New Online Communication System Debuts with “theLoop” Alumni Community
This week, the college launched the first phase of a multi-part online communication system designed to enhance the college community’s ability to communicate to a variety of audiences, especially alumni, students, and faculty and staff. Dubbed “theLoop,” the new system represents a collection of online functions that will be part of the larger www.colum.edu website. These functions will make if friendlier for our alumni, students, and faculty and staff to connect with one another and the college, and to see exactly the events, news stories, and college happenings that interest them.
The system will allow users to login to an online “community,” where they may maintain a professional bio page, post photos/artwork, post and peruse classifieds, email other members, and provide information about themselves that will allow the college to send them personalized, targeted email and electronic newsletters geared toward their individual interests. For example, an alum of the Theater department who is living in Los Angeles and is also interested in Fiction Writing and Dance may elect to receive news and information about those particular areas of the college as well as notices of networking opportunities in LA.
The system is robust, and only a portion of the available features have been implemented in this initial phase, which you may preview at www.colum.edu/alumni. While some features are public, others may only be viewed by alumni who have logged into the site. More information about the eventual implementation of the student and faculty/staff portions of the system, as well as how faculty and staff may access the system to communicate news of their departments, will be forthcoming this spring.
Students Perform at MHAI Gold Bell Gala
When adjunct Theater department faculty member Dennis Wise was approached about coordinating a performance for the Mental Health Association of Illinois's (MHAI) twentieth annual Gold Bell Gala, it wasn't just because of his reputation for putting on great productions. The MHAI was particularly interested in the vibrancy that Columbia College students would bring to the evening’s festivities. The organization’s request was granted, and on Saturday, February 24, Dance major Jenna Dillon and Musical Theater majors Holly Rose Moss, Amanda Newman, Colleen Robinson, Tegan Smith, and Amber Linn Spooner performed at the lavish Mid-Day Club on the fifty-sixth floor of the Chase building in Chicago's Loop.
"It was a glitz-and-feathers performance," said Wise. "The girls were in sequined dresses and feather boas." The students sang and danced to a rendition of "Anything Goes" by Cole Porter, backed up by a talented band that has played for the likes of Fred Astaire. Although it was a traditional musical theater performance, near the end, the students came out into the crowd and did some swing dancing with gala guests.
The performance opportunity was an honor for the students, but it was also an important professional experience for them. Wise said the dancers only got to rehearse three times on their own and once with the band on the night of the performance, which is pretty standard for such performance work in the “real” world.
—reported by Nadine Kenney
News Briefs
The college is planning a Gala Evening with Dionne Warwick for Saturday, May 12. The cocktail reception, dinner, and performance by the Black Ensemble Theater of their tribute production of Warwick’s life, Don’t Make Me Over, will take place at Intercontinental Hotel, Grand Ballroom. Proceeds will benefit the planned Media Production Center.
The Center for Teaching Excellence will hold a workshop to inform and inspire faculty who are considering applying for a Fulbright Award to teach or conduct research abroad. Diane Wawrejko (Dance) will discuss her recent Fulbright experience in Bulgaria. The workshop will take place Monday, April 9, from 3:30 to 5:00 at 33 E. Congress, room 219.
Borders bookstores are running an “educator savings” promotion. Through March 27, show your faculty/staff ID and you’ll receive 25 percent off the list price of most books, CDs, and DVDs.
Faculty + Staff News
Stephen T. Asma’s (Liberal Education) fifth book, On Monsters: An Unnatural History, will be published by Oxford University Press on or about Halloween, 2008. According to Asma, On Monsters is a far-ranging natural history of Western culture's worst nightmares. It begins with the ancient Greeks, examining Alexander's letter to Aristotle about the monsters of India. The book tours a landscape of Christian monsters, Darwinian monsters, Freudian monsters, and contemporary political monsters, and culminates with an examination of our biotech monsters to come.
Asma also has an article upcoming this spring in the Chronicle of Higher Education. He was commissioned by the publication to write a piece on the new $27-million Creationist museum in Kentucky. The article is titled: "Finding Room on the Ark for Dinosaurs: Natural History and the New Evangelical Museum"
Melissa Jay Craig’s (Book + Paper) exhibit “Alternate Selections” opens next Friday, March 29, at the Columbia College Chicago Library (624 S. Michigan Ave., 2nd floor) with a reception from 5:00 to 7:00. The show runs through May 15, 2007. Craig is Artist in Residence at the Center for Book and Paper Arts, where she teaches book arts, sculptural paper, installation, and 3D design.
Terry Evans (Photography) and Ann Wiens (Institutional Marketing/Communications) are among several artists whose work is included in "While all the Tribes of Birds Sang," an exhibition of bird-related art that pays homage to our fascination with birds as a symbol of flight, fancy, power, and social commentary. The show, at the Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery (100 W. Randolph St., 312-814-5322), is a companion to the exhibition "John James Audubon: The Birds of America, Prints from the Collection of the Illinois State Museum." A reception will open the show on Friday, March 30, from 5:30 to 7:30.
Anita Garza (Book + Paper) has her work included in the exhibition "Latino Impressions: Portraits of a Culture" at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. The show focuses on the historic and current artistic trends of the Latino/a community, featuring works by local, regional, and international artists. "Latino Impressions" investigates themes including personal and political identities, mythic symbols, preserving memory, and rights of passage. Opening reception March 31, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts (101 W. 2nd St., Michigan City, IN. 219/874-4900).
John Kavouris (Campus Environment) has joined Columbia as our new Director of Construction Projects. Kavouris, a licensed professional engineer with nearly 20 years of commercial construction management experience, will be responsible for contractor coordination/supervision as well as budgeting, cost control, and scheduling of college construction matters.
RoseAnna Mueller (Liberal Education) presented "Gonzalo Guerrero: la otra cara del mestizaje" at the VI Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispanica, held in Riviera Maya, Mexico March 7 through 9.
Pan Papacosta (Science + Mathematics) attended the tenth Creative Teaching Conference that was held in Lucca, Italy in January. The conference was organized by WACRA (World Association for Case Method Research and Application). Papacosta presented a paper titled “Science in Concert with History and Art.”
New Residence Hall Set to Open for Fall 2007
Responding to increasing demand for on-campus student housing, the college has contracted to lease space at 59 East Van Buren Street to accommodate an addition 446 students next fall. The new Buckingham residence hall is designed with returning students in mind, offering a transitional environment between traditional dorm spaces and apartment living. The single and double apartment-style units include new amenities while retaining the vintage feel of the historic building. Amenities include in-unit washers and dryers, high-speed internet access, on-site workout facilities, over-21 floors, and great views of the city.
The additional units will bring Columbia's total on-campus housing capacity to 2,600 beds-up from just 340 eight years ago, notes Director of Residence Life Mary Oakes. Upperclassmen and returning residents will have the first opportunity to reserve space in the new units March 12 through 16. Interested students should contact the Residence Life office at 312-344-7803.
Columbia's Central Box Office Opens
The college's new central box office, developed to handle ticket sales for performing arts events campus-wide, opened March 1. This season, the box office is handling telephone ticket sales for the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and will also be the source for tickets for the upcoming “Conversations in the Arts: Up Close with Jane Alexander” event on April 26 and Fashion Columbia on May 10.
Over the summer, ticket sales for the Dance Center and other Columbia performance entities will be brought into the new system and online ticketing will be added, so by fall it is anticipated that patrons will be able to call a single phone number (312-344-6600) or visit a single website (to be determined) to purchase tickets for all such events.
Not only will ticket purchasers have a sales encounter with box-office professionals, the college will also benefit from the new system by having an enhanced marketing database, integrated with its donor and prospect management systems, to identify patrons who are committed to the college and its performance programming. Event marketers will be able to reach target audiences more efficiently, cross-market upcoming events, and implement innovative pricing strategies to fill seats.
The college's ticket system, called Tessitura, was chosen based on research conducted through the department of Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. At the request of Mark Lloyd, the college's chief marketing officer, AEMM faculty member Philippe Ravanas engaged ten graduate students in his fall 2005 Box Office Management class to conduct a comprehensive survey of every system commercially available, with the goal of selecting a box office software for Columbia's presenting activities. After a comprehensive needs assessment for all departments involved and a thorough evaluation of all the products considered, they concluded that Tessitura software-developed by the Metropolitan Opera and used by other Chicago venues such as the Steppenwolf, Harris, and Goodman theaters-was by far the best system of its kind.
Lloyd and Ravanas are now working on a framework that will allow the college's central box office (Columbia Ticket Center) to serve as a laboratory for credit-bearing Arts Management workshop classes. Ravanas will adjust his syllabus for the fall Box Office Management class to reflect students' easy access to the Tessitura software.
He is also developing a J-term workshop that will offer AEMM students hands-on exposure to the best-and most widely used-professional box office system in use today. These students will also be offered the opportunity to become paid staff providing support for the Ticket Center during peak periods.
Columbia Chronicle Captures 20 Awards at ICPA
The staff of the Columbia Chronicle enjoyed another banner year at the Illinois College Press Association's annual awards ceremony on Saturday, February 17 walking away with 20 award plaques and certificates in several categories.
The Columbia Chronicle is eligible for two types of awards. The open division means that we compete statewide with other daily and non-daily papers. In some categories, the Chronicle competes with only non-daily college newspapers that print more than 4,000 papers each week. This year the staff won six open-division and 14 circulation-specific awards, including first places for in-depth reporting, photography, and design.
In addition to the awards ceremony, the staff attended the weekend conference to participate in workshops, hear presentations from professional journalists, and network with potential employers.
Please join us in congratulating the awardees:
In the non-dailies printing more than 4,000 level:
First place, Hayley Graham, In-Depth Reporting
First place, Michael Jarecki, Mauricio Rubio, Andrew Nelles, Photo Essay
First place, Mauricio Rubio, News Photo
Second place, Mauricio Rubio, Sports Photo
Second place, Eric Davis, News Photo
Second place, Mark Byrne, Feature Story
Second place, Josh Covarrubias, Feature Page Design
Third place, Michael Jarecki, Mauricio Rubio, Andrew Nelles, Photo Essay
Third place, Jenifer Fischer, Feature Story
Third place, Campus Staff, Front Page Design
Third place, Brent White and Chrissy Mahlmeister, Sports Feature Story
Third place, Josh Covarrubias, Feature Page Design
Third place, Tiffany Breyne, Sports Column
Honorable Mention, Editorial Staff
In the Open level:
First place, Chronicle Staff, Special Supplement
First place, Josh Covarrubias, Full-Page Advertisement Design
Third place, A&E Staff, Entertainment Supplement
Third place, Chronicle Staff, Special Supplement
Honorable Mention, Mary Kroeck, Critical Review (other than film)
Honorable Mention, Chris Gallevo, Full-Page Advertisement Design
The Columbia Chronicle online edition won a second-place award.
Dean, Chair, and CTE Candidates to Visit Campus
Several candidates for the positions of Dean of Fine and Performing Arts, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Assistant/Associate Director for the Center for Teaching Excellence will deliver presentations in the coming week. All presentations will take place in the Ferguson Lecture Hall on the ground floor of the Alexandroff Campus Center, 600 S. Michigan Ave., unless noted otherwise.
Monday, March 12, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
James Moy, dean and chair professor, School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. Moy is a candidate for the position of Dean, Fine and Performing Arts.
Monday, March 12, 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.
Siiri Scott, candidate for the position of Assistant/Associate Director, Center for Teaching Excellence. The “L” Faculty Center, Alexandroff Campus Center, eighth floor.
Wednesday, March 14, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
James Lentini, dean, School of Art, Media, & Music, The College of New Jersey. Lentini is a candidate for the position of Dean, Fine and Performing Arts.
Wednesday, March 14, 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.
Rochelle Brock, candidate for the position of Assistant/Associate Director, Center for Teaching Excellence. The “L” Faculty Center, Alexandroff Campus Center, eighth floor.
Thursday, March 15, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Kenneth Womack, candidate for the position of Dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Friday, March 16, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Dan Martin, associate dean, H. John Heinz III Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University. Martin is a candidate for the position of Dean, Fine and Performing Arts.
News Briefs
The March 11 edition of "On Campus This Week," a weekly guide to events, activities, news, information, and assorted odds and ends on campus, is available at http://cms.colum.edu/oncampus/.
This is Story Week at Columbia College, a series of readings, conversations, panels, performances, and book signings, featuring literary icon Salman Rushdie; writers Chris Abani, Geling Yan, Jonathan Lethem, Anchee Min; Fiction Writing department visiting artist John McNally; and other authors, playwrights, editors, and publishers. It includes a fortieth-anniversary celebration of Story Workshop with John Schultz and Betty Shiflett; a publishing panel; a panel on staged readings; a conversation on literary rock 'n roll; a release party for Hair Trigger; and many other special events and presentations. Click here for details.
All faculty and staff interested in participating in Spectacle Fortuna-the much-more-than-a-parade that tops off the graduation-student showcase that is Manifest- are encouraged to attend an open, invitational meeting on Monday, March 12, from 2:00 to 3:30 at the HUB, lower level, 1104 S. Wabash. This year's Spectacle promises to be bigger, better, and more colorful than ever, and all playful souls are invited to attend. Questions? Call Kari Sommers, Assitant Dean of Student Life, at extension 7223 or klsommers@colum.edu.
It's convocation time! Please make plans to attend as Dr. Carter and Columbia's vice presidents present their state of college addresses. Staff convocation is Thursday, April 19, from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. Faculty convocation is Friday, April 27, from 1:00 to 5:00. Both sessions take place in the Film Row Cinema Theater on the eighth floor of 1104 S. Wabash.
The Office of Campus Environment has a new web page, which included information about building hours, lecture halls, academic scheduling policies, and more. To access the page, click here
Charles Cannon, former chair of the Science and Mathematics department, returns to the teaching faculty of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences as newly appointed Professor of Distinction in Chemistry. Cannon returns to the Science and Mathematics faculty after a fruitful year-long leave in which he did research and presented at various conferences.
Work by graduate students in the Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts program is showcased this month in an exhibition titled “A Few Things You Should Know” at Vespine Gallery 1907 S. Halsted St. in Pilsen. The show features works by Renee Bair, Jen Blair, Erin Cramer, Kirstin Demer, Stephen Desantis, Loni Diep, Lauren Dubeau, Brandon Graham, Amy Jacobs, Jenny Kim, Brandy Lachapelle, Jill Lanza, Joseph Lappie, Drew Luan Matott, Mark Moroney, Heyjin Oh, Rebecca Rakstad, Robert Possehl, Marian Runk, Lani Shembrimai Schuster, Lisa Switalski, and Liz Wolf. The exhibition runs through March 24; gallery hours are Monday - Thursday by appointment only, 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. Fridays, and 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturdays.
Faculty and Staff News
Mario Castillo (Fine Art) will participate in the symposium “What it Means to Be Latina/o” March 29 and 30. The symposium is organized by the Department of Educational Psychology at UW-Milwaukee.
Terence Hannum (Art + Design) has work in the 2007 DePauw Biennial at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. His three-channel video installation "Evocation" was screened at the Bergen Kunsthalle in Bergen, Norway as a part of the Borealis Festival for Contemporary Music on March 2. He will also be in a three-person painting exhibition at the experimental curatorial space Schalter in Berlin later this month.
Chris Kerr (Fine Art) exhibited work last month in “Little Myth Universe” at AllRise Gallery in Chicago. His work will be included in “Wild Life,” a two-person show with Joseph Noderer at the Contemporary Art Workshop (542 W. Grant Pl., Chicago, 773-472-4004) April 6 through May 15.
Chuck Harrison (Product Design) was recently awarded honors by FocusOnDesign and the Industrial Design Society of America. His work was featured recently in the Museum of Science and Industry exhibit "Designs for Life: Black Creativity 2007."
Christine Rojek (Art + Design) has been commissioned by the City of Naperville to build a public kinetic/interactive sculpture as part of the “Century Walk” collection. This sculpture, entitled “Parting the Prairie” will be installed in April. Also, her work Winged Pump is included in “Wild Wings at the DuPage Children's Museum through August.
Louis Silverstein (Liberal Education) and Paula Epstein (Library) participated in the Intersections Panel Discussion “Facing the Inevitable: Coping with Death and Dying in Western Culture” on February 7.
Tony Trigilio (Poetry) will give a reading on Friday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m., at Woodland Pattern Book Center in Milwaukee (720 E. Locust St.).
Richard Zeid (Graphic Design) was recently awarded tenure in Graphic Design within the Department of Art + Design.
Jim Zimpel (Woodshop Manager) fabricated and co-designed the set Max King Cap's (Art + Design) video opera installation "Gods Punk” at the Hyde Park Art Center.
