March_CollegeNews_25

2 | March | College News College of Fine Arts and Communication | 3 COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION MARCH | SPRING 2025 CONTENTS ART AND DESIGN [PG. 2] DANCE [PG. 10] MUSIC [PG. 14] COMMUNICATION STUDIES [PG. 6] JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION [PG. 12] THEATRE [PG. 16] LETTER FROM THE DEAN DR. JOHN FLEMING On the cover, our 10th annual TEDx celebrated the Legacy of the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, right here on the Texas State campus. That historic law aimed “to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities” (pp. 7-9). The legacy of LBJ’s impact remains strong in the College of Fine Arts and Communication where the faculty, students, and alumni continue to be leaders in their field. A sample of highlights in this edition includes: Awards : Marek Muller received the runner- up award for Online Teaching Excellence (p.6); Lindsay Timmerman received the B. Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Journal Article Award (p7); Mike Devlin received the Billy I. Rose Advetising Education Award (p.12). Leadership : Kevin Jenkins has been elected to the board of the Caucus of Social Theory in Art Education (p.2); Jasmine Austin was the keynote speaker for a graduate conference at Texas A&M (p.6); Rebekah Fox was part of the Hazardous Fuels Review Team for the United States Forest Service (p.7); Debra Price, Paul Villagran, and Sam Heimbach were elected to the board of the Austin chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (p.12). Scholarship : Kristin Farris (p.6) and Alec Scherer (p.15) published articles, while Nico Schuler presented in Germany (p.15). Holly Wissler’s work in Nepal was featured in the TXST Newsroom (p.15). Creative Activity : Tommy Fitzpatrick has work on display at the Dallas Art Fair, Jessica Mallios and Elvia Perrin at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and Tamara Johnson at multiple venues in Austin (p.2). The Dance Division hosted the American College Dance Association regional conference attended by 450 participants from 30 universities; at the event, one of Amanda McCorkle’s pieces was selected for the Gala concert (pp.10-11). Ian Davidson performed in Mexico City and London, while Lynn Ledbetter performed in Washington D.C. (p.14). Yesenia Herrington is the Spanish dialect coach for Lowe’s national advertising campaign, and Richard Robichaux has a recurring role in Hulu’s hit series Paradise (p.16). Students : Two teams of Public Relations students are competing in the Bateman Case Study Competition (p.13); six Advertising students won “Addys” at the San Antonio Advertising Awards competition (p.13); for the 10th year Journalism and Mass Comm students were part of the SXSW Content Crew covering multiple aspects of the event (p.13). Bobby Harris was selected for a position at the Miami Music Festival (p.15). TXST students won 21 awards at the regional American College Theatre Festival, with 6 of them advancing to the Kennedy Center as National Finalists (pp.16-17). Alumni : Jorge Santos was named an Educator of the Year and alumni coached multiple students who advanced in the National Trumpet Competition (p.15). Gianna Yanelli returns to Broadway in SIX, while Lizzy Tucker makes her Broadway debut in BOOP! (p. 17). Bella Coppola and Jacob Burns return to Broadway in the premiere of Smash (p.17). My gratitude and congratulations to all, John Fleming, Dean COVER PHOTO: Dr. Judy Oskam speaks at the 10th Annual Tedx Texas State Universtiy event.