There is much excitement and innovation in the College of Communication and Fine Arts, and it is my continued pleasure to bring the highlights of our activities to you. The intellect and talents of our students and faculty always impress me. And I am always grateful for the generosity of financial support from our benefactors and friends of the college in the form of scholarships and encouragements to our efforts.
In this issue, you will see stories that highlight not just the specific accomplishments of those featured, but foreground the range and depth of our engagements throughout the college. You will read a story that chronicles the history and growth of the Sinatra Opera Workshop directed by Professor Virginia Saya. The Sinatra Opera Workshop presents LMU singers in staged opera scenes every semester and in a major work every spring. This is just one of the many programs that have benefited over the years from donor support. You will read a story from one of our thankful scholarship recipients, Micah Jones, who happens to be a music student participating in both the Sinatra Opera Workshop and the LMU Choruses.
In CFA, we are committed to providing students with diverse educational experiences as evidenced in the story that highlights student experiences in the Theatre Arts Study Abroad program in Moscow under the supervision of Professor Diane Benedict. Also, we have a story that focuses on theatre alum Lissa Danshaw ’14 who is putting her creative talents to work in stand-up comedy and short film work. With this story, CFA is seeking to more thoroughly document the successes of our current students and recent graduates as they fully engage their career pathways.
You will also see a story about a survey initiated by the Art History program in the Department of Art and Art History. The intention of the survey is to reconnect with our graduates in art history and to see how well their training has informed their academic and professional lives — as both bragging rights and a critical reflection on our curriculum and the career preparation of students. Be on the lookout for other surveys in all CFA departments soon.
Celebrating the 10th annual LMU Guitar Festival, international artists will perform, conduct workshops and hold master classes to fortify the educational experience of our guitar students. You will read a guided interview with Professor Michael Miranda on the nature, history and importance of the Guitar Festival to the LMU Classical Guitar Program. And, in an effort to encourage critical scholarly research in our undergraduate student population, we are happy to feature a story on two Communication Studies students whose research on the use of social media was originally presented at the 5th annual LMU Undergraduate Research Symposium.
We invite you to enjoy this issue of the newsletter. We also invite you to experience in person the many events and activities in the College of Communication and Fine Arts at LMU!