- Faculty and staff exhibit their creativity
- GM communications exec to discuss U.S. auto challenges
- Summer study programs offered in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand
- Journalism program extends expectations outside of the classroom
- Get ready for winter fun with Ski and Snowboard Swap
- SBU community invited to attend UN Commission on the Status of Women meeting
- Quilt making planned at SBU for World AIDS Day
- Career Center News ...
- Newsmakers ...
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Faculty and staff exhibit their
creativity
An exhibition titled “The Human Form
Divine,” now on display in The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts (QCA)
Branch Family Gallery, includes an array of figure sketches drawn by a
diverse group of St. Bonaventure faculty and staff.
The genesis of the exhibition occurred last spring when several members of the faculty and staff attended a hands-on workshop that provided an introductory experience in sketching from a live model. The workshop mailer had promised “Novices Welcome!” A dozen participants gathered together in the QCA third floor art studio to explore their creativity, enjoy congenial fellowship, and try their hands at sketching.
The workshop was sponsored by The Journey Project in hope of exploring the connections between creativity, community and spirituality. Michael Williams, director of The Journey Project, facilitated the art workshop to bring together faculty and staff from St. Bonaventure in creative camaraderie.
“Throughout the centuries, master artists such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Blake and even Picasso, have sought to express the depths of the human soul through expression of the human form,” said workshop instructor and artist, Constance Pierce, who teaches painting and drawing at St. Bonaventure.
The participants experimented with classic drawing concepts such as “gesture sketching,” in which the artist uses energized lines, almost continually moving, to capture the animating spirit of the pose. “Blind-contour” drawing is drawing without looking at the paper. The participants practiced “surrendered attention” to the particularity of linear detail to gain a sense of authenticity in their line. The fledgling artists quickly overcame any self-conscious concerns and embraced the varied media with enthusiasm, Pierce said.
The current exhibition includes many exciting examples of sketches executed in charcoal, pastel, watercolor, inks and pencil, while utilizing concepts such as gesture, contour, tone and informal composition.
"The workshop proved to be both an enjoyable and contemplative experience," said Pierce.
The exhibiting artists include faculty and staff members Dr. Dan Tate, associate professor of philosophy; Dr. Karen Robbins, assistant professor of history and director of Women’s Studies; Dr. Paul Brawdy, chair of the Department of Physical Education; Sandy Mulryan and Tracy Schrems, faculty from the Department of English; Kayla Zimmer and Julie Hall from the School of Education; Heather Kazinzki from the Friedsam Memorial Library staff; Connie Whitcomb, director of the Career Center; Michelle Rodkey from the Counseling Center; and Trevor Thompson, director of the Warming House.
The exhibition will run through early December in the QCA Branch Family Gallery, which is just off the main atrium. The gallery is open during normal QCA hours Tuesdays through Sundays. This particular atrium gallery is often open evenings, too.
Faculty or staff members who might be interested in future creative workshops are encouraged to e-mail the instructor, Constance Pierce, at cpierce@sbu.edu.
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GM communications exec to discuss U.S. auto challenges
The marketing and public relations challenges facing General Motors and the American auto industry will be examined Monday (Nov. 20, 2006) at St. Bonaventure University when GM vice president Steven J. Harris visits campus.
Harris, vice president in charge of global communications for GM, will speak to journalism and mass communication classes Monday morning before giving a 12:30 p.m. presentation titled “GM: Then and Now” in the Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building. The talk is free and open to the public.
“On the basis of his skills, his knowledge and, most of all, his reputation for integrity, Steve is considered among the very best in his field by those in the automotive and business media,” said SBU journalism lecturer Paul Wieland, a friend and former colleague of Harris’s.
Harris, 60, was elected to his current position in February; he also held the same job from 1999 through 2003. Harris reports directly to Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and chief executive officer. In 2004 and 2005, he worked as a communications consultant with several Fortune 500 companies.
Harris began his career at General Motors in 1967 as a lecturer with GM’s “Previews of Progress” educational program. Over the next 12 years, he held a number of positions, including regional GM public relations posts in Cleveland, Los Angeles and Indianapolis. I
n late 1979, he joined American Motors Corporation as director of product public relations. In November 1987, following Chrysler Corporation’s purchase of American Motors, Harris became director of corporate public relations for Chrysler Motors Corporation.
Harris held several positions with Chrysler in both corporate and product communications before being named vice president of communications on Jan. 1, 1998. He was named senior vice president of communications for DaimlerChrysler after the merger of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz in November 1998.
Harris graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1967. He attended the Stanford Executive Program in 1997. He is a founding partner and member of the Advisory Council for the University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Strategic Public Relations.
In 2003, Harris was named Automotive News’ All Star for automotive public relations for the seventh time. He has also received awards from Inside PR for crisis management, the University of Southern California gave him their Outstanding Journalism Alumni Award in 1997, and he was inducted into the Detroit chapter of the Public Relations Society of America’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
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Summer study programs offered in Australia, Figi and New Zealand
St. Bonaventure University students will have the opportunity to study in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand this summer.
The Overseas Study Abroad organization will offer short three-credit courses in these three English-speaking countries. The programs aim to provide students with an excellent academic program while immersing them in the subject matter, culture and environment of each country.
The Australia program, taking place from May 18 to May 29, focuses on marketing. Classes are held at the University of Technology Sydney and James Cook University in Cairns. The program strives to give students a working knowledge of international business and marketing practices through field experiences, seminars and presentations by professionals. Gondola rides, a tour of the Sydney Olympic facilities and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef have been part of past trips.
Two programs will be held in New Zealand: One from April 24 to May 5 and the other from May 18 to May 29. Students may gain credit in economics, history, marketing, management and political science through the programs. Time will be spent in Christchurch and throughout the South Island of New Zealand. On past trips, students have hiked the Franz Josef glacier and visited various rainforests.
Students will have two opportunities to study at Fiji; one program takes place from May 7 to May 16 and the other from May 31 to June 9. Both programs include four days at the University of South Pacific and five days traveling to an offshore island and a traditional Fijian village. A number of airlines offer free or inexpensive layover flights to Fiji. Students may combine this with the 12-day New Zealand or Australian programs for an additional three credits. Credit may be acquired in history, political science, marketing, management and economics.
The application deadline for all three programs is March 1, 2007, with early acceptance beginning Dec. 1, 2006. Students may submit an online application at The Overseas Study Abroad Web site at http://www.oe-studyabroad.org/.
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Journalism program extends expectations outside of the classroom
Unlike many institutions, St. Bonaventure University’s Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication requires each J/MC major to complete 400 internship hours before graduation. Staff and students recognize the opportunities and benefits the strict requirement offers.
While 400 hours are necessary to graduate, only 100 of those hours can be met through an on-campus organization such as the school newspaper and radio station. The remaining 300 hours must be met at an approved, off-campus establishment, offering students an opportunity to intern with well-known and respected companies.
“The internship requirement is a vital cog in our program for several reasons,” said Lee Coppola, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “It introduces our students to the ‘real world.’ It helps them develop contacts. It helps them determine the professional field they might enter. And, best of all, it often leads to full-time employment after graduation.”
Some students land internships with highly successful organizations.
Emily Lenihan, a senior at St. Bonaventure from Tonawanda, N.Y., spent eight weeks in Washington, D.C., interning in the Capitol Hill Unit of CNN. Her responsibilities included working on stories for Dana Bash and Andrea Koppel, watching the House and the Senate floor for newsworthy clips, transcribing several interviews, finding film for news stories and assisting in editing news stories.
“Interning in the Capitol Hill Unit helped me understand what I wanted in my future and gave me the opportunity to meet and work with several successful journalists,” said Lenihan.
Michael Avillo, a sophomore at St. Bonaventure from Sparta, N.J., interned with the New Jersey Nets, primarily with sponsorship – helping put together packages and presentations for prospective companies and current affiliates. Along with other responsibilities, Avillo worked on the Nets’ yearly media guide and NBA blue book entries.
“The entire experience was everything I could have asked for and then some,” Avillo said. “I was able to network with co-workers, members of the SNY network and New York Post.”
Another student had the opportunity to intern for Fox News. Zach Ferrari, a senior at St. Bonaventure, spent three months in New York City as an intern working for the production assistant, and “The Story” with Jon Gibson. He also worked as a greeter, ensuring that guests of the show were tended to.
“It was exactly like being out in the real world and I loved it,” Ferrari said. “It was probably the best summer I’ve ever had, and I plan on applying at Fox when I graduate.”
St. Bonaventure student George Blas interned with Sirius radio and said, “I gained a great sense of responsibility and satisfaction from helping make the show happen, and also from knowing it would be heard on the Sirius airwaves. It was invaluable experience that I am truly thankful for.”
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Get ready for winter fun with Ski and Snowboard Swap
St. Bonaventure University will hold its annual Ski and Snowboard Swap from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Francis Hall Café on campus.
Anyone with ski or snowboard equipment to sell can bring it to Francis Hall Café on Saturday, December 2.
The swap is run by The Depot, an Ellicottville ski and snowboard rental shop, in conjunction with the University. It is open to the public.
All those attending the swap have the chance to enter raffles (with no purchase necessary) to win ski, snowboard or tubing passes donated from Holimont and Holiday Valley Ski and Snowboard Resorts. For more information, contact Chris Brown of The Depot at (716) 397-5799.
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SBU community invited to attend UN Commission on the Status of Women meeting
All SBU students and staff are invited to participate in the second week of the 2007 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) meeting March 2-11, in New York City.
2007 marks the meeting’s 51st session, and the theme is “The Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and Violence Against the Girl Child.” The entire meeting will take place from Feb. 26 to March 9.
The UNCSW encourages participants to think locally and act globally. Participants will have the chance to meet women from around the world who have created concrete solutions, with the most modest of resources, to significant problems in their villages. The UNCSW will also explore how international agencies and governmental organizations are working toward positive changes in women’s lives.
Those who attend will be expected to reflect on their home and work experiences while attending presentations, caucuses, workshops and worship services. In addition, participants will assist in creating formal statements and signing petitions requesting actions be taken by the United States government.
Students interested in attending the UNCSW meeting should fill out a Domestic Service Trip form located outside of the Rev. Cheryl Parris’ office in University Ministries, or obtain it online from the University Ministries section at www.sbu.edu. Applications must be turned in to Parris by Dec. 6. Participants should expect to pay for transportation, housing and some meals while in New York. A bus transporting students to New York will be provided, and area Franciscan Sisters will offer accommodations.
The UNCSW was established in 1946 to promote and monitor the political, economic, civil, social and educational rights of women. The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional committee of the U.N. Economic and Social Council, one of the main units within the United Nations. The UNCSW makes recommendations to the Council on problems about women’s rights that require immediate attention. For more information, please contact the Rev. Cheryl Parris at cparris@sbu.edu.
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Quilt making planned at SBU for World AIDS Day
Spectrum, St. Bonaventure University’s gay/straight student alliance, invites the University community to the Thomas Merton Center to create a square for an SBU AIDS quilt from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 1 in honor of World AIDS Day.
“Individuals, departments, clubs, teams, or organizations can come to the Thomas Merton Center to make a square,” Chris Brown, resident director of Shay/ Loughlen halls and Spectrum co-adviser, said. “Squares can be made in support of AIDS victims, in memory of a loved one who died or was affected by AIDS, or just to help increase awareness.”
Spectrum will provide materials such as felt, fabric, paint and markers to make the squares. Materials will also be delivered to whoever requests them in advance. If squares are finished before Dec. 1, Brown, Ronald Morgan or Lauren Prisco, members of Spectrum, can be contacted for pickup.
“We wanted to do something that went beyond the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community; something that would incorporate the entire campus, and bring all the different groups and people together in support for AIDS awareness,” Jessica Gunter, Spectrum treasurer, explained. In addition to the quilt, Spectrum will be giving out AIDS information and collecting donations for red AIDS ribbons at a table in the Reilly Center Dec. 1.
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For more information on Internships, Upcoming Career Fairs, and Tips on Holiday Networking, be sure to check out the latest issue of Directions here.
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Dr. Alva V. Cellini, professor of modern languages, has published several book reviews in MultiCultural Review. In the Spring 2006 issue she reviewed Gregory Rabassa’s If This Be Treason: Translation and Its Discontents (New York: New Directions 2005) and Marlon L. Fick’s bilingual anthology of contemporary Mexican poetry, The River Is Wide/El río es ancho: Twenty Mexican Poets (Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2005). In the Fall 2006 issue she also published Eugene Bell-Villada’s Conversations with Gabriel García Márquez (Jackson: Univ. Press of Mississipi, 2006). MultiCultural Review is a journal dedicated to a better understanding of ethnic, racial, and religious diversity.
Dr. Barbara Trolley, associate professor in counselor education, and Danielle Patti, a counselor education alumna and Southwestern High School counselor, presented at the annual New York State School Counselor Assocation Oct. 27, 2006, in Lake George. Their topic was "School Counseling and Special Education: An Interactive Forum."
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