2018 College Report

PROMOTION WITH TENURE DENNIS PAYNE Lecturer Communication Studies 12 YEARS PROMOTION WITH TENURE TOM COPELAND Senior Lecturer Theatre and Dance 13 YEARS PROMOTION WITH TENURE NANCY HARRIS Administrative Assistant II Music 10 YEARS PROMOTION WITH TENURE RUSSELL SCANLON Senior Lecturer Music 7 YEARS Tom Copeland attended Southwest Texas State University from 1968 - 1972. In 1983, he joined the staf of the Texas Film Commission where he quickly moved up the ladder enjoying a 22-year career with 11 of those years as the director. He retired in 2005 and returned to his alma mater Texas State to teach Film classes in the Teatre Department. In May of 2018, he retired after creating a full curriculum and hiring various faculty members. Although now fully retired, he looks forward to continuing his work with the Department as needed. Dennis began teaching as a lecturer in Communication Studies in 2003, teaching courses in Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Communication, Public Speaking and Business and Professional Communication. Prior to Texas State, Dennis taught at New Mexico State University and Texas A&M University, followed by a career in Texas State government as a Senior Management Assessment and Development Specialist for the Comptroller of Public Accounts. He also spent time as Director of Training and Staf Development and Director of Communications and Media for the Texas Youth Commission. Nancy Harris earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Missouri Western State University. Nancy’s family relocated to Texas in 2007. She had almost 10 years experience working in a university setting and when an opportunity opened in the School of Music, she jumped at the chance. Her main function as Administrative Assistant II was event scheduling and program preparation, coordinating auditions, overseeing building safety/maintenance issues, and ordered supplies. Now she enjoys having more time to spend with family, and traveling with her husband. Russell joined the Jazz Studies program at Texas State after a long career teaching Music at Austin Community College. It was a very rewarding and gratifying experience and he worked with many talented students. For too many years, talented musicians who happen to play electric guitar have been turned away from music programs or forced to alter their studies to ft into programs and during his time here, his goal was to continue to have the Texas State School of Music a welcoming environment for students of electric guitar. COLLEGE REPORT 2018 | 17