The University of Mount Union’s departments of theatre and music will present The Light in the Piazza on February 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 at 8 p.m. in the Rodman Playhouse on Mount Union’s campus. A performance on February 20 will be held at 2 p.m.

 

According to Turner Classic Movies (www.tcm.com), while 26-year-old Clara is vacationing in Italy with her mother, she meets a young man named Fabrizio. The two instantly fall in love and make plans to become husband and wife. As The Light in the Piazza unfolds, Clara's secret is revealed and her mother is forced to alter the destiny of her daughter.

 

Under the direction of Dr. Doug Hendel, professor of theatre, the cast includes Kelly Morckel, a senior French and German major of Salem, OH as Clara; Kelsey Tomlinson, a junior of Cuyahoga Falls, OH as Margaret; Kenny Leep, a sophomore of Stow, OH as Fabrizio; Ryan Chinrock, a junior Japanese major of Mogadore, OH as Signor Naccarelli; Alisa Andrews, a senior communication major of North Canton, OH as Franca; Tyler Mason, a junior music major of North Canton, OH as Giuseppe; Sarah Hayes, a senior theatre major of Macedonia, OH as Signora Naccarelli; and Jon Baley, a senior music major of Akron, OH as Roy. Members of the ensemble include Sean Eppler, a freshman of Mentor, OH; Alex Garner, a freshman music education major of Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Marciano Bagnoli, a sophomore physics major of Louisville, OH; Chris Kelly, a freshman Japanese major of Lynbrook, NY; Megan Smith, a sophomore communication major of Warren, OH; and Rose Tabaj, a junior Japanese major of Twinsburg, OH. Deborah J. Lotsof, professor of theatre, is the costume designer for the musical performance and Rudy Roggenkamp, professor of theatre, is the scenic and lighting designer. Jonathan Willis, director of bands, is the orchestra director and Kathy Gold, lecturer of music, is the vocal music director.

 

The Rodman Playhouse is located on the corner of Simpson Street and Union Avenue on Mount Union’s campus. Tickets are $10 for general admission. Tickets are complimentary for Mount Union faculty, staff and students. For more information or to order tickets, call (330) 821-2565.

A faculty recital will be held Sunday, February 13 at 3 p.m. in Presser Recital Hall on the University of Mount Union’s campus. The recital will feature Dr. James Perone, the Margaret Morgan Ramsey Professor in Music, on clarinet and Kathy Reichenberger, lecturer of music, on piano.

 

They will perform works by François Devienne, Gerald Finzi, Don Banks, Monique Gabus and Joseph Horovitz.

 

A native of Columbus, Perone earned a bachelor of music degree in music education from Capital University in 1980. He subsequently pursued graduate studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he earned a master of fine arts degree in clarinet performance in 1982, a master of arts degree in music theory in 1984 and a doctoral degree in music theory in 1988. Playing both the saxophone and the clarinet, he has performed with ensembles such as the Buffalo New Music Ensemble, the Alliance Symphony and the Tuscarawas Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

In addition to performing, Perone is an active author. He has written more than 10 books including Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion and The Sound of Stevie Wonder: His Words and Music. He has also written analytical books on the compositions and recordings of artists such as Prince, Carole King and David Bowie. 

A faculty accompanist at Mount Union since 1995, Reichenberger earned a bachelor of music education degree from Southwest Baptist University and a master of music degree in piano performance from the University of Akron.

 

She has served as a staff accompanist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, William Penn College, Vennard College, Malone University and the Summit Choral Society.  Reichenberger also serves as a church musician at Faith Bible Church in North Canton.  In addition to her active playing schedule, she teaches piano classes and is the director of accompanists at Mount Union.

 

The recital is free and open to the public. Presser Recital Hall is located within Cope Music Hall on the corner of Union Avenue and Simpson Street on Mount Union’s campus. For more information, contact the Department of Music at (330) 823-2180.

Landscape paintings by Monika Teal entitled “A Sense of Place” are on display in the Crandall Art Gallery on the University of Mount Union’s campus from Thursday, February 3 to Wednesday, March 2. An artists’ reception will also be held on Thursday, February 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Gallery.

 

A native of the South, Teal was raised in a bilingual home with European influences. She earned a bachelor of science degree in art education from the University of Minnesota. She also attended Settle Institute of Art and Settle School of Visual Concepts, and earned a master of arts degree in painting from Western Carolina University.

 

Teal has illustrated her work at European and American galleries and museums. She is currently living in Switzerland and has her own studio.

 

“I work from the insight that art is a form of social material. My own art seeks to address issues of our awareness and understanding of our presence in the world. It is meant to mediate and guide our actions, by focusing on recurring themes, such as innocence, magic and the loss of magic in our lives,” said Teal. “My art comes from my personal life; it is grounded in my heritage and in my past. As with many present day artists, I am engaging in real world issues. I want to breach the gap between life and art by raising appreciation and awareness of our natural world.”

 

Crandall Art Gallery is located within Cope Music Hall, on the corner of Simpson Street and Union Avenue. The Gallery is free and open to the public. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 6 p.m.

Transport nurse April Eichner will discuss her personal experiences and knowledge as a flight nurse on medical helicopters at the Continued Learning Program session on Tuesday, February 1 at 10 a.m. The session will be held in the East Room of the Hoover-Price Campus Center on the University of Mount Union’s campus.

 

Eichner serves as the nurse manager of the emergency department at Mercy Medical Center and as a flight nurse for Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. She earned an associate’s degree in nursing from Otterbein College and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.

 

Those attending are welcome to stay for lunch in the Kresge Dining Commons ($6.50) or B&B Café (a la carte) following the session.

 

The Continued Learning Program sessions, which are all free and open to the public, include a variety of presentations and current perspectives, as well as time for questions and discussion. Additional sessions have been scheduled for February 8, 15 and 22.

 

For further information, contact Harry Paidas, interim director of the Ralph and Mary Regula Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement at Mount Union at (330) 823-5993 or paidashp@mountunion.edu.

Installation and computer images by artists Dr. Eunsu Kang and Sungyeon Park entitled “Outlines” and multimedia works by artist Dr. Fredlee Votaw entitled “Restless Dream” are currently on display in Crandall Art Gallery on the University of Mount Union’s campus now through Sunday, January 30. An artist's reception will also be held on Thursday, January 20 from 4 to 6 p.m.

 

An international media artist from Korea, Kang earned a bachelor of fine arts degree and a master of fine arts degree, both from Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea. She also earned a master of arts degree in media arts and technology from the University of California Santa Barbara and a doctoral degree in digital arts and experimental media from the University of Washington. 

 

Kang has participated in art exhibits throughout the world, including shows in Germany, Korea, Switzerland and the United States. She is currently an assistant professor of new media art at the University of Akron.

 

Park earned a bachelor of fine arts degree and a master of fine arts degree, both from Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea. She also earned a master of arts degree in fine arts from Chelsea College of Art & Design in London, United Kingdom. Park's artistic style is multi-disciplinary, cross-medium and conceptually driven. Her pieces are concerned with social issues related to visual language and individual experience.

 

Park has received several grants including an Emerging Artist Fellowship, Arts Council Korea Grant and GyeongGi Cultural Foundation Grants. She also participated in the Art Omi International Artist Residency in New York and the International Studio & Curatorial Program in New York in 2010.

 

Crandall Art Gallery is located within Cope Music Hall, on the corner of Simpson Street and Union Avenue. The Gallery is free and open to the public. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 6 p.m.

Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson will present the Schooler Lecture on Thursday, March 24 at 8 p.m. in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex (The MAAC). Tyson is the on-campus host and executive editor of PBS’ show NOVA scienceNOW as well as an astrophysicist and research associate at the American Museum of Natural History.

Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and other telescopes in the United States and Chile, Tyson researches star formation, exploding stars and the structure of the Milky Way. He was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 to serve on a 12-member commission that studied the future of the United States aerospace industry. The report contained recommendations that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration and national security. He was appointed by Bush again in 2004 to serve on a nine-member commission, and in 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which helps guide NASA through its perennial need to fit an ambitious vision into a restricted budget.

A native of New York City, Tyson earned a bachelor of arts degree in physics from Harvard University and a doctoral degree in astrophysics from Columbia University. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in its official naming of asteroid 13123 Tyson. Voted sexiest astrophysicist alive by People magazine in 2000, Tyson is the author of nine books including New York Times’ best seller Death By Black Hole as well as Other Cosmic Quandaries and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet, which chronicles his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status.

Tyson joined Lynn Koplitz, a professional standup comedienne, to host StarTalk. Using celebrity guests combined with informative yet amusing banter, the show aimed at people who never thought they could like science. The National Science Foundation funded pilot program brought science to commercial radio. Tyson has been a guest on popular talk shows such as The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

He has received 12 honorary doctorates as well as the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. He is also the first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium.

The Schooler Lecture Series was established in 1988 with grant funding from the Schooler Family Foundation. The Foundation's philanthropy has enabled Mount Union to provide a dramatically enhanced opportunity for young men and women studying at the institution and for residents in the greater Alliance area to experience the breadth and depth of American culture.

Past Schooler lecturers have included the late former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford; former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop; former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; former hostage Terry Anderson; Schindler’s List author Thomas Keneally; the late holocaust survivor Leopold Page; Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell; former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; environmental conservationist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; the Archbishop Desmond Tutu; the late and former moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press Tim Russert; political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin; writer and commentator Fareed Zakaria; and humanitarian Greg Mortenson.

Complimentary tickets will be available beginning February 1 by leaving a message on the Schooler Lecture ticket line at (330) 829-6120.

Dr. Patricia (Foley ’73) Matthews, dean of the Division of Professional Studies at the University of Mount Union, will present “Crystal Ball 2011: Global Economic Prospects” on Tuesday, January 25 at the LINC luncheon held at Mount Union.

 

Aside from her duties as dean, Matthews is the Nolen A. Cunningham Chair of Business and professor of economics, accounting and business administration, and she oversees the Investment Team.

 

According to Matthews, the global recovery in 2010 has been characterized by pronounced differences between world economies. Many emerging markets and some developed ones experienced robust recoveries. However, the United States, eurozone and Japan have had less dramatic records.  As a result, policy responses throughout the world have differed significantly, ranging from unprecedented monetary easing to gradual tightening of fiscal and monetary policies. During her presentation, Matthews will answer some of the following questions: What appears to be in store for 2011?   Where will the areas of growth likely be in developed economies? What developing countries will be important players in global economic growth in 2011?

 

A member of the Mount Union faculty since 1975, Matthews earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and French from Mount Union, a master of arts degree in economics and a doctor of business administration degree, both from Kent State University.

 

The community luncheon series known as LINC (lunch, information, networking and conversation) was conceived to take advantage of the local expertise that exists in Alliance, in light of the University’s exceptional academic reputation. This is an opportunity to gain practical knowledge from from university faculty and a chance to interact with members of the University and greater Alliance community.

 

The sessions are open to the public and will run from noon until 1 p.m. The cost of lunch is $10, and will be served in the Hoover-Price Campus Center. Payment will be accepted at the door, but space is limited.

 

Additional sessions will be held on February 22 featuring Dr. Donna Michalek, chair of the Department of Engineering, director of mechanical engineering and associate professor of mechanical engineering at Mount Union and on March 22 featuring Dr. James Thoma, associate dean of the University and professor of human performance and sport business.

 

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Lorie Miller, director of community educational outreach at Mount Union at (330) 823-5993 or millerlj@mountunion.edu.

At approximately 11 p.m. Tuesday night, a University of Mount Union bus carrying the wrestling team, coaches, statisticians, an athletic trainer and athletic training students returning to campus following a match at Ohio Northern University was involved in an accident near Bucyrus, OH on U.S. Rt. 30.  Dan Gorman, director of athletic training and associate professor of human performance and sport business, was fatally injured in the crash. 

 

Gorman joined the Mount Union community in 1985 after having served as assistant professor and director of the athletic training education program and head athletic trainer at State University of New York (SUNY) – Cortland.  During his tenure at Mount Union, he was integral to the success of the University’s athletic training program, which recently received the maximum 10-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).  He was also a dedicated mentor in the LS 100 program, which is designed to assist first-year students in their transition to college.

Share your memories of Dan Gorman on Facebook and Twitter.

 

The University of Mount Union’s Department of Music will present a recital featuring participants and honorable mention winners from the 2010 Solo con Tutti competition on Thursday, January 13 at 8 p.m. in Presser Recital Hall.

Featured performers include Brittany Quales, a violinist and junior at Salem Wesleyan Academy; Paige Morris, a pianist and junior at Marlington High School; Kayla Moles, a soprano and recent graduate of Mount Union; and Julia Connors, a pianist and junior at Heritage Study Center in Hudson. The recital will include works by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Beethoven.

The recital is free and open to the public. Presser Recital Hall is located within Cope Music Hall on the corner of Union Avenue and Simpson Street on Mount Union’s campus. For more information, contact the Department of Music at (330) 823-2180.

 

Solo con Tutti, Mount Union and the Alliance Symphony Orchestra’s concerto/aria competition, allows individuals to musically compete in one of three competition categories – high school, community or Mount Union. Each participant is required to perform one or more movements of a standard concerto, a vocal aria, a single movement work or a concert piece for which orchestral accompaniments will be available. Each contestant also performs the solo part of his or her selection in its entirety.  

For more information on the 2011 Solo con Tutti competition, contact competition organizer Dr. Maira Liliestedt at (330) 823-2195 or liliesmi@mountunion.edu.

Stagg Bowl tickets will also be on sale in the fitness center lobby of the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex (The MAAC) on campus Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day (cash or check only)

 

The Office of Alumni Relations and University Activities at the University of Mount Union is organizing two options for bus transportation to Salem, VA to see the Purple Raider football team take on University of Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks in the 2010 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

 

The overnight bus will depart at approximately 8 a.m. on Friday, December 17.  The bus will arrive at the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel and will transport passengers to Salem Stadium for pre-game activities on Saturday afternoon. The Office of Alumni Relations and University Activities has blocked off rooms for overnight bus riders, but hotel charges are the responsibility of each individual passenger. The bus will return to Alliance immediately following the game. The trip does include several stops to allow passengers to stretch and purchase meals. The cost per person is $60, and does not include a game ticket.

 

The red-eye will depart at approximately 5 a.m. on Saturday, December 18 from the Hoover-Price Campus Center. The bus will arrive at the Salem Stadium just in time for pre-game activities, and will return to Alliance immediately following the game. The cost per person is $60, and does not include a game ticket.

 

For more information and to make a reservation on either bus, contact the Office of Alumni Relations and University Activities at (330) 823-2030, (800) 992-6682, ext. 2030 or alumni@mountunion.edu. Seating on each bus is limited, and seats will only be confirmed once payment has been received.