Wednesday was a fun day for CoLA! We kicked off the day with our second annual Internship Celebration Breakfast in the Nutter Center Berry Room. CoLA has over 150 Internship partners in the community and on campus, and over 100 people gathered to celebrate them and our students. We invited 10 exemplary students to participate in an internship fair to share some of the projects and learning opportunities they had as a result of their internship. These experiential learning opportunities are so critical to our students' success and I thank everyone who works so hard to make these opportunities possible for our students.

Connor Barney, Music, provided beautiful guitar music for the event, and Taylor McKinley, English, talked about her internship at Civitas Media Group. The following students provided informative exhibits and discussed their internships:

• Hannah Collins, International and Comparative Politics, Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM)
• Kuyer Fazekas, International and Comparative Politics, Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM)
• Adam Becker, History, Clark County Historical Society
• Sara Fisher, History, Clark County Historical Society
• Nytasia Hicks, Social Work, Dayton VA Medical Center
• Alexandria Gray, English Language and Literatures, ACCO Brands
• Alexander Schiefer, Modern Languages, Joyful Noise Recordings
• Kelly Hopper, Communication, Cox Media Group Ohio
• Tyler Heneghan, Anthropology, Dayton Society of Natural History/Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
• Murad Abdallah, Crime and Justice Studies, U.S. Marshals Service

I want to particularly thank our hard-working internship coordinators who oversee departmental interns and keep everything moving smoothly for our students and community partners. Thank You!

• Art & Art History, Tracy Longley-Cook
• Communication, Scott Peterson
• English Language & Literatures, Lars Soderlund and Sally DeThomas
• History, Carol Herringer
• Modern Languages, María Astudillo and Ksenia Bonch Reeves
• School of Music, Bill Jobert
• Political Science, Paul Leonard and John Feldmeier
• Religion, Philosophy, and Classics, Ava Chamberlain
• Social Work, Natallie Gentles-Gibbs
• Sociology & Anthropology, Jim Adamitis
• Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures, Stuart McDowell
• Urban Affairs & Geography, Jack Dustin
• Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, Jennifer Subban
• Crime & Justice Studies, Jim Adamitis
• International Studies, December Green
• Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Hope Jennings

Late Wednesday afternoon the department chairs hosted our liberal arts colleagues from Sinclair Community College in the WSU Foundation Building for our annual get together. It was a great opportunity to discuss the many topics that we are all engaged in including College Credit Plus and our articulation agreements. It was a fun, lively discussion and we look forward to meeting with our colleagues again soon.

Also on Wednesday the Department of Modern Languages  hosted majors and prospective majors for a unique event called Interviewing Like A Pro. At the event students learned how to adapt resumes to different job postings and evaluate and participate in mock interviews.

Last weekend the Department of English Language and Literatures and the College of Education and Human Services co-hosted its fifth annual Language Arts Fair. Nearly 50 students, parents, teachers, undergraduates, graduates, and alumni turned out for this exciting event. Middle and high school students' projects were displayed in the Millett Hall Atrium and our English majors showcased their research projects from their Integrated Language Arts classes. This was a great recruitment event and a clear way to demonstrate Wright State's commitment to partnering with local teachers who are implementing innovative teaching strategies to empower their students' writing and reading skills. Special congratulations to lead coordinator Nancy Mack who made this day such a success! 

On Monday, CoLA hosted our first Latin Day, drawing almost 130 area high school students to WSU's Student Union. Students participated in a performance of scenes from Plautus' Miles Gloriosus, a discussion of the Roman household, an introduction to reading Latin inscriptions, and a Latin trivia contest. Congratulations to Rebecca Edwards, Classics, for organizing the event, with a big thank you to Ava Chamberlain, Bruce LaForse, Heidi Wendt, Aaron Wolpert, and our numerous Latin students who were instrumental in the event's success.

CELIA, our Ohio Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education, Leadership and Innovation in the Arts, announced next year's fellowship and seed grant recipients. It sounds like it is going to be another banner year for collaboration!   

 -  Benjamin Montague, Art, Visions of War: A Cultural Context 

Don't miss the  4th Annual Poetry and Music Concert tonight at 8 pm in Schuster Hall of the CAC.  This concert is a collaboration between Dennis Loranger, Music/English, and Barry Milligan, English, and is supported by both departments and CELIA.  The even will feature poetry reading set to music performed by our University Chorus and Women's Choir with soloists accompanied by Steven Aldredge, Music, who also composed a new setting of the Jerusalem poem by William Blake.  Ginger Minneman (see her write-up below) directs the choirs and has written an original piece based on "Spring in Wartime" by poet Sara Teasdale. I hope to see you there!

The VP for Research Office announced research funding for next year. Congratulations to Deborah Crusan, English, for receiving a Professional Development Grant for her research travel to Australia. And congratulations to Crystal Lake, English, for receiving a Research Initiation Grant for her project on The Everyday Practices of Reading in England, 1700-1850. As Crystal writes, the new guaranteed method for success is #1.  Apply for Grant.

This week's featured New Faculty member is Music Instructor Ginger Minneman. Ginger attended Murray State University and Campbellsville University for her bachelor's degree in Music Education with a vocal emphasis. She currently conducts the Women's Chorale and teaches Voice, Music of Western Cultures, Musicianship, and Class Piano. She also directed opera scenes from Die Fledermaus and The Pirates of Penzance and appeared in concert with the Bach Society of Dayton last October as soprano soloist. Ginger has enjoyed her experience teaching at Wright State noting that it has allowed her to plunge into a subject she is passionate about.  She also has enjoyed working with her students and colleagues who are continuously inspiring her. Welcome, Ginger!

Best Wishes for Finals Week!