2022 College Report

’ 8 9 PRESIDENTIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS The faculty of the College of Fine Arts and Communication excel as teachers, scholars, artists, and leaders. The university’s Presidential Excellence Awards recognize and reward superior accomplishments as they encourage all faculty to continue to improve and advance their teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and service. Seven Presidential Awards are granted each year, with the college claiming four of them in 2022. CRAIG HELL A JOHNSON Professor of Practice Music JOSHUA MI LLER Assistant Professor Communication Studies JON ZMIKLY Senior Lecturer Journalism and Mass Communication PRES I DENT I AL EXCE L L ENCE AWARD for Scholar l y/Creat i ve As Conspirare’s founder and artistic director, Johnson assembles some of today’s finest singers to form a world- class ensemble. His accomplishments have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. Notably among them, he and Conspirare won a 2014 Grammy® for Best Choral Performance, Chorus America granted him the Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art in 2015, and the Texas State Legislature named him Texas State Musician for 2013. Other honors have included 2008 induction into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame, Chorus America’s 2009 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, and the 2011 Citation of Merit from international professional music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon. PRES I DENT I AL EXCE L L ENCE AWARD for Teaching Dr. Josh Miller is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies. He currently teaches public speaking, political communication, rhetorical research methods, LGBTQ+ rhetoric and advocacy, race and memory, and rhetoric of diversity. His research focuses on how historically excluded people advocate for inclusion and social change. He has published scholarship on the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, LGBTQ+ Christian advocacy, and political communication. His works appears in outlines like Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies , Southern Communication Journal , Women s Studies in Communication , Women & Language , and Communication Quarterly . PRES I DENT I AL EXCE L L ENCE AWARD for Teaching Jon Zmikly is currently a faculty member in Digital Media Innovation and the assistant director of the Media Innovation Lab. He has interests in coding, social media and immersive storytelling including virtual and augmented reality. He previously worked as a graduate instructional assistant at Texas State, teaching Writing for Mass Communication (MC1313) labs and assisting with Television News (MC3312) classes. He also created and produced a variety television show called Studio B , interned at SXSW Interactive and became the webmaster at San Marcos Community Church. He is also the co-founder of a full-service digital agency in Austin and works at his church part-time. FACULTY AWARDS Since 2007, the university has granted the title of University Distinguished Professor to 32 individuals. Jason Kwak is the 6th from the college to receive this honor. Since 1996, the Faculty Senate annually recognizes up to three faculty with the Everette Swinney Faculty Senate Excellence in Teaching Award. Michelle Nance is our 12th recipient. VL ASTA S I LHAVY Senior Lecturer Theatre and Dance JASON KWAK Professor Music MICHELLE NANCE Professor Theatre and Dance PRES I DENT I AL EXCE L L ENCE AWARD for Serv i ce Vlasta Silhavy is currently the new head of the B.F.A. Theatre Certification program at Texas State University. Ms. Silhavy has sponsored many school organizations including participation in UIL, TFA, NFL, and NCFL. During her time as a sponsor, she coached over 60 state qualifiers in various competitions primarily TFA and UIL. She also had the opportunity to coach over a dozen students who competed at national competitions across the country. Ms. Silhavy is also an active member of the Texas Educational Theatre Association, and she served for two years as a TETA K-12 board member. Recently, she was named Angleton ISD’s 2015 Secondary Teacher of the Year and a Region 4 Teacher of the Year finalist. UN I VERS I T Y D I S T I NGU I SHED PROFES SOR Dr. Kwak is currently a professor of piano and keyboard area coordinator at Texas State University. He has received top prize in many piano competitions including the Atlanta Steinway Society Competition, Handok Piano Competition, Southern Keyboard Competition, Atlanta Music Club, and the Clara Wells Piano Competition. He has made multiple international appearances including performances with the Victoria Symphony, Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, The University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Texas A&M University-Kingsville Wind Symphony, Amherst Symphony, The Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, The Round Rocky Symphony, Gangnam Symphony Orchestra and the Rocky Ridge Orchestra. EVERE T T E SWI NNEY FACULT Y SENAT E EXCE L L ENCE I N T EACH I NG AWARD Michelle Nance is a professor and director of dance at Texas State University in San Marcos. She has been teaching at Texas State University since 2003, and holds a MFA from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Michelle has studied and taught the technique of Erick Hawkins extensively, and served as the assistant school director for the Erick Hawkins School of Dance in the mid- nineties. She enjoys dabbling in improvisation, somatic practices, and collaborations in screen dance. She was the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence for Scholarly/Creative Activities in 2020 as well as the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence for Teaching in 2021.