A Quick Word from the Dean | Faculty Achievements and Activities | Alumnae/Alumni Achievements and Activities | Student Achievements and Activities | CBU Announces New BFA in Studio Art |CBU: Where Art and Business Meet | Fall Play Announced: Rumors | Writing Center Hosts Visitors from Ireland | Report from International Initiatives Office | Online Gift Form Is Now Available | Contact Us |

A QUICK WORD FROM THE DEAN

We are about halfway through the summer session, and I hope everyone is enjoying a lot of rest and relaxation. As you might suspect, there isn’t much going on in the School of Arts, but we do have a few interesting items from our departments and some of our professors.

I do want to let our alums and retired faculty know that we lost a good friend and colleague this spring. Brother Justin Lucian died in April, and all will miss him. I particularly was affected by Brother Justin’s death because I was writing a foreword for his book on a Christian Brother who had immigrated to the U.S. in 1852 and joined the Union Army during the Civil War. Fortunately, Brother Justin completed the book before he died. Please keep Brother Justin in your thoughts and prayers.

We will have several new faculty members in four of our departments this coming fall. Our chairs and I will wait, however, until the Fall Newsletter to introduce you to them. It is exciting to have so many new and talented people joining the Arts’ faculty.

Perhaps the biggest news is the addition of a new major in the School of Arts. We elaborate on this more in the article below entitled "CBU Announces New BFA in Studio Art," but I want to let all of you know that we will be offering a B.F.A. in Studio Art. Everyone is excited about this new major.

I want to thank all of you who have contacted us about our Newsletter. The replies have been complimentary and encouraging. I also made individual replies to the generous financial commitments of many alums and friends, but I want to thank all of you, again, for designating the School of Arts in your gifts.

All my best to you and your families.

Marius Carriere, Dean

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Steve Grice has been named Chair of the Department of Literature and Languages.

Lisa C. Hickman (Literature & Languages) presented a paper "Joan Williams' 'Usable Past': Considering 'Rain Later' and Old Powder Man" at the Delta Blues Symposium XIII at Arkansas State University on March 29.

Karl Leib (History & Political Science) chaired a conference panel at the meeting of the Tennessee Political Science Association on April 21. The general theme of the conference was "Politics in the 21st. Century: Change and Continuity in Tennessee, U .S., and World Politics."

Margie Miller (Behavioral Sciences) was honored with the 2007 Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award at the Faculty/Staff Recognition Reception on April 26. The award -- the highest presented by the University to faculty or staff -- annually honors a CBU educator, nominated by his/her peers, who exemplifies the ideals of St. John Baptist de La Salle in the 21st century. Eligible nominees must have been a Lasallian educator for at least five years, be actively involved in fostering the mission of Lasallian education, demonstrate an enthusiasm for the Lasallian tradition, and exemplify in his/her life the spirit of St. John Baptist de La Salle. Dr. Miller (pictured above with Brother Vincent Malham) was cited for her selfless service to CBU and its students over the past 26 years.

Max Maloney (Religion & Philosophy) has been granted tenure.

M. A. McCoy (Education) has been granted tenure. He also made a presentation to the Tennessee Council for Social Studies Conference on March 9 at the Memphis Hilton entitled "Essential Questions to Social Studies Educators from a Teacher Ed Professor: Where's the Beef?"

Talana Vogel (Education) participated in a symposium at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago on April 9. The papers included in this symposium reported on several aspects of the Delta Mathematics Project, an effort to improve the achievement of students, particularly African-American students, in a rural district in Tennessee. The project was a consortium involving Arkansas State University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Memphis, with each university serving a nearby school district in the Mississippi Delta. Dr. Vogel presented on student achievement in the project.

Ann Marie Wranovix (Literature & Languages) has been granted a sabbatical for Spring 2008.

ALUMNI/ALUMNAE ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Congratulations to Jonathan Pritchett (Psychology '07) who was accepted
into the University of Memphis Master's in School Counseling program.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

The Mu Epsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. congratulates Shanta Wilson (Psychology '08), its fourth member to be selected to participate in the sorority's 2007 Leadership Fellows Program in Springdale, AR. Shanta will attend a one-week course in leadership and management training for undergraduates, which is in partnership with Tyson Foods, Inc. Thirty active, high-achieving AKA college sophomores and juniors from around the world with a 3.0+ grade point average are selected to participate each year.

Congratulations to the following students who have been chosen to represent CBU in Who's Who among American Universities and Colleges: Karen Brandon and Andrea Bordwell.

The Mu Epsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority congratulates its 2007 Greek Award Winners: Kimberly Neal, Greek Woman of the Year and Order of Omega Honor Society, and Sheryl Edwards, Outstanding Advisor of the Year.

CBU ANNOUNCES NEW BFA IN STUDIO ART

CBU is pleased to announce a new Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) with an emphasis in Studio Art for Fall 2007. The new major will provide concentrations in Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, and Sculpture.

The new program challenges students to combine the creative and intellectual process while learning to communicate through images. Just as a writer thinks in words, a musician in sound and rhythm, and a mathematician in numbers, an artist thinks in visual works. At CBU, students will be challenged to use all aspects of their Lasallian education to become imaginative problem solvers who possess the ability to create individual and socially relevant works of art.

Through small classroom numbers, students will receive individualized instruction at the highest academic level. Students studying art at CBU will rapidly develop a sense of community with their peers as well as their professors through campus and community activities. They will be made aware of global issues in art through study abroad programs, visiting artists from around the world, local exhibitions, and internships.

CBU currently is taking applications for this fall. For information about the new program, contact Jana Travis at jtravis@cbu.edu or visit http://www.cbu.edu/arts/fas/art. For application information, contact the Office of Admissions at (901) 321-3205.

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CBU: WHERE ART AND BUSINESS MEET

Students, faculty, staff, and alum spent an evening with the Fine Arts on Friday, April 27. The Senior Art Exhibition was held in the Montesi Executive Center and showcased works primarily by graduating seniors E.J. Watson and Carrena Macranie.

In the following interview Watson, a marketing major and art minor, explains his views on art, including his belief that art and business can be combined successfully to provide students with a competitive edge in today's job market.

CB (Christina Brown): Why the interest in art?

EJ (E. J. Watson): I've always been interested in art. Drawing as a child, I slowly realized this might be something that I could do at school or just do for fun. I took part in a program at the University of Mississippi in which they let you take college credit while you are in high school, just to get a jump on things and see what college life is all about. We got to choose which classes we would take, and I chose two art classes because at that time I was thinking seriously about either majoring or minoring in art. After that I came to CBU and was told I would only need twelve more credits to have a minor. I thought that art would be a good thing to do on the side.

CB: Why did you come to CBU?

EJ: I'm originally from Meridian, Mississippi, and I wanted to choose a school that was outside of Mississippi but not too far. Kind of like a home away from home. Plus, Memphis is a decent place to live, and CBU has a good reputation in Memphis and the Southern region. That's why I chose CBU.

CB: You are graduating soon. What are your plans for the future and how does your art minor play into that?

EJ: As far as the minor goes, I definitely want to have that on my resume. I think people look at your minor as something that you like to do, as something you specialize in on the side. I think that when people see that my minor is art they will look at me as a person who thinks outside the box, a person who is creative and has an open mind. I think that's what I gain from it. As far as life after college, I'm still interviewing for jobs and keeping things open. I don't know where I will be just yet, but I think it will come in handy to have art on my resume.

CB: How do you see the blending of marketing and art? How did those fit together for you?

EJ: I'm one of those people that when they first came to college and heard about the [marketing] major, chose it and stuck with it. I read about marketing and heard about the different careers you can go into, and from day one I wanted to be a marketing major. It is so versatile: you can go into advertising, coordinating, or many other things, and I think that's where it blends in with my art. Employers usually look at marketing people as thinking outside the box and being very creative. You figure things out for other people, such as how to brand a certain product, and I think that's how an art background ties into marketing because it gives you that creative edge.

CB: You had your senior exhibition with us recently. Can you describe your work?

EJ: I told her [Jana Travis, Director of the CBU art program] I really didn't want to limit myself to one medium because I think I'm very versatile, and I like doing different things. So I told her I would do mixed media, just throwing things in wherever I saw a need. I really don't have a certain style. My focus in the exhibition was basically on hands, because hands are something I can draw very easily and tie into a lot of themes. That's the main focus in most of my art. And as far as the mediums, I think I excel at the different styles done with pen and ink. I use charcoal a lot too, mainly because I'm a two-tone type of person. I don't put a lot of color into my pieces, usually using only one or two colors, and I like blending a lot, especially when I am working with charcoal or even with pen and ink.

CB: I know you have three pieces in particular in the exhibition that showcase hands. Tell me a little bit about those pieces.

EJ: The first piece I named "Paparazzi War." Framed around the piece are news articles about the war that's going on right now in Iraq, the different things that lie within the war, the lives that have been lost, things like that. Basically what I wanted to show is that within war you want to look towards God; you want to reach out towards Him. And over here [in America] we're basically just reading about it and not considering the people that are over there.

The second piece, "An Endeavored Death," I think a lot of people take the wrong way. They take it to be all about death, but what I was trying to portray was a broken dream.

My third piece, which is my biggest and probably the largest one in there [the exhibition], is a work I did with crosshatching called "Indecisiveness." What I wanted to depict was someone caught between inaction and action. It portrays the "should I do something/should I not do anything" situation.

CB: Where does your inspiration come from?

EJ: I guess hidden messages, things that other people don't see that I might see. I might look outside the window and see art, whereas other people look outside and just see trees. I'm not the type of person to draw something that I see. I really don't like drawing other people, and I don't like drawing things I see in magazines. I like to think of an idea and just start drawing.

Watson is currently traveling the United States with family while he gears up for life after college. We wish him the best and look forward to hearing of his future successes in the years to come! His works remain on display in Barry Hall and in the online art gallery.

Christina Brown
Administrative Assistant & Web Site Coordinator, Arts

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FALL PLAY ANNOUNCED: RUMORS

Neil Simon's Rumors will be produced October 5 - 7 in the CBU Theatre. Audition dates will be announced in August to fill 10 roles. In addition, sign-up information will be available for those interested in being a part of the stage crew. Course credit will be offered up to three credit hours for those interested in signing up for the theatre production workshop class, THEA 108, which will be in conjunction with the fall play. There are no prerequisites for the course and experience is not necessary. Rumors, a hilarious comedy by Neil Simon, is about four couples visiting the townhouse of a deputy New York City mayor and his wife to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. The New York socialites get more than they bargained for when they find the host of their party has been shot and the help is missing. The setting soon becomes frenzied as other guests arrive, and nobody can remember who has been told what about whom.

In addition, there are also a few openings left in the Introduction to Theatre course, THEA 115, which is a comprehensive study of the theatre, designed to arouse a wide range of interests--critical, historical, and artistic--needed for a well-rounded appreciation of drama.

Please contact Burton Bridges, Vice President of the Encore Drama Club, for more information at bbridges@cbu.edu.

WRITING CENTER HOSTS VISITORS FROM IRELAND

The CBU Writing Center, directed by Dr. Clayann Gilliam Panetta (Literature and Languages), hosted Writing Centre personnel (including five tutors and Director, Jonathan Worley) from St. Mary's University College in Belfast, Ireland April 11 – 18. While here the St. Mary's visitors worked with our own CBU Writing personnel to conduct a series of joint workshops for Writing Center growth and CBU faculty development. Utilizing a writing-across-the-curriculum theme, the workshops covered topics ranging from plagiarism to informational technology.

This was a follow-up to the collaboration that began last June when St. Mary's hosted four of our Writing Center consultants and Dr. Panetta for a series of similar workshops in Belfast. The group will be continuing this on-going collaboration electronically, and they have plans for conference presentations, as well as more face-to-face meetings.

REPORT FROM INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES OFFICE

The rich culture of the Catalunyan region of Spain, along the Costa Brava on the Mediterranean, was an exciting experience for twenty-four students, faculty and staff during Spring Break Week. Brother Francisco Martin taught a course on Research Topics in Spanish and Pat Papachristou’s course on Global Economy: Spain offered a great deal of insight into how Spain is contributing to global economy, especially through conservation of energy.

In addition to seeing ruins dating back to the time of the early settlements of the Greeks and Romans in Spain, the group took a short trip to Carcassone, France, which was a great chance to visit a walled, medieval fortress-town and walk the ramparts while imagining the knights in armor as they crossed the drawbridge. Jumping from medieval times to 20th century surrealism back in our host-town of Figueres, the group visited the Salvador Dali Museum, an excursion that was “out of this world” so to speak.

Following four days of traveling between two different “worlds,” we arrived at Barcelona, a beautiful city that displays both its rich history along with very modern and romantic areas. Among some of the most enjoyable treats were a genuine flamenco show and many wonderful tapas restaurants. While it is truly sad to leave such a beautiful and artistic city, Barcelona is a place that always beckons one to return for another enchanting time.

In May and early June another adventuresome group of eight students enjoyed a four-week short semester in England with Dr. Neal Palmer instructing the class on History of British Rock. What could be more appropriate in the land of the Beatles? Upon returning on June 8, these students reported that everyone had a wonderful time and learned much about the British culture.

Not to remain idle too long, the International Initiatives Office is planning its next sojourn--the annual journey to Rome, Italy--for the upcoming Fall Break Week, October 12-21. Jana Travis will be offering a class on Christian Art and Architecture. It is not surprising that this trip already is sold out. So, the moral of the story is, as soon as the news gets out that a new trip is in the works, make your plans to join the group right away.

ONLINE GIFT FORM IS NOW AVAILABLE

The CBU Annual Fund now allows alumni to designate their gifts to a particular school or area. The new online donation page is set up so you can specify where your gift should be used. In addition, you can dedicate your gift to the honor or memory of someone special in your life. Because of its simplicity, giving cash is the most popular form of giving. Cash gifts may be made by currency, check, money order, bank draft, or credit card. The applicable income tax deduction reduces the actual cost of the gift. If you would like to make a donation online, you may do so by visiting https://secure.cbu.edu/alumni/gift/

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Do you have news you would like to share with the School of Arts? Email us at soanews@cbu.edu today! The DEADLINE for submission to the next School of Arts newsletter is Monday, October 15, 2007.