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SHSU Update For Week Of Oct. 19
- Ballerina To Discuss Career On Oct. 29
- Task Force Member To Give ‘Real Talk’ On DPS
- Beto Lecturer To Address ‘Late Onset’ Offending
- Concerts To Put Student, Faculty Compositions Center Stage
- Duo To Debut ‘Rare’ Synchronicity At SHSU
- Photography Exhibit To Reveal ‘Second Nature’ Dialog
- Satellite Exhibitions To Showcase BFA Candidates
- Students Spotlight ‘City,’ SHSU With Channel 7 Show
- Alumni Association To Bus Fans To Piney Woods Game
- Submit Update Items Here
Ballerina To Discuss Career On Oct. 29
Acclaimed ballerina Martha Butler Long will discuss her career, which has included leading roles with the Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, on Wednesday (Oct. 29).
| Martha Butler Long performs in "Swan Lake." |
The event, hosted by the Sam Houston State University Department of Dance, will be from 1-2 p.m. in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theatre.
Born and raised in Houston, Long began attending Houston Ballet School at 8 years old.
By the age of 17, she was a member of the Houston Ballet’s corps de ballet, followed by promotion to soloist and, ultimately, principal dancer.
From 1994-98, she was a featured soloist with American Ballet Theatre, based in New York City, an achievement that took only six months to accomplish.
She has danced the lead role in a variety of ballets, including “Giselle,” “Coppelia,” “The Nutcracker,” “Manon,” “Rodeo,” and others.
Today, she and her husband, Brian, are the parents of two daughters, and she serves as an administrative assistant for First Steps Montessori School in Houston.
During her presentation at SHSU, dance majors will serve as honorary hosts.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, call the dance department at 936.294.1875.
Task Force Member To Give ‘Real Talk’ On DPS
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James Thomas |
James Thomas has made a career at the Texas Department of Public Safety and in education, rising to become a member of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force while earning a doctorate in educational leadership.
“Education helps you stay ahead of the curve as it relates to crime,” Thomas said. “I truly believe it led me to where I am today. It allows me to be a better leader, to understand people, crime and patterns of crime. I want to use technology to create a new program that helps people avoid crime, gangs and violence.”
Thomas will discuss his DPS career on Thursday (Oct. 23), during the College of Criminal Justice’s “Real Talk with CJ,” beginning at 2 p.m. in the CJ Center’s Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom.
Thomas began his career with DPS in 2001, serving in highway patrol in Chambers and Harris counties, during which time he worked traffic and fatalities, enforced traffic laws, and handled cases from drugs to drunken drivers.
In 2011, he was promoted to sergeant and assigned to the criminal investigation division, where he specialized in gangs and assisted in cases involving human trafficking, money laundering and violent crimes.
In 2013, he was appointed to the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, a multi-agency initiative headed by the U.S. Marshals Service that tracks down some of the most violent offenders in the area.
Among the arrests he has been involved in were Joshua Worlds, who shot his ex-girlfriend in the head and was traced to a vacant home in Webster, where he committed suicide. The case was featured on “Marshal Law: Texas” on TNT in 2013.
Thomas also served on the Texas Ranger Company A Special Response Team, a regional SWAT team that responds to barricaded suspects, school shootings, efforts to locate offenders, and border operations.
Thomas continues to serve as a firearms instructor at the DPS Training Academy, teaching recruits how to use the three weapons assigned to troopers, including the .357 SIG Sauer, the Remington Shotgun and the M4 rifle.
While pursuing his career on the streets working gangs, Thomas received a master’s degree in behavioral science and, in May, completed his doctorate, for which he researched the issue of African American adolescents and how environmental factors influence their decisions to get involved with gangs, drugs, violence and crime.
Beto Lecturer To Address ‘Late Onset’ Offending
Marv Krohn, a professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Sociology and Criminology and Law, is one of the leading life course criminologists in the country.
He will discuss his work on “Examining the Causes and Consequences of Late Onset Offending” on Friday (Oct. 24) for the College of Criminal Justice’s Beto Chair Lecture, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the CJ Center’s Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom.
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Marv Krohn |
Krohn has a long-standing interest in the study of the causes of delinquency and drug use, focusing primarily on social processes and changes over the life course.
For 26 years, he has been a co-principal investigator on the Rochester Youth Development Study, a three-generational, longitudinal panel study targeting those at high risk for serious crime and delinquency.
Among the issues he explores are childhood precursors of delinquency, intergenerational transmission, involvement in delinquent behavior and gangs during adolescence, and the consequences of such involvement for life chances as an adult.
Krohn co-authored “Gangs and Delinquency in Developmental Perspective,” the recipient of the 2003 Michael J. Hindelang Award for Outstanding Scholarship from the American Society of Criminology, which focuses on the reasons why youth join gangs, the contemporary impact of gang joining on both criminal and non-criminal behaviors, and the longer-term effects gang membership has on a successful transition to adulthood.
Krohn also co-authored “Delinquent Behavior and Researching Theories of Crime and Delinquency,” as well as four compendiums on crime and delinquency, and has contributed to numerous research articles and book chapters.
His areas of interest include juvenile delinquency, criminology, adolescent substance abuse, and life-course criminology.
He’s a fellow, as well as a former vice president and executive counselor, of the American Society of Criminology and serves as associate editor or on the editorial board of a number of several CJ-related journals.
Krohn received his doctorate in criminology from Florida State University, his Master of Arts degree in sociology at the University of Maryland, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at the College of Wooster.
The presentation will be available live in The Woodlands Center Room 110 or on the web at cjcenter.org/live.
Concerts To Put Student, Faculty Compositions Center Stage
It will be a “new music free-for-all” when students and faculty in the Sam Houston State University School of Music present original compositions in two concerts on Monday (Oct. 20) in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
The Ars Perpetua recital will showcase student talent first, beginning at 4 p.m.
The concert will include hand-picked student musicians performing classical music composed by their peers, some of which will be more recent compositions, while others have been performed before, according to music graduate student Jordan Ricks.
Composers presenting their works include Joseph Vranas, Travis Redden, Inocencio Garcia, and Kevin Bailey, who have created pieces for a string quartet, a piano duo, a trombone solo, a trumpet/piano duo, and a violin/piano duo.
“The music that will be performed embodies a piece of each composers’ heart and soul,” Ricks said. “This is an opportunity to hear some of the wonderful music that is being written and created right here at SHSU.”
Student performers will include Carmen Abelson, Andres Bravo, Travis Urban, Daniel Schultz, Peter Ton, Vivian Liu, Ricks, Inocencio Garcia, Casey Speights, Andrei Chelaru, Kevin Bailey, and Logan Pendley.
At 7:30 p.m., the faculty will take their turn in the limelight with a recital that will also feature guest composer Kevin Schneider.
The Faculty New Music Recital will include electronic music that will be played live, as well as some that is pre-recorded, created by Schneider, and SHSU faculty members John Crabtree, David Ikard and Kevin Clifton.
“This performance will include new music and pieces that could be considered as ‘sound art,’” said Ricks, who also is a graduate assistant for the composition program. “The concert will feature music that is new, original, and outside the box, offering an experience from a new realm of sound.”
Admission to both concerts is free.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Duo To Debut ‘Rare’ Synchronicity At SHSU
A synchronous duo that began as a teacher-student relationship will perform an “eclectic” mix of contemporary, classical and original works on Wednesday (Oct. 22).
The guitar recital featuring the Sharpe-Zohn Duo, comprising Columbus State University professors Andrew Zohn and Robert Sharpe, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
Their program will include a Zohn-arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Divertimento K 439b, No. 3; Mauro Giuliani’s Gran Variazioni, Op. 130; and Zohn’s own “Cervo Sonatina.”
“Fredric Chopin once said that ‘Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, save perhaps two.’ I think the duo format really shows off the true capabilities of the guitar,” said Alejandro Montiel, SHSU adjunct professor of guitar. “I'm excited that this world-class duo—in their first to visit SHSU—will be sharing their talents with the Huntsville community.”
The musical relationship between Sharpe and Zohn began in 1997 as student and teacher, when Sharpe received his first guitar lesson from Zohn at the age of 12.
Their relationship continued under Zohn’s direction at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in Georgia.
Upon Sharpe’s joining the CSU faculty in 2012, the two formed the Sharpe-Zohn duo and have performed to wide acclaim on three continents, including venues in New York, Germany, China, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The two are dedicated to the promotion and performance of new music.
In 2013, they commissioned and premiered “Asphalt Jungle,” a concerto for two guitars and a percussion ensemble by acclaimed Brazilian guitarist and composer Sergio Assad.
“Their unique relationship and playing style allows them to synchronize in a way that's very rare for U.S.-based guitar duos,” Montiel said.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $5 for SHSU students.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Photography Exhibit To Reveal ‘Second Nature’ Dialog
“Second Nature,” an exhibition of photography, video and sculpture by Houston-based artists David Politzer and Krista Steinke, will be on display in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery Thursday (Oct. 23) through Nov. 20.
In the exhibit, Politzer and Steinke explore the dialog between humans and nature from two distinct perspectives.
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| Photographs by David Politzer and Krista Steinke that are a part of "Second Nature," which will be on display Oct. 23 through Nov. 20 in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery. —Submitted photos |
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Steinke creates new life from found specimens capturing a dreamlike world hovering between decay and regeneration.
Politzer investigates the way we experience nature and our need to capture these experiences by incorporating nature into our daily lives.
“Steinke’s work depicts nature in a distorted or illusionary sense, while Politzer takes an often, humorous approach to nature and human interaction,” said associate professor of photography Rebecca Finely, who is curating the exhibit.
The exhibit will include an opening reception on Oct. 23, from 6-7 p.m. in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, as well as two artist talks.
Politzer will discuss his work on Oct. 23, from 5-6 p.m., just before the reception, in Art Building E Room 108. Steinke will give a talk on Nov. 20, the day the exhibit closes, at the same time and location.
Politzer received his Bachelor of Science degree in art from Skidmore College and his Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from Syracuse University. He also studied at the Glasgow School of Art and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and has exhibited across the country.
He also was an artist in residence at Djerassi, Yaddo and Roswell.
He currently also teaches in the photography and digital media program at the University of Houston.
Steinke received her Bachelor of Arts degree in art from Valparaiso University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an MFA in photography and digital imaging from The Maryland Institute’s College of Art.
She currently teaches in the visualization department at Texas A&M University.
Satellite Exhibitions To Showcase BFA Candidates
An exhibit exploring metaphorical and literal movements of the mind and body will be on display beginning Tuesday (Oct. 21) will kick off a series of senior Bachelor of Fine Art exhibitions in the Satellite Gallery.
“Movement,” paintings and drawings by seniors Trey Goloby, Tania Villman, and Melly Rae will be in the gallery through Oct. 25. An opening reception will be Oct. 21, from 5-7 p.m.
Goloby’s work, drawings created in various media, examine psychological suffering and the condition of the mind, relating especially to his own interpretations of the world around him.
The drawings “strictly utilize energetic and gestural line-work to convey form,” according to the artist.
Goloby, who is from Tomball, is pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art, with a concentration in drawing and painting.
Villman’s art centers on the various aspects of jellyfish, taking from them attributes such as transparency, movement and texture to explore the creature in different ways.
Her work has a “very graphic and design-like quality to it,” with organized and planned out markings, and her medium of choice is the black ink pen, which allows for an ease of controllability, she said.
“When working with paint, I use it in a non-painterly way, more like the way you would draw with a pen,” Villman said. “I created these jellyfish characters in ways that reflects my passion for storytelling.”
A Magnolia native, Villman is a studio art major, with a focus in drawing and painting. She plans to earn her teacher certification after commencement this December.
Rae’s work focuses on intimacy, sexuality and secrets through watercolor and pen figurative illustrations creations, as well as handmade books.
“My work has a soft and delicate quality that both enhances and contrasts my chosen subject matter,” she said.
Ray lives in The Woodlands and is working toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art.
The Satellite Gallery is located at 1216 University Ave. and is open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information about the gallery, visit srs033.wix.com/satellitegallery.
Students Spotlight ‘City,’ SHSU With Channel 7 Show
“City Spotlight”—the student-produced television show that focuses on the people, places and events in Huntsville and on the SHSU campus—is currently airing new episodes on KSHU-TV Channel 7 on Mondays at 4 p.m.
“City Spotlight” was created by Sam Houston State University broadcast production students and hosted by Warner Endowed Chair of Journalism Peter Roussel.
With the help of Priority One, the one-campus publish relations firm staffed by students, “City Spotlight” airs 30-minute episodes that recently have “spotlighted” such guests as Huntsville Independent School District superintendent Steve Johnson, Alumni Relations director Charlie Vienne, Bearkat men’s basketball head coach Jason Hooten, and director for university events Charlene McWilliams, among many others.
In addition to interviews, each episode includes a feature segment produced by broadcast students, who also serve as the show’s crew. Priority One students secure guests, prepare questions and promote the show.
“The production truly serves as a hands-on experience for the students,” said Roussel.
Repeat airings of “City Spotlight” can be viewed at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
For more information on the show, or to be a guest, contact Kirsten Trout, Priority One member, at kpt005@shsu.edu.
Alumni Association To Bus Fans To Piney Woods Game
The SHSU Alumni Association once again will go on the road with the Bearkats for the 87th “Battle of the Piney Woods,” chartering a bus for football fans to travel to Houston.
The bus will depart from the Chemistry and Forensic Science Building parking lot, on the corner of Sam Houston Avenue and Bowers Drive, at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 1 and will return immediately following the game.
Once at NRG Stadium, participants will have the opportunity to participate in all the tailgating festivities. The Alumni Association will prepare food for the first 1,000 fans to visit the alumni and university colleges tailgating area, which will be in the Blue Lot 22.
Bus seating is limited.
The cost is $30 per person, which does not include a game ticket. Reservations are requested by Oct. 29.
“There are many alumni and friends in Walker County and nearby that do not want to fight the traffic in Houston and the parking and crowds at NRG Stadium,” said Charlie Vienne, director for Alumni Relations. “With the charter bus, the Alumni Association is providing another opportunity to our alumni to show there are advantages to staying connected to the university and being an active Alumni Association member.
“At only $30 per person for the round-trip bus ride, this is an economical opportunity to make it to the game and cheer on the Bearkats," he said.
Kickoff for the annual Sam Houston vs. Stephen F. Austin rivalry game is 3 p.m.
Every year, more fans fill the lower bowl of NRG Stadium, a trend that is expected to continue.
Approximately 26,000 tickets are available in the lower bowl, which can be purchased online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets.
For more information, or to reserve a seat, call the Office of Alumni Relations at 936. 294.1841, or go online to alumni.shsu.edu.
Submit Update Items Here
In order to assist members of the Sam Houston State University community in publicizing events, the SHSU Communications Office (Today@Sam) is now requesting that students, faculty and staff submit information about events, accomplishments or ideas for feature stories online.
Submission criteria and guidelines, including deadlines, have now been placed online, at shsu.edu/guidelines.html. This information is also accessible through the “Submissions” link in the right-hand navigation on Today@Sam.
From there, those submitting ideas can access forms that will allow them to provide detailed information about their idea, as well as attach event calendars, vitas/resumes or photos, depending on the type of submission.
Ideas submitted to the SHSU Communications Office are directly utilized in several ways: as news stories, “slider” or SHSU home page stories, hometown releases, and on the Today@Sam calendar.
If your submission qualifies for distribution, we will either contact you for more detailed information, or we will edit the information using SHSU/journalistic style and forward the final release to the appropriate media.
All information is verified before release, so please provide complete, accurate and timely information. Please type all responses in appropriate upper and lower cases.
For more information, contact the Communications Office at 936.294.1836 or today@sam.edu.
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Associate Director: Julia May
Manager: Jennifer Gauntt
Located in the 115 Administration Building
Telephone: 936.294.1836; Fax: 936.294.1834
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.
