CAL Currents : The Newsletter of the College of Arts and Letters

Volume 01 | December 2017

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the College of Arts and Letters Newsletter!

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A Message from the Dean It is hard to believe we are at the end of the Fall semester, my first at UT. I am so grateful to all the faculty, staff and students around the College that made me feel so welcome. There is an energy around the college and seeing all the performances, exhibits, recitals and lectures has been nothing short of thrilling. I am continually impressed by the talent and creativity in all corners of the College of Art and Letters. I owe a special "thank you" to Assistant Dean Michael Staczar for his work on this newsletter (and everything else he does around the college). Best wishes for a productive final stretch of the semester and a very happy holiday season. David Gudelunas, Ph.D. Dean and Professor

Welcome New CAL Faculty!

We would like to greet the newest members of the faculty in the College of Arts and Letters. If you have not already done so, be sure to seek out your new colleagues and welcome them to the University of Tampa.

Geoff Bouvier, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English and Writing • Ph.D., Florida State University, 2016 (Poetry) • MFA, Bard College, 1997 (Poetry) • B.A., The University of Connecticut, 1993 (English)

AnnMarie Coats, M.A. Visiting Assistant Professor of Speech and Interim Director of the Center for Public Speaking ·   M.A., University of South Florida, 2004 (Communication) · B.A., University of South Florida, 1999 (Communication)

David Foote, MFA Visiting Assistant Professor of Art · MFA, Savannah College of Art & Design, 2002 (Graphic Design) · BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, 1981 (Graphic Design)

Sarah M. Iker, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Music · Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2017 (Music History and Theory) · B.A., Scripps College, 2009 (Music and Mathematics)

Jaime Johnson, MFA Assistant Professor of Art · MFA, Louisiana Tech University, 2014 (Photography) · BFA, University of Mississippi, 2011 (Imaging Arts)

Laura Kane, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Philosophy · Ph.D., The Graduate Center, CUNY, 2017 (Philosophy) · M.Phil., The Graduate Center, CUNY, 2014 (Philosophy) · B.A., Hunter College, CUNY, 2007 (Philosophy and Sociology)

Sucheta Kanjilal, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English and Writing · Ph.D., University of South Florida, 2017(English Literature) · M.A. University of London, 2010 (Comparative Literature) · M.A., University of Mumbai, 2009 (English Literature) · B.A., University of Mumbai, 2007 (English Literature)

Brandon McDannald, DMA(c) Assistant Professor of Music · DMA(c)., University of North Texas, 2017 (Music Performance) · M.A., University of Central Missouri, 2012 (Music Education) · B.M., University of Central Missouri, 2004 (Music Education)

Ryan Mcllvain, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English and Writing · Ph.D., University of Southern California, 2017 (Literature and Creative Writing) · Stegner Fellowship in Fiction, Stanford, 2011 · MFA, Rutgers University-Newark, 2009 (Fiction) · B.A., Brigham Young University, 2007 (English)

Steven Mollmann, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English and Writing · Ph.D., University of Connecticut, 2016 (English) · M.A., University of Connecticut, 2010 (English) · B.A., Miami University, 2007 (English) · B.S., Miami University, 2007 (Adolescent Language Arts Education)

Ashley Palmer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English and Writing · Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 (English) · M.A., The University of Texas at Austin, 2010 (English) · M.S., Pace University, 2007 (Secondary Literacy) · B.A., Columbia University, 2005 (English)

Bryan Perry, MFA Visiting Assistant Professor of Digital Art · MFA, Georgia State University, 2017 (Graphic Design) · B.A., Duke University, 1996 (Literature and English)

Theresa Woods, M.A. Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication · M.A., University of South Florida, 2014 (Mass Communication / Media Studies) · B.A., University of South Florida, 2011 (English Literature )

Allen Zimmerman, MBA Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication · MBA, George Washington University, 1996 (Marketing) · B.A., University of Michigan, 1986 (Economics)

Jocelyn Boigenzahn, M.A. Director of the Scarfone-Hartley Gallery · M.A., Johns Hopkins, 2016 (Museum Studies) · M.A., University of Florida, 2012 (Art History) · B.A., Loyola University, 2007 (Classical Civilizations)

Faculty Achievements

A hearty congratulations to our colleagues on their recent successes.

The College of Arts and Letters had an inside view of October’s historic official visit to Cuba by Tampa City Council. Dr. Stephanie Tripp, Associate Professor and chair of the Department of Communication , was among the delegation led by Council Chair Yvonne “Yolie” Capin. The delegation discussed hurricane preparedness with the mayor of Havana, met with officials from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited the port of Mariel, and viewed several important historical and cultural sites. They attended a performance of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba and were honored that Alicia Alonso, the world-renowned prima ballerina and choreographer, was at the theater that evening. Ms. Alonso met briefly with a few members of the delegation, including David A. Straz, Jr., chair emeritus of UT’s Board of Trustees. The accompanying photograph is just one of the dozens Dr. Tripp took during her five-day stay in Havana.

It takes less time to fly to Havana from Tampa than it does to Atlanta, but you arrive in a very different world—one with a deep and beautiful cultural history that is closely tied to our own city.

This past summer, Dr. Hein Jung, Associate Professor of Voice was invited by Kumho Art Hall, one of three major prestigious Performing Art Halls in Seoul, Korea to give a recital accompanied by Dr . Grigorios Zamapras , Associate Professor, Music and Director, Piano Studies. As a result of this critically acclaimed event and sold-out concert, Dr. Jung has been invited by Buchoen City Choir and Philharmonic, to perform as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah in December 2017.

Professor Dana Plays, of Film, Animation and New Media , completed two films this year selected by international film festivals for screenings, awards and nominations. Birth of a Pipe Organ is a 30-minute music documentary exploring the world of the pipe organ, through a bio pic of the organ builder, Lynn A. Dobson, and performance of virtuoso organist, Haig Mardirosian. Her second film, The Longest Walk (2017, 7 minutes) depicts American Indian Movement leaders on Alcatraz Island.

Marcus Arvan, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, organized the 5th Annual Philosophers’ Cocoon Philosophy Conference which was held at The University of Tampa in October. The conference, associated with his weblog The Philosophers’ Cocoon, hosted early-career philosophers (graduate students and faculty) to present and discuss their research in a supportive environment. Students and other members of the public were also encouraged to attend.

Susannah LeMarquand, Assistant Professor of Dance and Dance Program Director, was selected to choreograph the iconic show “Fiends” for this year’s Busch Gardens Tampa Bay event, Howl- O-Scream. In its opening weekend, Busch Park audiences rated the show as the number 1 park attraction.

Dr. Kacy Tillman , Department of English and writing, took students in Pathways on a boat tour of Tampa, a guided tour of the Plant Hall Museum, and a guided tour of Ybor City as part of Pathways: Tampa Spaces and Places (an inquiry-based QEP research course). Curious how Dr. Tillman prepared for Hurricane Irma this past semester? Check out this piece she wrote in Creative Loafing.

Recent Faculty Books

Zombie Theory Sarah Juliet Lauro, Editor University of Minnesota Press, 2017

Beaut Don Morrill Carolina Wren Press, 2018

Social Presence in Online Learning Aimee Whiteside, Co-Editor Stylus Publishing, 2017

Florida Soul John Capouya University Press of Florida, 2017

A Study of Twenty-First Century Andalusian Poetry Lola Hildago and Mark Putnam, translators, 2017

RuPaul's Drag Race and the Shifting Visibility of Drag Culture Co-edited by David Gudelunas Palgrave Macmillian, 2017

Alumni/ae News

Steven R. Boyett this past summer published his eighth book, the novel Fata Morgana . Steve has also published 17 short stories & novellas, written one major-production screenplay, and published numerous articles, essays, and reviews.

This spring Connie May Fowler published her eighth book, the memoir A Million Fragile Bones . The screen rights to her novel Before Women Had Wings was purchased by Oprah Winfrey and made into a television movie starring Ms. Winfrey.

Amy Hill Hearth’s eighth and most recent book is Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County , and her book Having Our Say was on the NY Times best seller list for three years and became a successful Broadway play and television movie.

Morgan Chmielewski  graduated from New York University with her Master's degree in English. She now works for Atlantic Media

Sean Manning , editor of five acclaimed anthologies, published the memoir about his mother’s death, The Things That Need Doing .

Jen A. Miller published her third book, Running: A Love Story , and writes for the New York Times .

Miranda Palumbo is a Digital Media Assistant at Playbill where she handles the "back-end" of advertising sales while maintaining Playbill.com's ticket discount listings. Miranda credits both the critical and creative classes she took at UT for her success, and says, next time you’re at a Broadway show in New York, look for her name in the Playbill!

Student Engagement and Excellence

COM Hosts Two Internship Workshops and Relaunches Internships Program In early September, Dr. Christopher Boulton co-hosted an Internship Readiness Workshop for Communication and Advertising/Public Relations majors and re-launched the Department of Communication Internship Program by updating over 50 local opportunities: http://www.ut.edu/communication/internships/. The featured speaker was Natalie Root, founder of the Root Agency, which hosts UT interns and offers strategic development & communications for nonprofits in a global environment. The panel of UT students shared their experiences at Kronos, Schifino Lee, Home Shopping Network, Fox 13 News, Tampa Bay Lightning, and City of Tampa Television. In October, the panel reconvened for a second session dedicated to offering best practices for finding, securing, and getting the most out of an internship. Panelist also suggested strategies for navigating the workplace and leveraging each experience to open up future opportunities.

Speaking Center Tutor and Moot Court Delegate Shines The Center for Public Speaking under the direction of Visiting Assistant Professor of Speech Ann Marie Coats, was well represented at the annual moot court scrimmage which took place on Saturday, October 14th at Plant Hall. The scrimmage is a practice tournament that is coached by Kristen Foltz, Assistant Professor of Speech to help students prepare for regional competitions as part of the American Moot Court Association. Speech center tutor Rahal Wijewardene, a junior philosophy major, placed 2nd out of 40 at the scrimmage and missed first place by a mere .85 points. The University of Central Florida participates in the scrimmage and sent their top orators to Tampa to participate in this advocacy competition. Forty local attorneys, law students, and judges participated in the event. Students are judged based on knowledge of the material, organization of argument, courtroom demeanor, and response to questions. The Department of Speech, Theatre, and Dance is proud that one of its own placed so high at such an intense competition. We all congratulate Rahal!

Experiential Education in Advertising Under the direction Visiting Professor of Communication Allen Zimmerman , senior AD/PR majors have begun working with Metropolitan Ministries, not only to learn about promotional strategy and tactics, but as a way to give back to the community. The students ( Sarah Cirelli, Daniel Friedman, Caroline Frykgard, Erica Greskoviak, Ariana Kelly, Megan Koleff, Nicole Li, Samantha Michie, Samantha Schaffer, Bayate' Stevens, Brianna Aboyoun ) will be going through all the steps to develop a professional promotional campaign, including: immersion in the client's business; conducting market research with the target audience and identifying key drivers and motivators among the same target among other tactics. The Immersion Program, which began in late September with a comprehensive 6 hour program at Metropolitan Ministries that included poverty training, a tour of care facilities and program overview. In the future, the students will be brainstorming ways to help raise awareness of the wonderful programs that Metropolitan Ministries offers to Tampa area families in need. We hope to make this the beginning of an ongoing relationship between the University of Tampa and Metropolitan Ministries as we look for new and creative ways for our students to contribute and give back to the community through service work.

CAL Arts + Ideas

The College of Arts and Letters provides a wealth of events and activities to UT and the Tampa Bay community. To that end, Dean Gudelunas made it one of his very first initiatives to create a brochure that highlights the array of presentations and performances available at UT. The result is Arts + Ideas , a full-color calendar which captures the vastness and variety of the arts and humanities that our college offers for all to enjoy.

See the guide here.

Upcoming Events

Art & Design Fall BFA Show - Showcase of the work of student artists graduating from UT’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program. Nov. 27–Dec. 15, Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturdays, 1–4 p.m. Scarfone/Hartley Gallery BFA Graduate Reception - Closing reception and celebration of graduating student artists in the BFA show. Dec. 15, 7–9 p.m. Scarfone/Hartley Gallery Film, Animation and New Media Black Box Fall Film Festival - A screening of students’ best short films, including the best experimental, narrative, documentary and animated films. Dec. 10, 4 p.m. Reeves Theater, Vaughn Center Film and Media Arts Fall Senior Showcase - A screening of senior thesis films directed, produced, shot and edited by Film and Media Arts majors. Dec. 13, 7 p.m. Falk Theatre Music UT Symphony Orchestra - Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. Falk Theatre UT Wind Ensemble - Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m. Falk Theatre Duncan MacMillan, Piano - Faculty recital . Dec. 10, 3 p.m. Fletcher Lounge, Plant Hall Speech, Theatre and Dance Studio Theatre - Featuring a variety of performance styles and techniques, this devised theatre piece was developed through the creativity and ingenuity of the student ensemble selected to participate and produce the event. An evening of surprises awaits. Dec. 8 and 9, 8 p.m. Reeves Theater, Vaughn Center