From left: Sarah Mason, Grace Wetzel, Christa Colyer, Cynthia Gendrich, Jack Dostal

Every year the Teaching and Learning Center honors up to five faculty for innovations in their teaching. This year’s winners span the sciences, the arts, literature and mathematics, but all share the dedication to teaching and the willingness to take risks that result in better student learning.

Find out more about the innovative work of Christa Colyer (chemistry), Cynthia Gendrich (theater), Grace Wetzel (English), Jack Dostal (physics), Stewart Carter (music) and Sarah Mason (mathematics).  Continue reading »

The Provost and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions invite faculty and staff to Thursdays at the Porter B. Byrum Welcome and Admissions Center on Feb. 14. This month’s event is titled “Fall in Love with the Arts” and will serve as the kickoff for the annual Campaign for the Arts.

A wine and cheese reception will run from 4-4:30 p.m., followed by a program from 4:30-5:15 p.m. that will feature J.K. Curry, Jacqueline Carrasco and a performance by Authoring Action.

Curry, associate professor and chair of theatre and dance, will discuss the collaboration between Wake Forest and Festival Stage on the production of 33 Variations playing at the HanesBrands Theatre.

Carrasco, associate professor of music, will discuss how the Triad is coming alive with the sounds of “new music” and perform excerpts from a solo violin piece highlighting new trends in contemporary musical styles.

Authoring Action, the Arts Council’s newest funded partner, works to transform the lives of youth through the power of creative writing, spoken word arts and leadership education. Members will perform a piece entitled “Reach for the Stars.”

Louis Goldstein

Wake Forest theatre and Festival Stage of Winston Salem are partnering on a production of Moisés Kaufman’s new drama “33 Variations,” presented at Hanesbrands Theatre from Feb. 1 to Feb. 24.

The production is the result of a first-time partnership between Festival Stage and Wake Forest’s Department of Theatre and Dance. The cast includes Louis Goldstein, professor of music, Amy Shackleford, a junior theatre major, and Jim French, a recent Wake graduate, as well as five professional actors. The artistic and production staff also includes several faculty members and Wake Forest freshman Andrew Hayes, who serves as a production assistant backstage.

“The opportunity for our students to participate in an extended project with working professionals and the chance to experience the demands of a professional career while still in school is immensely valuable to any young emerging artist, says John Friedenberg, director of University theatre. “Similarly, the ability for our faculty in both theatre and music to collaborate professionally with the artists and staff of Festival Stage in circumstances that allow our students to see us working as artists outside of an academic context adds to our teaching, and their education, in a unique and elegant way.”

The play follows the life of Dr. Katherine Brandt, a musicologist obsessed with uncovering a mystery behind Ludwig van Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. As Beethoven copes with the progressive loss of his hearing, Katherine fights a diagnosis of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). Paralleling Beethoven’s own journey, Katherine struggles to complete her life’s work and reconcile with her estranged daughter before her illness overtakes her.

“33 Variations” combines the resources of the undergraduate school, the medical school and the community to explore the issues in the play. By bringing the stage into the classroom, theatre students learn to apply their education and training.

“We hope that this joint endeavor will enrich all of our work and can establish a foundation and pattern for future collaborations,” says Friedenberg.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.hanesbrandstheatre.org, by calling 336-747-1414 or visiting the Hanesbrands Theatre Box Office Monday-Friday, noon to 6 p.m., and one hour before each performance.

The ACE Fellows Program, in partnership with the Institute for Public Engagement, the Teaching and Learning Center, and the Dean of the College, provides support for selected faculty fellows interested in incorporating service-learning into their courses.

The program provides stipends of $1,250 as well as services designed to enhance teaching and enrich learning. ACE Fellows have the opportunity to work with new and veteran ACE Fellows as they establish relationships with community partners, develop syllabi, and assess pedagogical strategies and outcomes.

Here’s a list of the ACE Fellows and the courses in which they plan to integrate service-learning classes: Continue reading »

See a list of employees joining and leaving the University in August 2012: Continue reading »

See a list of employment milestones reached by faculty in August 2012: Continue reading »

See a list of employment milestones reached by faculty in August 2012: Continue reading »

WFDD, the public radio station licensed to Wake Forest, raised $54,133  in one day of on-air fundraising on Thursday, June 14.

For the past several years, the station, which serves 32 counties in northwest North Carolina and southern Virginia, has held a short on-air fundraising campaign in June to close out its fiscal year.  This June’s total is the largest amount the station has raised during an end-of-year campaign.

WFDD’s fiscal year runs through June 30. With the success of the June pledge drive, the station is poised to meet its individual giving goal for this fiscal year, according to membership manager Greg Keener. Throughout the fiscal year, the station raises funds through direct mail, email and on-air appeals.  This year, the station continued its commitment to reducing the number of on-air fundraising days, finishing with a total of 10 pledge drive days. Continue reading »

See a list of employees joining and leaving the University in January 2012: Continue reading »

J.K. Curry, associate professor chair of theatre history, edited the volume Theatre Symposium, v. 19, Theatre and Film, which has been published by the University of Alabama Press. [ISBN 978-0-8173-7006-0]