Welcoming the Interim Dean

WELCOMING THE INTERIM DEAN

Dear CAM Community,

This summer, I attended an academic conference in one of our nation’s oldest cities, Philadelphia. While the city is home to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, it is also a hub for the arts. During my visit, I reconnected with a college classmate who is also a news anchor for Philadelphia’s top news station. She provided me with a tour of the city, which included stops at the Rocky statue, three of the five squares around which the city is built, the 6ABC newsroom, and a trip down the Avenue of the Arts (South Broad Street), home to the Academy of Music, Arader Galleries, Koresh Dance Company, Miller Theater, Philadelphia Ballet, the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and other arts organizations. The highlight of the tour was dinner at The Victor Café, one of Philadelphia’s oldest Italian restaurants, where employees perform opera every twenty minutes. To enjoy great Italian food, good company, and two arias from Carmen (among others) was amazing.

My experience on the trip reminded me of the rich culture of the College of Arts and Media. Spread across five buildings, our students, faculty, and staff learn, build, rehearse, perform and present unparalleled joie de vivre that resonates throughout our campus and within the greater Huntsville and global communities. In the past year alone, members of the CAM community have shared their work at New York’s Open Source Gallery, acted in A.D. Players’ Fiddler on the Roof at the George Theatre, presented research at the United Nations’ AI for Good global summit in Geneva, performed with renowned symphony orchestras and ensembles, and engaged with alumni like film industry maven Jim Eberle and NBC News Correspondent Morgan Chesky.

In August, I helped incoming freshmen move into the CAM Creative Community. The joy, anxiety, and promise in the eyes of the students and their families are both enlightening and challenging. I am personally challenged to make their time in CAM one of growth and reward. With this in mind, I approach the new academic year with one guiding thought – that CAM remain creative, active, and meaningful – as we support and celebrate students, faculty and staff.

I hope to see you at our events, as we continue to uphold the vibrancy of our amazing community of artists, producers, designers, and performers.

Thank you for your support.

Best,

Dr. Mia Long AndersonPh.D. Interim DeanCollege of Arts & Media

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