Associate Professor of English Michelle Brown, Ph.D., co-presented a workshop, “High Stakes Testing and Justice in the Public School Classroom,” with Rockingham County Public Schools elementary gifted/challenge teacher Smith Coleman and guidance counselor Danielle Brino-Dean in October at the Peace and Justice Studies Association Conference: “Cultivating the Just and Peaceable Self: Understanding Transformation and Transforming Understanding in Research and Practice,” at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Dr. Brown was also awarded a Wye Fellowship to attend the Wye Faculty Seminar: “Citizenship in the American and Global Polity,” The Aspen Institute, Queenstown, Maryland, in July 2015. In addition, she was a breakout moderator for two sessions: one on program goals, and the other on implementation plans, at the General Education Town Hall Summit, “What Is Possible?” held at Shenandoah University in May 2015.
Assistant Professor of Mass Communications Kelley Crowley, Ph.D., published “‘Look you fools, you’re in danger!’ Cultural snapshots in in iterations of ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers,’” a chapter in the book “The Fantastic Made Visible: Essays on the Adaptation of Science Fiction and Fantasy from Page to Screen” (McFarland & Company, Inc.).
Assistant Professor of Spanish Adela Borrallo-Solís, Ph.D., reviewed a number of articles for the journal Confluencia, where she serves on the editorial board.
Director of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Associate Professor of Foreign Languages Steven Humphries, Ph.D., completed a two-year term as treasurer of the Washington, D.C. Area Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Association.
Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Bryan Pearce-Gonzales, Ph.D., presented a paper titled “¿De tal palo, tal astilla?: Patriarchal and Fraternal Constructions of the Family in Domingo Martinez’s ‘The Boy Kings of Texas’” at the Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference in Charleston, South Carolina.
Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Andrea Meador Smith, Ph.D., presented a paper titled “Missing Mothers in Contemporary Peruvian Cinema” and chaired a panel on Latin American Film at the Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference in Charleston, South Carolina.
Assistant Professor of Religion Meredith Minister, Ph.D., has been awarded a $30,000 grant by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion for fostering religious understanding in the Going Global: First-Year Seminar (FYS) program. Shenandoah University is one of 15 institutions to receive this prestigious award. “Religious literacy is essential to being a global citizen today,” said Dr. Minister. “I’m excited that this grant will give Shenandoah students the opportunity to explore how religion shapes the world.” Activities funded by the grant include piloting a series of second-semester FYS classes offered in spring 2016, exploring religious undercurrents not addressed currently in FYS classes. Minister will also hold a series of workshops within the 18-month grant period for FYS faculty to explore how religious understanding is an integral part of global awareness. Learn more.
Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business Dean, George Edward Durell Chair of Management and Professor of Management Miles K. Davis, Ph.D. and Professor of Business Law John Winn J.D., completed a book chapter titled: “Islamic Leadership Models–Lessons From Early Islam.” The book, titled “Entrepreneurship and Management in an Islamic Context,” will be published in 2016 by Springer Publications.
Eldon R. Lindsey Chair of Free Enterprise and Professor of Economics and Finance Clifford F. Thies, Ph.D., had an article, “Not So Great Utopias,” accepted for publication by the Journal of Private Enterprise. He had previously presented the work at conferences at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, and at last year’s meeting of the Southern Economic Association in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Thies compared F.A. Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom,” published in 1944 to the experiments in “utopian socialism” and “scientific socialism” that preceded the book, and to the experiments since its publication, focusing on the newly independent countries of Africa and Asia at the end of the colonial era.
Director of Instrumental Chamber Music and Professor of Viola and Chamber Music Doris Lederer, Diploma, Curtis Institute of Music, was selected as the 2015 Outstanding String Teacher by Virginia String Teacher Association (VASTA). Lederer was presented with the award by Coordinator of Strings, Professor of Bass and VASTA president Donovan Stokes, D.M., on Dec. 9. Lederer will also teach and present masterclasses at the 2016 Xi’an Music Festival in China this summer.
Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Conducting Timothy J. Robblee, Ph.D., served as the guest conductor for the Singapore American School’s (SAS) 19th Annual Fall Music Festival from Oct. 26 through Nov. 2. During his time in Singapore, he conducted the SAS middle and high school bands and provided conducting masterclasses for their music faculty. In November 2015, Robblee presented at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, on “Improving Conductor-Ensemble Communication through Thoughtful Warm-ups.”
Harrison Endowed Chair in Piano and Associate Professor of Jazz Piano Robert Larson, D.M.A., published his research on “Creativity in the Jazz Ensemble—Let’s Get Away from the Written Jazz Solo” in the September 2015 issue of the Music Educators Journal.
The Recording Excellence blog named Shenandoah Conservatory Assistant Professor of Music Production and Recording Technology Adam Olson, M.A. one of the “15 Outstanding Professors Every Audio Enthusiast Should Know.” Recording Excellence Founder/Editor Scott Hawksworth notes, “I actually don’t know Adam personally, but I discovered him when I was doing research for the article. I scoured the internet to find notable professors that I found inspirational and thought would also inspire my readers. Adam’s experience and contributions to the field really stood out to me. In addition to his general educational background and experience working in studios I was impressed by the fact that he has founded two studios, his paper contributions to the field, found via the Audio Engineering Society (here’s one paper, and another) and his certification as an instructor for both Pro Tools and Logic Pro and his expertise in DAWs, which have revolutionized recording.”
Two pieces by Visiting Associate Professor of Jazz Dance Bob Boross, M.A., were performed in New York in October. “Down Into the Muddy Water,” was performed on Oct. 10 by Jazz Roots Dance Company as part of the DUMBO Dance Festival at the new Gelsey Kirkland Dance Center in Brooklyn. On Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, his jazz dance, “Big Man on Mulberry Street,” was performed by five Shenandoah Conservatory dancers – Shannon Giles ’15, Michael Ross ’18, Christopher Saunders ’17, Deontay Gray ’17, and Nikolaous Hartnett ’19 – as part of the NY Jazz Choreography Project at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre. The performance was supported by an Shenandoah faculty/student collaborative research grant. Critical Dance called “Big Man on Mulberry Street” “a quintessential classic jazz dance” in October.
Director of the Performing Arts Leadership and Management Program and Associate Professor of Arts Management David Edelman, M.F.A., recently attended the annual conference of the European Network on Cultural Management and Cultural Policy Education in Lecce, Italy, where he participated in a plenary panel titled “Culture Flash: A Lightning Round of Arts Engagement Case Studies.” Edelman presented a case study on the The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, a Charlottesville community-based arts program that was awarded a 2014 National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant for creative place-making.
Assistant Professor of Jazz Dance Tiffanie Carson, M.F.A., received glowing reviews for her performance and choreography in an October review on Critical Dance.org. The review was for a Christopher K. Morgan and Artists (CKM&A) fifth anniversary concert in Rockville, Maryland. Carson is both a dancer and assistant director of CKM&A. The review notes, “In ‘Deprivation’ Carson has achieved a choreographic home run….”
Graduate Programs Librarian and Adjunct Professor of Conservatory Academics, Rosemary Green, Ph.D., presented her paper, “Academic Reading: Conservatory Students’ Practices,” at the Atlantic Chapter of the Music Library Association annual conference Oct. 2-3, at George Mason University.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Voice (Soprano), Aimé Sposato, D.M.A., is currently participating in a fellowship with the American Council on Education. She is placed at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, under the mentorship of President Pamela Fox. In November, Dr. Sposato conducted a two-day workshop titled, “Working and Managing the Faculty” for new music administrators in higher education at the National Association of Schools of Music accreditation conference.
Assistant Professor of Music History and Literature, Laurie McManus, Ph.D., presented research from her book at the annual national meeting of the American Musicological Society on Nov. 15 in Louisville, Kentucky. Her paper is titled, “Brahms Among the Freudians: Pathologizing the Pure Style.”
Director of Graduate Music Therapy Studies and Associate Professor of Music Therapy Anthony Meadows, Ph.D., recently attended the Music Therapy and Dementia Care in the 21st Century conference at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Dr. Meadows’ article titled, “Measuring Supportive Music and Imagery Interventions: The Development of the Music Therapy Self-Rating Scale” was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Music Therapy.
Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Chair of Keyboard Division, and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus. D., recorded two CDs for the Steinway label. The first recording features the Diabelli Variations of Beethoven, recorded in September at Sono Luminus in Boyce, Virginia. The second recording, of Haydn Sonatas, was completed in October at the new Steinway home in New York.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Voice (Soprano) Amy Murray, D.M.A., performed with the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 5, in Ashburn, Virginia. The program was titled, “Home For the Holidays” and featured Mozart’s “Exsultate, Jubilate” and “Mariä Wiegenlied” by Max Reger. Several Shenandoah University alumni currently serve as members of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Guitar Candice Mowbray, D.M.A., was a guest soloist with the National String Symphonia for October performances in Rockville and Jefferson, Maryland, performing her own arrangement for guitar of Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major. As a guest artist, she presented workshops on rock, jazz and classical styles to guitar students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and performed a solo recital that included the “Barber of Seville Revue” by Johann Kaspar Mertz as well as works from France and Argentina. Dr. Mowbray coordinated and hosted a visit by guest artist Marco Socias at the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland, where she leads guitar studies. Born in Malaga, Spain, Socias is an internationally renowned musician. The event was presented in coordination with the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts and the John Marlow Guitar Series. More than 100 students majoring in a variety of arts disciplines attended the presentation and the event was covered by WHAG-TV. She also presented the Nov. 21 pre-concert lecture for the John Marlow Guitar Series in Washington, D.C. and was invited to be a guest soloist with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra for its special Holiday Pops Concerts on Dec. 12 and 13. In addition to performing the Paraguayan Christmas carol, “Villancico de Navidad,” she premiered a new arrangement of “Lo A Rose Ever Blooming” for orchestra and guitar written by Senior Chief Scott Silbert, senior arranger for the United States Navy Band.
Associate Professor, Voice (Baritone) and Musical Theatre Styles Specialist Matthew Edwards, M.M., held a masterclass for the musical theatre department at Brigham Young State University in Provo, Utah; presented a workshop and masterclass for the graduate voice pedagogy program at University of Toronto; presented “Habilitation and Rehabilitation Considerations for Rock Singers” with Leda Scearce, CCC-SLP (Duke Voice Care Center) for the Pan-American Vocology Association Symposium in Greensboro, North Carolina; was elected to the board of directors (Chief Information Officer) of the Pan-American Vocology Association; was a guest on the October NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Chat with Dr. Kari Ragan discussing techniques for preparing audition pre-screening videos; was a judge for the preliminary round of the National Opera Association musical theatre scenes competition; and was appointed artistic director of the Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Vocal Pedagogy Institute.
Professor of Trumpet and Conducting Scott Nelson, D.M.A., and his wife, Catherine, performed with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra (OSO) as principal trumpet and associate concertmaster for the opening of the new Reilly Arts Center in Ocala, Florida. The $3.7-million renovation project for the new home of the OSO culminated with an Oct. 23 sold-out opening concert of “Academic Festival Overture,” “The Pines of Rome,” and “The Planets.” Dr. Nelson also adjudicated the National American Legion Concert Band Competition in August at the American Legion’s annual National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
Coordinator of Strings and Professor of Bass Donovan Stokes, D.M., played recitals and taught jazz and classical classes at several European conservatories in November, including the Paris Conservatoire; Royal College of Music in London; Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway; and Luigi Boccherini Music Conservatory in Lucca, Italy.
Professor of Flute Jonathan Snowden, A.G.S.M., Guildhall School of Music (London), played and conducted at the National Flute Association convention in August in Washington, D.C. Also in August, he recorded with Professor of Saxophone Timothy Roberts, D.M.A., and piano graduate student Alex Bernstein. In September, he performed a recital at Glen Burnie Historic House at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia. And, in early December, he coached the flutes and taught the band at John Handley High School in Winchester, Virginia.
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Arthur J. Lievre, D.P.T., and Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Aaron Hartstein, M.P.T., presented their research on Thoracic Spine Manipulation and Neurodynamic Mobility in October at the annual AAOMPT lecture in Louisville, Kentucky.
Five pharmacy school faculty members were recognized recently for national committee appointments and service. Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences David Newton, Ph.D., has been re-appointed to the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP Compounding Committee, Council of Experts 2015-2020). Online Curriculum Coordinator and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Michelle Rager, Pharm.D., is chair-elect for the Endocrine/Metabolism PRN within the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Pharmacogenomics Art Harralson, Pharm.D., was asked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to serve as a consultant and voting member of the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Pharmacy Practice Penny Shelton, Pharm.D., and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Kacey Carroll, Pharm.D., are completing work on a national falls risk reduction product in collaboration with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the National Council on Aging and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Associate Professor of Pharmacy Amanda Munson, Ph.D., and Director for Academic Computer Technologies for the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology Richard Pierce, Ed.D. had their article, “Flipping Content to Improve Student Examination Performance in a Pharmacogenomics Course” published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education: Volume 79, Issue 7, Article 103.
Professor and Chair of Biopharmaceutical Sciences Robbie Kidd, Pharm.D., Ph.D., has been invited to serve as an expert speaker on pharmacogenomics for health systems. He recently presented a grand rounds on pharmacogenomics for Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia, and at Capstone Health Alliance in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Assistant Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences Isha Patel, Ph.D., was recently named editor-in-chief for a new journal, Research in Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Pharmacogenomics Art Harralson, Pharm.D.’s April article in the international journal BMC Genomics has reached “highly accessed” status due to the number of times it has been downloaded. In addition, the article is prominently featured on the website of Pacific Biosciences, the company that makes the million-dollar sequencer.
Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Diane D. Painter, Ph.D., was a panel presenter at the annual conference for the Council of Learning Disabilities on Oct. 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She presented information about SEHD’s computer-based writing program supported by grants from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation. She also presented her research with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards titled, “The Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools (ATLAS) Pilot: Lessons from Accomplished Teachers,” at the Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children at TED’s annual conference on Nov. 4 in Tempe, Arizona.
On Oct. 8, Associate Professor of Leadership Catherine Dunn Shiffman, Ph.D., spoke as an invited panelist at the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools conference hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Her conference paper, “With the Design in Mind: Examining High School Reform Model Features That Matter in Implementation,” is based on her post-doctoral research that appeared in a previously published book chapter. On Oct. 21, Dr. Shiffman led a workshop, “Connecting Adult Learning and Family Engagement in Education in GED and ESOL Classrooms” at the annual meeting of the Virginia Association for Adult and Continuing Education in Norfolk, Virginia. The workshop was held at the request of the association’s leaders and based on her 2014-15 sabbatical research. Shiffman also presented a paper at the November annual meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration in San Diego. The paper, titled “The bridge: How a rural adult ESOL program supports families, schools, and children,” is based on her sabbatical research.
An article by Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Karrin Lukacs, Ph.D. – “‘For Me Change is Not a Choice’: A Conversation With a Teacher Change Agent” – was published in the fall 2015 edition of American Secondary Education. It focuses on the efforts of a biology teacher at Handley High School to improve her school and community.