For Arts & Humanities Faculty
The Carnival That Is A&H
Hello, Arts and Humanities Faculty,
Another year begins! And I think the new year looks bright. We leap into this year with the momentum of several positive and productive years. In the past three or four years we have added 25 new full–time faculty and staff.
Art: Janet Brooks, Roberta Weston, Haydee Suescom, and this year, Katherine Sheehan. In addition, Art has added folks in three classified positions: Kristina Deasey, Julie Issacson, and Brent Baggett.
Creative Writing: Gail Folkins–Koehler will serve as Interim Chair this year.
Dance: Kathy Dunn Hamrick will serve as Interim Chair this year.
Drama: Marcus McQuirter. In addition, Peter Sukovaty has joined the staff.
English for Speakers of Other Languages: Erika Domatti–Thomas, Devorah Feldman, Raul Cantu, and this year Kathleen Shimizu and Farrah Keeler. And Lourdes Pyron and Scott Svec have joined in staff positions.
Foreign Languages: Rosa Davila, and this year, Myung–Joo Oh and Mariela Prato–Williams.
Philosophy: Susan Alvarado, Don Becker, and Azzurra Crispino.
Arts and Humanities Division: Kathryn Benson is our new Senior Administrative Assistant.
In addition, several programs and initiatives are now firmly woven into the fabric of our departments and division: ACC Student Literary Readings at Austin Java; the Free Minds Project with the Humanities Institute at UT; the Dance Exchange with Spelman College in Atlanta; the Pro Arts Collective joint production; the Art@ACC college–wide student exhibits; the Academic Cooperative in Creative Writing; travel abroad in art history, drawing, ceramics, and Spanish; and student participation in the regional American College Dance Festival and to the American College Theater Festival. This year we add two more: Constitution Day Celebration and Carnival ah! None of these programs and projects existed at ACC four years ago.
As you know, my two watch words for the division are Access and Excellence. These two values have very deep roots in this division. We give access to students learning English as a second language, including the deaf and hard of hearing whose first language is American Sign Language; access to creative students who need teachers creative enough to engage and support them; and access to students who want the most traditional of a liberal arts education in philosophy and in languages. And excellence is everyone’s goal and almost everyone’s accomplishment.
We achieve excellence when students complete four semesters of a foreign language (this year students celebrated our first 4th–semester in Chinese); excellence in critical and in creative thinking; excellence in publishing a poem or story, choreographing a dance, performing in a play, and exhibiting a work of art. In fact, every initiative listed in the previous paragraph is an example of how we provide opportunities for students to excel in their educational pursuits.
At the center of these achievements is a dedicated, energetic faculty providing our students with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities for excellence. This is why we take such care in selecting faculty. This is why the faculty works so hard to provide students with real engagement with the substance and performance of their subjects.
So another year begins. For 2008–2009, I will encourage us to find ways to deepen our commitment to excellence in teaching. Last year, I asked each department to look for ways to include formative peer review as part of their professional development or faculty evaluation processes. This year I will ask that departments continue, deepen, and expand what they have achieved.
In addition, I invite all faculty to find ways to participate in Carnival ah! Carnival ah! has grown from discussions among faculty and staff who expressed interest in bringing back the old Arts and Humanities Festival. For about six months, a group of faculty, now lead by drama faculty member Arthur Adair, met to re–envision the old festival. What they have come up with is a year–long journey in the arts, humanities, and culture that will culminate in a three–day festival on April 2–4.
The year–long journey portion is an intellectual and cultural pilgrimage focusing on the themes of Voice, Identity, and Dissent. Arthur and his committee have devised clever ways—both actual and virtual—to encourage discussion, analysis, and many other sorts of pleasurable interactions with various Arts and Humanities events. The three–day carnival portion will resemble the old Arts and Humanities Festival, but will feature a compressed schedule of student, faculty, and professional performances and presentations. One aspect of Carnival ah! that most excites me is that we will welcome high school students and citizens to ACC to share in our journey, in our joy of teaching and engaging student learning, and in our pursuits of access and excellence.
So this year, I invite you, once again, to challenge yourself as you challenge your students to excellence. One aspect of excellence that people often forget to mention is that, along with the hard work and such, doing thing well is just plain fun. I invite you to stay involved with your department and the division and to join the carnival that is Arts and Humanities.
Sincerely,
