2021-College-Report

Following a 30-year career as an editor, reporter and freelance writer in Chicago and Texas, Beth Clark earned a master of journalism degree at UNT. At Texas State, she pioneer d online cour es in copy editing and content management, and taught news reporting & writing, i formation gath ring & analysis, and media writing. She directed M ss Comm W ek 2013-15 and was campus test monitor f he annual Dow Jones Editing Internship program. A 2017 faculty workload r lease took her to Prague, where she began ongoing research into the WWII story of Lidice, Czech Rep blic. EL I Z ABETH CL ARK | Senior Lecturer , Journalism and Mass Communication e s n e a e or t e u retired faculty RET I RED AFTER 44 YEARS JOHN SCHMIDT | Music John began teaching at Texas State in 1976 and taught at least twenty courses in undergraduate music theory and both undergraduate and graduate music history, as well as advising master’s theses and offering individual organ instruction. He wrote his Ph.D. dissertation in musicology on the 19th-century American composer, John Knowles Paine, and has published five scholarly editions of his works. He has served as head of the music history area, and for thirty years has been faculty advisor to the local chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the men’s music fraternity. An active organist, he is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists and currently serves as organist for Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin. RET I RED AFTER 4 3 YEARS MARK TODD | Art and Design During a 42-year career at Texas State, Mark Todd’s passion was to provide students a strong foundation. His creative work has been shown throughout the world and is included in numerous collections including the Michener Collection at the University of Texas at Austin, the San Jose Museum of Art and has been featured in many design publications— PRINT , Graphis , Communication Arts magazine, and The Type Directors Club. He has worked within the music industry for artists including Frankie Miller, Scratch Acid, the Jesus Lizard, Scott Biram, Will Johnson, Richmond Fontaine, and Bruce Robison. RET I RED AFTER 2 1 YEARS CHARLES DI TTO | Music Charles is a Texas composer/musician whose m sic has been performed on five continents. Dr. Ditto taught undergraduate and graduate composition, theory, and ear-training at Texas State for over 22 years, during which time he presented/performed at over 50 conferences/concerts at CMS, SCI, I c., NACUSA, TMEA, Boston Conservatory, Czong Institute f Contemporary Art Museu , and the Edinburgh International Arts Festival. Ditto won numerous awards f r teaching and scholarly/creative activities. Recordings of his music have be n released on Passat Continu, Telepho e Explosion, Nino Tomorrow, Capst ne, Summit Kids, Curious Music, Poison Plant, and Cudighi Records. RET I RED AFTER 2 1 YEARS RAY NI EKAMP | Journalism and Mass Communication Ray has been with Texas State since 2000. He taught in the electronic media program of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Ray developed and taught the video production course, which trained students in a studio setting. He also taught Management of Electronic Media for a number of years, constantly updating it to reflect the shifting landscape of electronic media as it moved from the analog radio and television world to today’s digital media environment. His research took a critical look at citizen journalism on YouTube and other online venues. RET I RED AFTER 1 4 YEARS CHARLES “BUTCH” MI LES | Music Butch began playing snare drum at age 9 switching to the set at 14. He began performing at age 16 progressing from rock and roll to jazz. He came to Texas State University in the fall of 2007 and has taught drum set and combo classes as lecturer, continuing to teach those positions through the spring of 2021. Professionally he has performed with Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Mel Torme, Willie Nelson, and many others. He has recorded over 110 albums and has won three Grammys. He has recorded numerous motion picture soundtracks and appeared in three movies. He has also appeared on national and international television and performed on six continents. i n memor i am PATT I STR I CKE L HARR I SON 1 92 9 - 202 1 TRANSFORMATIONAL PHI LANTHROP I ST PATTI STRICKEL HARRISON helped transform the College of Fine Arts and Communication. One of Texas State’s most generous benefactors, she gave more than $11 . 5 MILLION to our university, much of it focused on the arts. Her gifts include providing scholarships via the PSH (Patti Strickel Harrison) Foundation Endowment in Musical Theatre and supporting the development of new musicals via the Harrison New Musical Works Commission. So far, over a dozen projects have been developed, and in spring 2022, we will be workshopping a new musical, We Won’t Sleep , before it premieres at New York’s Signature Theatre Company. Patti’s most transformative gift was her commitment of $8 MILLION to our Performing Arts Center, home to the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre and the Recital Hall. Since the building’s opening in 2014, attendance at performing arts events has increased 107% , and the college sees applicants from across the country. Patti’s infectious personality, entrepreneurial spirit, and deep love for Texas State and our students will be greatly missed. She has made an everlasting impact on our community and the performing arts. Indeed, a reviewer once referred to the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre as “A PALACE TO THE ARTS THAT PUTS MOST OTHER PERFORMING SPACES IN CENTRAL TEXAS TO SHAME .” We have been blessed by Patti’s generosity and to her we remain ever grateful. 18 ■ C O L L E G E R E P O R T 2 0 2 1 ■ 19