinary instrumental and vocal music. The dinner was modeled after the feasts of the Renaissance when lords and ladies of large manors would prepare lavish holiday celebrations. The event raised $9,500 for FAU’s Choral and Vocal Studies Program.
Ayşe Papatya Bucak, professor of creative writing in the Department of English, was awarded two prestigious literary prizes in 2012. The first was the PEN/O. Henry Prize for her short story “The History of Girls.” The PEN/O. Henry Prize recognizes 20 of the best short stories of the year, selected from thousands published in literary magazines in the United States and Canada. Then, later in 2012, Bucak received the Pushcart Prize for her short story “Iconography.” The Pushcart is awarded annually for the best poetry, short fiction and essays published in the small press. Others who have received this honor include Joyce Carol Oates, John Irving and Tim O’Brien. Both stories are part of a collection that Bucak is writing that all have something to do with her “version of Turkishness.” Bucak was born in Turkey and raised in the United States. She earned an MFA from Arizona State University and a BA from Princeton University. She has been at FAU since 2003, and received an Individual Artists Grant from the state of Florida in 2005. She directs the MFA program in creative writing at FAU.
ARTS & LETTERS
School of Communication and Multimedia Studies (SCMS) >> Fred Fejes has been named the 2013 recipient of the Roy F. Arons Award, a distinction granted by The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Interest Group of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. “Fejes’ landmark essay ‘Invisibility, homophobia and heterosexism: Lesbians, Gays and the Media,’ which was published 20 years ago in ‘Critical Studies in Mass Communication, helped connect the fields of sexuality studies and communication and launch a much needed area of research,” said Rhonda Gibson, GLBT Interest Group head and associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Fejes’ research focuses on the portrayal of sexual minorities in the media, public discourse about homosexuality and identity, and the fight for gay civil rights. >> Noemi Marin was invited as a guest on the Romanian TV Show, “Romania Frumoasa,” in July. Marin was invited to discuss research and academic life at FAU. The interview can be found at http://www.tvrplus.ro/editie-romaniafrumoasa-11908 >> Gerald Sim was the recipient of a 2013 Visiting Senior Research Fellowship from the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore. >> David Williams traveled to Russia in October 2012 for a conference of the Russian Communication Association held at the Siberian Federal University in Krsnoyarsk. Williams also participated in the Fourth International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) in January 2013.
................................ Anthropology >> Mary Cameron received a Council of Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) Multi-country Fellowship for medical and environmental anthropology research in
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Anthropology (continued)
History (continued)
Philosophy
Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, 2012. She was also elected President to the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, which was recently accepted as a full member of CAORC.
>> Steve Engle and his class on the Civil War were filmed by CSpan in February 2013. The video of the class is now on CSpan3 as part of the series “CSpan in the Classroom.” CSpan features faculty from universities across the country in this segment.
>> Marina Banchetti published “The Ontological Function of First-Order and Second-order Corpuscles in the Chemical Philosophy of Robert Boyle: The Redintegration of Potassium Nitrate” in Foundations of Chemistry, and “The Relevance of Boyle’s Chemical Philosophy for Contemporary Philosophy of Chemistry” in The Philosophy of Chemistry: Practices, Methodologies, and Concepts.
>> Max Kirsch was named Chief Assessor and Principal Examiner for the IB’s new Diploma Course in Global Politics. The course, which Kirsch developed with IB staff and colleagues, is currently in the pilot stage in 24 schools worldwide and will be offered to the IB’s Diploma Program in 3,843 schools in 144 countries.
................................ English >> Raphael Dalleo was selected as a scholar-in-residence by the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture for 2013-14. The fellowship includes a grant of $30,000 for a six-month residency. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is generally recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world.
................................ History >> Douglas T. McGetchin has received a Fulbright-Nehru grant to conduct research in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. This grant is awarded by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State (ECA), and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB). McGetchin will spend four months in Calcutta and will continue his research exploring the history of links between India and the West during the 20th century struggle for independence from British colonialism. >> Barbara Ganson was one of the organizers of a recent NASA Kennedy Space Center partnership to celebrate the 50th anniversary since the first woman astronaut went into space. She worked with NASA Kennedy Space Center; the International Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland, Ohio; Women of Aviation Week Worldwide; the Gulf Stream Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, and other aviation groups to plan the event that gathered women astronauts, engineers, scientists, aviators and students of all ages.
>> Doug Kanter received a Franklin Research Grant from the American Philosophy Society (APS). The APS, which was established by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, is an eminent scholarly organization that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities. Kanter also received a “Travel Grant for Study in Great Britain” from the Huntington Library (an independent humanities research library in San Marino, California). These two grants will fund research in Great Britain for research on a book about British Prime Minister William Gladstone’s Irish policy. >> Kenneth W. Holloway published a new book on early Chinese manuscript. Holloway comments, “In the preface to my new book ‘The Quest for Ecstatic Morality in Early China,’ I describe my surprise at seeing the bamboo manuscripts I study featured in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was the first time I became keenly aware of the role of antiquity in defining popular perceptions of Chinese culture.”
................................ Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature (LLCL) >> Mauricio Almonte has led the Academic Service-Learning component for several languages courses. Through his leadership, students have been involved with residents at the West Palm Beach Housing Authority, engaging with Spanish speaking residents in numerous ways -- they cook, garden, help with aerobics classes, and transcribe poetry. Students have also been involved with residents at Margate Health Care Center. >> Michael J. Horswell published “Negotiating Apostasy in Vilcabamba: Titu Cusi Yupanqui Writes from the Chaupi” in the Romanic Review’s special volume on “Examining Heretical Thought.” He also contributed a bibliographic essay, “Baroque and Neo-Baroque in the Americas,” to Oxford Bibliographies in Latin American Studies.
................................ Political Science >> Kevin Wagner was chosen to be an Academic Fellow on the study of terrorism by The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a non-partisan policy institute headquartered in Washington, D.C. Wagner traveled to Tel Aviv University in Israel in June 2013 for an intensive course on terrorism studies, focusing on how democracies can defeat the worldwide terrorist threat. The course included lectures by academics and military and intelligence officials, as well as diplomats from Israel, Jordan, India and the United States.
................................ Sociology >> Arthur Evans was honored at the 2013 Honors Convocation as the (sole) recipient of the FAU Alumni Association’s Degree of Difference Award. Established in 1996, the award is presented annually by the FAU National Alumni Association “in recognition of a faculty member’s positive impact upon, and special contributions to, his or her students.” This is the second time that Evans has received this award (he also received the award in 2001) and he is the only faculty member who has ever been honored twice. >> Patricia Widener is in New Zealand for a year of research on how that country is dealing with the complexities of balancing environmental concerns and pressures to increase off-shore drilling. This research builds on the work described in her recent book “Oil Injustice: Resisting and Conceding a Pipeline in Ecuador.” Widener is emerging as a leading analyst of the politics of oil.
Faculty focus
Eminent Scholar spotlights
Center for Women Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS)
Visual Arts and Art History (VAAH)
>> Josephine Beoku-Betts received the 2012 Florida Commission on the Status of Women Florida Achievement Award. The award recognizes recipients for outstanding contributions and service to their communities in improving the lives of women. Beoku-Betts was one of eight Florida women who received the award.
>> Angel Dicosola participated in an Invitation Group Show at the Margot Stein Gallery, Lake Worth, FL. >> Juana Valdes was included in the traveling show: “Multiple, Limited, Unique: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Center for Book Arts,” which was shown in San Francisco, CA; Easton, PA; Houston, TX; Minneapolis, MN; and Atlanta, GA.
>> Jane Caputi received the Susan B. Anthony Award from the Palm Beach County Chapter of the National Organization for Women. This annual award recognizes feminists in Palm Beach County for outstanding work in women’s issues.
................................ Music >> Under the direction of Laura Joella, the FAU Symphony Orchestra was selected to perform as a featured ensemble at the Florida Music Educators Association State Conference in Tampa in January 2014. The orchestra was selected through a statewide competitive audition process using a recording of their successful April 2013 performance. >> Ken Keaton attended the Boston Early Music Festival in June. He published a review of the Festival in the Palm Beach Daily News as “Everything old is new again at Boston Early Music Festival.” He also published online reviews of the Newberry Consort’s performance of Alfonso el Sabio’s Cantigas at the BEMF, and of Song Cycle, a recording of Schubert by Tony Arnold, sop., and Daniel Lipell, both on “Classical Voice America.” >> James E. Cunningham was awarded a NEH-funded grant in Fall 2012, in cooperation with the Broward County Libraries. Co-administered by the Tribeca Film Institute and the American Library Association, the $2,500 grand provided funding for the development and presentation of a six-part documentary film and lecture series titled “America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway.” >> Alejandro Sanchez-Samper received a grant from the Lifelong Learning Society in Jupiter to travel to Colombia. He conducted fieldwork and research on the female composers and performers of Vallenato, which is one of Colombia’s most popular folk musical styles.
>> Stephanie Cunningham participated in three shows: ABRACADABRA, show: Passage 2, Art & Culture Center of Hollywood, FL; Art Fallout 2012, show: Epitaph 1, Girls Club, Fort Lauderdale, FL; and Confessions of Life and Death, Absolution, Gallery 217, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL. >> Eric Landes participated in the international juried exhibition “Spirit of Place,” Maine Media Workshops, Rockport, ME. He also received a South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship Award ($15,000.00), and his work was included in “New Art: South Florida an Exhibition of the SFCC Fellowship Award Winners,” Schmidt Gallery, FAU. >> Bonnie Seeman had her work included in “The Pot Book,” Edmund De Waal, Phaidon Press and “The Best of 500 Ceramics: Celebrating a Decade in Clay,” Lark Books, Sterling Publishing.
>> Michael Zager, Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in Performing Arts, is completing his third edition of “Writing Music for Television and Radio Commercials (and More).” He composed, arranged and produced an album titled “Healing,” dedicated to the royal family of Thailand for the opening of their new museum, and he composed and arranged music for the NBC television show “Being Mandela,” which airs on COZI TV. He also co-chairs the Education for the Recording Academy, Florida Chapter. >> Alan Berger, Raddock Family Eminent Scholar Chair, published “Trialogue & Terror.” He also published the article “Night and Survival in Auschwitz: Texts from Hell as Templates of Sacredness” in Literature and Belief Journal, and he was program co-chair for the 12th Biennial Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust conference in November 2012.
New faculty >> Regis Mann joins FAU as an assistant professor of African American Literature in the Department of English. Mann received her Ph.D. in English in the summer of 2013 from the University of California, Riverside.
>> Karen Leader organized the exhibition “Student Body Art: Photographs by Z. Koppisch” at FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus Library and the Film, “Stories on the Skin: Tattoo Culture at FAU,” with writer/ producer Susan Rosenkranz and Executive Producer Arthur Jaffe.
>> Sharon Lee Hart joins the Department of Visual Arts and Art History as an assistant professor to teach photography. Hart earned her BFA from Maine College of Art and her MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hart taught at Wake Forest University; Watkins College of Art, Design, & Film; and The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.
>> Walter Hnatysh participated in the exhibition “Soaring Gardens Artist’s Retreat: the First Ten Years,” Hope Horn Gallery, Scranton, PA.
>> Kevin Wilt joins the Department of Music as an assistant professor and composer-inresidence. Wilt holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from Michigan State University.
>> Jeane Cooper participated in the show “Big Art,” Boca Raton Museum of Art, and she curated the show “Confessions of Life and Death,” Women Outside Design 3, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
>> Kathryn L. Johnston will be associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance. She received her MFA from The University of South Carolina. Johnston has appeared in productions in New York, Washington D.C and the South Florida area.
>> Tammy Knipp received the National Award of Excellence for 2012 for “Symbol Design: E3 -- Equalize Environmental Energy,” UCDA (University & College Designers Association) 42nd Annual Design Competition, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
visiting
Distinguished Lecturer >> Glenn Gilbert (visiting distinguished lecturer in linguistics) is Professor Emeritus at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he was Chair of Linguistics from 1999 to 2003. He earned his BA in German from the University of Chicago, and his PhD in Linguistics from Harvard University. Gilbert’s specialties are German linguistics and dialectology, sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, and creolistics, a key field in linguistics which focuses on language contact theory and sociolinguistics. In addition to founding the Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics, he seved for many years as the founding editor of the Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages.
Study abroad >> Summer 2013 • Michael Harris and Valentina Martinez (Anthropology) took 20 students to Salango, Ecuador to participate in Ethnographic Fieldwork at the Archaeological Field School. • Ilaria Serra (Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature) and John Sandell accompanied 17 students to Venice, Italy to study Italian culture, language and architecture. • Frédéric Conrod (Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature) took 12 students to Madrid, Spain to study Spanish culture. • Evelyn Trotter (Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature) and Andrea DeCapau travelled to Berlin, Germany with 15 students to study German culture, society and language. Twenty-three students were offered scholarships for their study abroad through the new Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Advisory Board Scholarship Fund (Ecuador, Germany, Italy, and Spain); the John and Ann Adams Endowment (Ecuador); Il Circolo, the Italian Cultural Society of the Palm Beaches, the Thomas W. McCormick Scholarship Fund, the Margaret Broch Foundation, and other gifts to the Italian Studies fund (Italy).
Student news >> FAU’s Diplomacy Program, under the direction of Jeffrey Morton (Political Science), received the Distinguished Delegation Award for its participation in the 2013 National Model United Nations competition in New York City. FAU undergraduates participated in the annual six-day simulation of the United Nations along with more than 6,000 university students from around the world. This marks the seventh consecutive year that FAU has received a national award in this competition. FAU’s Diplomacy Program was established in 1996 in order to train students in the art of negotiation, conflict resolution and global problem solving. The Diplomacy Program is made possible by the generous support of the South Florida community. >> Four students from the FAU band program were selected as members of the 2013 National Intercollegiate Band. This nationwide program is held every two years, with applicants from all over the country. The 75 participants are selected through a rigorous screening process that requires each applicant to submit an audition recording, which then is blind screened by a panel of professional conductors. The FAU students that were selected include Taiki Azuma (saxophone), Jessica Esposito (flute), Kyle Mechmet (saxophone) and Dylan Sanchez (clarinet). There were also three other members selected to be alternates. These include Jack Hernandez (percussion), Allison Riling (clarinet) and Dana Barker (trumpet). >> Multimedia Studies major Daniel Cardenas’s 24-min neorealist film, “BUSCA
VIDA,” shot on location in a Dominican Republic slum, won best student film at the 11th Annual Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival in April 2013. His film was shown at the historic Bijou Theater with an international collection of established filmmakers, full-time university faculty in film/video production, and advanced MFA students and fellows. >> Graphic Arts major Edgard Barbosa was published in the Los Angeles Times and The Atlantic Cities for his infographic research comparing the references to major cities in literature. Barbosa’s balance.net site on the project has received more than 300,000 hits. >> FAU’s Rho Omicron Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, has been named an “Honor Chapter” for its outstanding activities in 2012-13. This is the 3rd consecutive year that FAU has received this honor, and in recognition of these consecutive honors, the chapter was confirmed as one of only nine chapters nationwide to receive the prestigious Octavio Paz Award.
DONOR news Lalita and Walter Janke donated $30,000 to support the College’s Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies with graduate student assistantships and scholarships. Scholarships will be awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence and commitment to feminist or community activism. Lalita Janke is a member of both the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Advisory Board and Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Advisory Council.
The College Advisory Council hosted an event at Brooks Brothers in the Boca Raton Town Center Mall. A percentage of proceeds were donated to the College. Pictured here are Laurie Carney, Marny Glasser and Brooks Brothers manager Jon Wagstaff.
Florida Atlantic University Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters 777 Glades Road, P.O. Box 3091 Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
DOROTHY F. SCHMIDT COLLEGE
of Arts and Letters special thanks
Be a Part
FAU’s Department of Music is very thankful to have Wells Fargo as a sponsor, supporting student scholarships. During the 2012/13 academic year, the company matched all concert donations/ticket sales. This was a total of $25,000, which provided more than $50,000 in scholarship support. Wells Fargo has agreed to continue this matching in the coming year. The Georgina Dieter Dennis Foundation donated a $50,000 gift for vocal student scholarships in the Department of Music. The gift was presented by trustees Ron Schagrin, Elias Porras and Richard Schwartz of the Georgina Dieter Dennis Foundation. The gift was made in memory of Ms. Dennis, an award-winning opera singer whose career spanned several decades. The Foundation selected FAU as a partner in their mission to financially support singers advancing their music studies at Florida universities.
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Arts and
Letters
Make a gift today – fauf.fau.edu/artsandletters Gail Vorsas, Annual Giving and Scholarships: 561-297-2337 | gvorsas@fau.edu Laurie Carney, Major Gifts: 561-297-3606 | Lcarney@fau.edu Attend a performance, exhibition or public lecture Contact Gail Vorsas, 561-297-2337 | gvorsas@fau.edu to receive our weekly e-mail update or join our mailing list Join the FAU National Alumni Association www.faualumni.org
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