PSFA E-Connect
Volume II Issue 6
October 2004

Welcome to PSFA E-Connect, an electronic newsletter for alumni and friends of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA). We hope you enjoy this summary of SDSU and PSFA news. For detailed information, please click on the links provided or copy and paste into your web browser.

 

CALENDAR
(For complete listings please visit each School's website)
http://art.sdsu.edu/index.shtml
www.musicdance.sdsu.edu
http://theatre.sdsu.edu

Brownstone By Josh Rubins, Peter Larson, Andrew Cadiff directed by Paula Kalustian Experimental Theatre	October 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 Tickets: 619.594.6884
Music and Dance of Ghana Smith Recital Hall	November 1 @ 6:00 pm Tickets: 619.594.1696
Performing Artists Concert Series: Latin Jazz Ensemble Smith Recital Hall	November 2 @ 6:00 pm Tickets: 619.594.1696
Bolivia Band Concert Smith Recital Hall	November 3 @ 7:00 pm Info: 619.594.1696
Barn Dance Benefit for the University Dance Company ENS 380 Dance Studio	November 5 @ 8:00 pm 619.594.1696
Asking for Eyes: The Visual Voice of Southeast Africa University Art Gallery	November 8 - December 4 Monday - Thursday and Saturday 12 noon - 4:00 pm Reception: November 12 @ 6:00 pm
Faculty Recital: Laurinda Nikkel, voice, Richard Thompson, piano Smith Recital Hall	November 10 @ noon Free admission
SDSU Opera Theatre Smith Recital Hall	November 18, 19, 20 @ 7:00 pm November 21 @ 2:00 pm Tickets: 619.594.1696
Othello By Shakespeare Don Powell Theatre	November 19, 20, 21 & December 2, 3, 4, 5 (plus weekday matinees for high schools) Tickets: 619.594.6884

 

"Three Strikes and You're Out: Ten Years Later"

The School of Public Administration and Urban Studies continues its tradition of presenting forums addressing timely, controversial topics. Three Strikes and You're Out: Ten Years Later will feature three distinguished panelists with local, state, and national constituencies to discuss the evolution of California's "Three Strikes Law" (its inception, implementation, and impact) and the content and purpose of Proposition 66 - the 2004 voter initiative designed to remedy perceived shortcomings of the original law. Forum moderator will be Dr. Jeffrey McIllwain, Associate Professor, School of Public Administration and Urban Studies, Criminal Justice Administration Program at SDSU. Panel members are Jim Benson, Vice Chairman, Citizens Against Violent Crime, Bonnie Dumanis, D.A., San Diego County District Attorney, and Vincent Schiraldi, Executive Director, Justice Policy Institute of Washington, D.C.

This event is the first in the series of Current Issues Forum of San Diego that will be held each month. The series is made possible by a generous gift from Joseph Fisch and Joyce Axelrod. To RSVP for the event, please contact Nancy Flitcraft at (619) 594-6084.

 

SDSU/City Heights Educational Collaborative Receives Funding from Nokia Corporation

The SDSU/City Heights Educational Collaborative's Monroe-Clark Middle School is one of three sites in the USA that has been awarded funding from Nokia Corporation for educational arts-in-technology projects. "Make a Connection Through Art," is a multimedia arts and literacy project that will receive $30,000 per year for a period of two years. Dr. Nan McDonald, director of the K-12 Integrated Arts Curriculum, and associate professor in the School of Music and Dance, will serve as the project director for the Collaborative. The project is designed for a web-based international audience and will involve over 200 Clark Middle School students, teachers, arts educators, SDSU faculty, and many volunteers from the Nokia Corporation and Pearson Publications at the San Diego Nokia Corporate Headquarters. Students will be involved in active classroom arts experiences and will learn to design a digital story about their life in City Heights. At the end of the 7-week cycle, students and their teachers will learn technology processes to create their own digital stories through hands-on mentoring by employee volunteers from Nokia and Pearson at the Nokia Headquarters in San Diego. Once the digital formats are completed, a public gala premiere will be held for students, parents, teachers and the community.

 

Asking for Eyes: The Visual Voice of Southeast Africa

Asking for Eyes, an exhibition of Southeast African Art curated and organized by students in the School of Art, Design and Art History at SDSU will run from November 8 through December 4, 2004 in the University Art Gallery at SDSU. The exhibition is designed to address the myths and misconceptions regarding Africa and African Art. The project's success is a result of the hard work and dedication of nineteen graduate and undergraduate students who committed to creating an art exhibit and exhibition catalogue. The students worked under the guidance of Dr. Teri Sowell, art historian and curator, who developed and coordinated the project.

"I feel extremely privileged to have participated in this unique student collaboration and thank the College for providing us the rare opportunity to gain exposure to practical knowledge in our field of study. This project has had a considerable impact on my career goals and has been one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of my college life," said Mary Axworthy, art history senior.

Asking for Eyes is made possible through the generosity of noted art collectors Edward and Mina Smith and the Edward M. Smith Family Art Foundation. All objects included in Asking for Eyes are part of the Edward M. Smith Family Art Foundation. The exhibition and educational program sponsors include the San Diego State University Art Council, Africa and Beyond, Ethnic Art Gallery, the School of Art, Design and Art History, and the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.

Zulu woven plate on pedestal Silver wire, copper wire; 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. 19th century

There will be an Opening Reception at the University Art Gallery on Friday, November 12, from 6-9 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, and Saturday from 12 Noon to 4:00 p.m.

Northern Nguni puppets Wood, hide, glass beads, sisal fiber; 9 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 2 1/2 in Late 19th/early 20th century

 

Opera is Alive and Well at SDSU

This semester, SDSU's Opera Theatre program will bring us scenes from operas of the Romantic period in a production called "OPERA: It's Grand...at the Opera Cafe!"

 

As the title suggests, many operas often have scenes that take place in cafes, taverns, courtyards, and town squares. Selections on the "menu" of scenes will come from such great operas as Manon, Rigoletto, Faust, Carmen, and La Boheme, to name just a few! Opera Theatre director Kellie Evans-O'Connor has lined up a cast and crew of talented student singers, designers, musicians and technicians who, will serve up a most delightful repast. From aria "appetizers" to ensemble "main courses"-- there's something to suit everyone's operatic tastes.

 

Performances of the "Opera Café" will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 18th, 19th, & 20th at 7pm, and Sunday, November 21st at 2pm in Smith Recital Hall.

For further information, contact Kellie Evans-O'Connor, Director/SDSU Opera Theater at (619) 594-2878, or Rhoda Nevins at (619) 594-6060.

 

Community Based Service-Learning Fosters Civic Responsibility Among SDSU Students

Each week during the semester SDSU students work with community organizations on projects that help them bridge theory and practice. Community Based Service-Learning courses integrate community and classroom learning, and Dr. Patricia Geist-Martin's COM 583 class - Interaction and Health, helps meet the needs of many community organizations.

 

"It is extremely gratifying to witness students discovering how they can bridge theory and practice through their service learning projects," said Geist-Martin. "At the same time, Community Based Service Learning reveals to community partners the value of our students' disciplinary knowledge, and provides them with the unique opportunity to witness these students coming into their own in recognizing their civic responsibilities," she said.

This year, students in the COM 583 class will work closely with many non-profit organizations including, National Alliance for Mentally Ill (NAMI), Tariq Khamisa Foundation, San Diego Teen Court, San Diego Center for the Blind, A Reason to Survive (A.R.T.S.), Muzik and the Age of Reason, and Glenner Alzheimer Family Center. To find out more about Service-Learning, visit http://servicelearning.sdsu.edu.

 

 

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

Dr. Peter Andersen, (Communication), and Tammy Blackburn's (MS Communication, 2001) article "An Experimental Study of Language Intensity and Response Rate in E Mail Surveys" appears in the current issue of Communication Reports.

Exercise and Nutritional Sciences faculty, Dr. Susan Levy, Dr. Simon Marshall, Dr. Jeanne Nichols-Bernhard, and Dr. Barbara Ainsworth, are Co-Principal Investigator, and Co-Investigators respectively for a cooperative agreement funded by the Associated Schools of Public Health, titled "Fitness and Exercise for People with Arthritis." The PI for the three-year project is Carol Macera in the Graduate School of Public Health at SDSU.

David Ward-Steinman's (Music and Dance) composition "Raga for Winds" has been selected to be performed at Cal State University Bakersfield's band concert series on November 13, 2004.

Dr. Mei Zhong's (Communication) publication "Communication and Intergenerational Differences Between Chinese Fathers and Sons," appeared in the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research earlier this year.

Dr. Hiroko Johnson's (Art, Design and Art History) traveling photo exhibition commemorating the 150th anniversary of Commodore Perry's visit to Japan opened at the San Diego Central Library this past summer. In 2005, the exhibit will be at CSU San Marcos January 18 - March 31, and Southwestern College April - June, and the Cultural Center Tijuana July - October.

Dr. Thom McKenzie (Exercise and Nutritional Sciences) was invited to present "Youth Physical Activity. An Ecological Perspective," at the Pre-Olympic Scientific Congress, Thessaloniki, Greece on August 9, 2004.

 

 

ALUMNI NEWS

Sachiko Nakashima (General Communication, 2002) is a Business Development Representative at a Japanese Executive Staffing Agency in Irvine, CA.

Tom Gray (Recreation Administration, 1995) is the HIV/STD Liaison for the California State Office of Aids and the California STD Control Branch where he assists local health jurisdictions in the development and execution of prevention programs.

Amy Bailey (Giberson) (Speech Communication, 1995) has accepted a position with CONNECTIONS, the Call-Accounting Specialists selling telephone Voice-Management Software in Orange County, CA.

Jennifer Dowd (Barbaruolo) (Journalism (Public Relations) 1994) is Director of Advertising and Marketing for Hall & Hall Inc., in Billings, Montana, one of the largest land and ranch sales companies in the United States.

Scott Gediman (Journalism (Public Relations) 1986) is in his eighth year as the Chief of Media & External Relations at Yosemite National Park. He has recently received a National Park Service Excellence in Service Award. For his latest media project he taped a segment for the Travel Channel with California's First Lady entitled "Maria Shriver's California" which is set to air later this year.

Jean Marmet (Buehner) (Physical Education, 1975) was featured as Member Spotlight in IDEA Fitness Journal July-August 2004.

 

Did you get a promotion? Recently relocated? Have personal news to share? Send us your news and/or updated contact information to Class Notes at econnect@mail.sdsu.edu.

GIVING BACK

Thank you to all our wonderful donors who are giving back to SDSU. Your gifts to PSFA and its Fund for Excellence greatly benefit our College and its programs. For those who prefer the convenience of on-line giving, the University's Web page is www.sdsu.edu/giving. Each gift will be recognized by on-line confirmation, plus a follow-up email message that can be retained for tax purposes. Also, if you are interested in estate planned giving, please visit our website at www.sdsugift.org. These sites are secured to protect personal information, including credit card numbers.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
Mailing Address:
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-4512

Phone: (619) 594-5124; Fax: (619) 594-6974

Web address: http://psfa.sdsu.edu

 

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