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                                                              College of Liberal Arts 

CoLA Color

CoLA Weekly
 
Friday, October 23, 2015 

I just love this time of year! The weather becomes crisp and cool and fall is in the air. And fall just epitomizes college in my mind. I distinctly remember shuffling through the fallen, orange leaves in front of the Chem-Bot Building on the University of Iowa campus on my way to Organic Chemistry. I was probably stalling, but the connection of fall and college is clear. Welcome Fall! 

And Welcome to Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America from our School of Music whose members serenaded me late Monday afternoon just when my energy was waning. I took this opportunity to give you a big shout out. Thanks Guys!
The Big Lens Film Festival was a huge success this year with 12 documentaries making their grand debut, representing the work of over 20 motion pictures students. The viewing was held last Friday night at the Dayton Art Institute to a sold-out audience of 500 people. The quality of the films was amazing, and the topics diverse, informative, and thought-provoking. We laughed. We cried. We hollered. Kudos to the students and to our fantastic Motion Pictures faculty and staff: Steve Bognar, Chinonye Chukwu, Russ Johnson, Bill Lafferty, Mark Lyons, and Nicole Richter.    
  
Chinonye Chukwu, Motion Pictures, deserves more accolades as she received a standing ovation for her vibrant, poignant performance "Choosing to Live" at TEDxDayton last Friday. It was another packed house for this third year of the event, with Wright State well represented in all aspects of organization and presentation. You can visit the website later this year to watch videos of all the presentations. I highly recommend this event to everyone and am already looking forward to next year. Great Job Chinonye! 
 

Did anyone see and hear our Wright State marketing campaign with the Dayton Dragons this year? Our ads were on the radio and in many print venues including on the large digital neon signs at Fifth Third Field - Major in the Field of Your Dreams! This was the first of three years of our exclusive Higher Ed contract with the Dragons, and I sure loved seeing our logo, colors, and messaging everywhere. Our contract includes special events as well, such as the exclusive Wright State Day and the recent talk and lunch with Marty Brennaman, the famous Cincinnati Reds announcer. It has been a fabulously fun year at the ballpark - even if they didn't make the play-offs. There's always next year! 
   
Saturday night was our Rise.Shine. The Comprehensive Campaign for Wright State University event at the Congressional Country Club in Washington DC. There were over 100 alumni attending the event and it was a beautiful night. Many of our CoLA alums were there with the highest concentration from our Model United Nations program. They were so pleased to hear about the continued success of our Best in the Nation MUN program, that Wright State is hosting the first Presidential Debate, and the overall growth and development of their alma mater. There is only one more Rise. Shine. mini-launch left - in Cincinnati on November 13.
 
Our CoLA Donor Appreciation Reception is this Sunday night at the downtown Schuster Center, with over 325 people attending including students, family, and faculty there to thank our wonderful donors for their generous scholarship support that helps our students stay in college and be successful. This event is followed by Harmony in the Heartland: A Concert for Peace, themed to coincide with the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords on November 18-21 with numerous commemorative events, many organized by Wright State faculty and staff. The concert is organized by our acclaimed School of Music faculty and students under the direction of Hank Dahlman. Concert tickets are still available online or at the box office the day of the show for just $12 per person. We welcome your attendance!
 
This week's featured New Faculty member is Paula Long, an Instructor for the Department of Social Work. She is an alumna of WSU, having received her B.A. in Social Work at Wright State before going on to The Ohio State University to complete her M.A. in Social Work. This semester Paula is teaching a Social Work Seminar and Practicum, as well as Social Work Practice II. She has enjoyed seeing WSU from a faculty's perspective, and has found the change to be an interesting experience. Welcome back, Paula!
 
 
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Kristin Sobolik
Dean
 
    


CLASS CORNER
Please check out the many upcoming activities planned through our Center for Liberal Arts Student Success (CLASS)