College of Arts and Sciences - Spring 2012 - University of Miami

SPRING 2012
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
CLOSE UP12
UM RESEARCHERS UNRAVEL
PATTERNS AND INFLUENCES
OF MIGRATION.

DEAN’SMESSAGE
The College of Arts and Sciences is a thriving,
diverse community bound by scholarship and
bolstered by our alumni. We are honored that so
many celebrated physicians, lawyers, entrepreneurs,
artists, scientists, and academics began their
professional journeys in our classrooms. No
matter their professions, our College instills each
new generation of University of Miami graduates
with the enduring liberal arts principles of inquiry,
engagement, and creativity.
LEONIDAS G. BACHAS
Dean of the UM College of Arts and Sciences
Learn about the campaign
Visit miami.edu/momentum2
or scan this QR code with your
smartphone to find out more.
Alumni, family and friends of the
College of Arts and Sciences have long
served as faithful stewards of these
values locally, nationally, and globally.
You have used the knowledge and
understanding gained here at UM to
build a better world and a brighter future
beyond our beautiful campus. Now, I
call upon this community to extend your
support for the next phase of growth and
development for our College.
Through the University-wide
Momentum II campaign, we are given
a new imperative to propel the College
toward academic breakthroughs. Gifts
to the Momentum I campaign expanded
opportunities for undergraduate
research, provided cutting-edge facilities
and equipment, and brought some of
the most impressive faculty in the world
to teach and research here at UM.
Momentum II promises to strengthen
those initiatives while fostering further
scholastic innovation within the College.
I am pleased to commend the more
than 7,000 donors who have already
answered this call to action. Because
of their generosity, the College of Arts
and Sciences has already met half of its
fundraising target for Momentum II. We
are grateful to these outstanding men
and women for their commitment to the
success of their fellow Hurricanes, and
we invite each of you to join their efforts.
As we anticipate the College’s impact
upon future leaders, we turn toward each
alumnus to help advance the ambitious
goals and diverse interests of our
students.
With the help of our passionate and
involved community, we will ensure that
the College of Arts and Sciences remains
a vital institution for generations to come.
Together, we can guarantee that our
College never loses its momentum.

SPRING 2012
VOLUMETWELVE | ISSUETWO
COLLEGE OF ARTS
AND SCIENCES
Dean
Leonidas G. Bachas
Senior
Associate Deans
Traci Arden
Angel Kaifer
Daniel L. Pals
Associate Deans
Rita L. Deutsch
Charles Mallery
ADVANCEMENT
Assistant Dean
for Development
Holly Davis
EDITORIAL
Editor
Rebekah Monson
Contributing Editor
Steven J. Marcus
Design and Illustration
Christina Ullman &
Alix Northrup,
Ullman Design
Photographers
Rebekah Monson
Kuan Photography
Romina Pastorelli
Director
of Development
Jeanne Luis
Assistant Director
Jacky Donate
CONTENTS
Like us on
Facebook
www.facebook.com/
UniversityofMiamiCollegeofArtsandSciences
FEATURES
12 | UM researchers unravel
patterns and influences of migration.
16 | A new play from Broadway legend Tommy Tune
and a partnership with the Arsht Center provide
professional experience for Theatre Arts students.
18 | Miami’s oldest art museum continues
expanding its educational mission.
DEPARTMENTS
2 | News Briefs
5 | Class Spotlight
20 | Tracking Hurricanes
Arts & Sciences is produced in the fall and spring by the
College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami.
Through the magazine, we seek to increase awareness
of the College’s activities by telling the stories of faculty,
staff, students, and alumni. Send comments, requests for
permission to reprint material, requests for extra copies,
and change of address notification to: Arts & Sciences,
College of Arts and Sciences, P.O. Box 248004, Coral
Gables, FL 33124-4620. Telephone: (305) 284-3874. All
contents © 2012, University of Miami. Reproduction in
whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Visit the College of Art and Sciences on the web:
http://www.as.miami.edu/.
Past issues of the magazine are available at
http://www.as.miami.edu/magazine/archive.
ARTS | SCIENCES 1

NEWSBRIEFS
STUDIO ARTS
COMES TOGETHER
NEW FACILITY INTEGRATES
ART DEPARTMENT DISCIPLINES.
Senior Lecturer Kyle Trowbridge leads a
student critique in ART 301, Intermediate
Painting, in the Conni Gordon Painting
Studio in the new studio arts building.
For decades, University of Miami art students, whether of sculpture, glass,
ceramics, or painting, have had to trek from one corner of campus to the other to
attend courses in different art disciplines. This spring, a new studio arts complex
at 1535 Levante Avenue is finally bringing those students together under one roof.
“When the former art building fell into disrepair several years ago, we were
spread across campus and started looking at options to try to bring the art
department closer geographically,” said chair Lise Drost. “We still have a special
campus map for the art department’s different locations, but thankfully it’s getting
more compact.”
Students and faculty alike say sharing the new building makes the department
feel more integrated. “The new facilities are promoting an esprit de corps among
art students that, in turn, is providing them with an increased sense of identity on
campus,” said Brian Curtis, an associate professor of painting.
Students say the new proximity will facilitate an exchange of ideas and help
them find diverse ways to consider their art. “It helps that we, as sculpture
students, can easily go sit in on a painting critique, and vice versa,” said
graduate student Colin Sherrell. “When you’re only working within your area, you
hear everyone speaking the same language and tending to have similar ideas. It’s
great to get different perspectives.”
2 SPRING 2012

GIFT FROM
ENTERTAINING
ART EDUCATOR
CONNI GORDON
PROVIDES ART STUDIO
Throughout her nearly
70-year career, artist and
instructor Conni Gordon has
helped millions learn painting.
Now, Gordon’s benevolence will
continue to inspire generations of art students as they hone
their skills in a studio, named in her honor, in the new studio
arts complex.
Born into a show-business family and educated at Columbia
University and Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Gordon skillfully combined
her passion for painting with her talent for performance—which
prominently included teaching. As an entertainer during World
War II, she taught Marines to paint and then went on to patent
a 4-step Painting Method that teaches art by exploiting both the
logical and creative centers of the brain.
Gordon became a television mainstay, giving lessons on the
late-night shows of Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and
David Letterman. After pioneering television art education, as
well as selling millions of art-instruction books and teaching her
method to thousands of corporate clients, The Guinness Book of
Records named her the “World’s Most Prolific Art Teacher.”
Gordon maintains that everyone can express creativity,
improve self-esteem, and learn to value art. “No one came to
me for lessons hoping to become Van Gogh,” she told the Miami
Herald. “People came to me to learn to paint, so they could make
art and better appreciate the art form.”
The Conni Gordon Painting Studio will stand as a living legacy
to Gordon’s accomplishments both as an artist and art educator.
“I am hopeful that art students in this new facility will benefit
from this method for creativity that marries both the left and
right brain,” she said.
The new building has been thoughtfully configured
with larger workspaces, better light, and durable
construction to accommodate large or heavy pieces
and equipment, Drost said. Students also have more
room to store work and materials as well as areas to
meet between classes.
Donations from art department alumni and
supporters, together with funding from the university,
have enabled the purchase of critical new equipment.
For example, gas kilns and cooling ovens allow students
to finish their ceramics and glass projects more
efficiently, and a machine that cuts materials using
computerized input gives artists a more precise tool for
sculpture and mixed-media work.
“This facility is at least 10 years in the making, so the
faculty and the students are overjoyed that it has finally
happened,” Drost said. “I think having this unified,
modern space is going to help the department move
forward in some exciting ways.”
NEWFACULTY
A NEW LEADER FOR
DIGITAL INNOVATION
COMPUTER SCIENTIST UNITES THE RICHTER LIBRARY AND
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES HUMANITIES SCHOLARSHIP
USING BIG DATA.
As digital resources become
increasingly important to academic
research and publishing, the College
of Arts & Sciences and the Richter
Library have partnered through the
appointment of Mitsunori Ogihara as
the associate dean for digital library
innovation.
“This unique partnership should
benefit both the college and the library,”
said William Walker, dean of the Richter
Library. “Our hope is that it will result in
the development both of new research
and new research tools for humanists
here at the University of Miami and at
institutions around the world.” He noted
in particular that Ogihara, a professor of
computer science, “is a big thinker who
is interested in big projects. He is going to
help our scholars unlock new concepts
and take their work in new directions.”
Ogihara, who serves as director of data
mining at UM’s Center for Computational
Science, points to a wide range of
computational applications that can
aid humanities scholarship, particularly
in mining large data sets. “Using data
analysis, we can process and compare
texts, for example, extremely efficiently,”
he said. “So we may be able to analyze
the literature in a new way that may have
taken years to uncover in the past.”
Ogihara reflects innovative approaches
in his own research, combining a deep
understanding both of the humanities
and of the latest computing technologies.
Ogihara’s latest book, Music Data
Mining, explores how scholars across
many disciplines can access and use
the data stored within large digital music
collections. He focuses on computational
methods inspired by humanistic aspects
of music, which include factors such
as instrument recognition, emotional
perception, and musical aesthetics.
Innovative digital scholarship already
has a foothold within both the college
and the library—perhaps most notably
in the Cuban Theater Digital Archive,
a bilingual collection of research and
information on Cuban theater. Ogihara’s
leadership should expand such efforts
and produce new ones, Walker said, by
facilitating computational investigation
and publication among the university’s
celebrated humanities faculty.
Ultimately, successful projects
stemming from this imaginative
partnership could help propel the
library and college alike into new
academic frontiers. “Professor Ogihara’s
appointment creates a stronger alliance
between Arts and Sciences and the
Library, and I am excited about the
new opportunities for scholarship that
this program will provide to our UM
community,” said College of Arts and
Sciences Dean Leonidas Bachas.
Richter Library Dean William Walker, Associate Dean for Digital Library Innovation Mitsunori
Ogihara, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Leonidas Bachas
ARTS | SCIENCES 3

NEWSBRIEFS
C H E M I S T R Y | P S Y C H O L O G Y | B I O L O G Y | I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D I E S | C O M P U T E R S C I E N C E
PSYCHOLOGY SENIOR SELECTED
FOR WHITE HOUSE ROUNDTABLE
“Each Agente de Cambio has his or her own story
and interests, but we are all working together
toward one goal—educating and preparing
students for a better and brighter future.”
BECKY ESPINOSA (Above, third from right)
Psychology senior Becky Espinosa
was selected as a White House
Agente de Cambio (agent of change) to
participate in a roundtable discussion
with senior Obama Administration
officials this past fall.
The White House partnered with
MTV Tr3s (a channel specializing in
bilingual Latino programming) and
the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to
select Espinosa and 11 other promising
young Latino leaders from around the
country to discuss issues facing their
communities.
“Each Agente de Cambio has his or
her own story and interests, but we are
all working together toward one goal—
educating and preparing students for
a better and brighter future,” she said.
“We have created a great network and
keep in touch frequently.”
With the criteria for selection being
outstanding leadership and service,
Espinosa was a fitting choice. She
has organized tutoring programs,
raised funds for victims of Haiti’s
earthquake, promoted various charities,
and served as a medical volunteer in
Honduras. She also has worked as a
research assistant for the Department
of Psychology and the Miller School
of Medicine and has been an active
member of numerous UM clubs and
committees.
IRONARROW
Three Arts and Sciences seniors—Aly Jaffer, Emily
Packard, and Ashley Taggart—were inducted during the
fall semester into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, which
proudly describes itself as “the highest honor attained at
the University of Miami.”
Drawing its symbolism from the traditions of the region’s
native Seminole tribe, Iron Arrow recognizes students,
faculty, staff, and alumni who exemplify leadership,
scholarship, character, humility, and love of alma mater.
Jaffer, an international studies major, was an officer in
Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and served as chair of the
Homecoming Executive Committee.
Packard, a neuroscience major, worked on orientation
and helped organize Funday, which partners students
with people with disabilities to share a day of games and
activities on campus.
Taggart, a microbiology and immunology major, served
as Student Government vice president, worked to help
commuter students better assimilate into campus life, and
helped improve orientation activities.
True to character, these honorees do not plan to
rest on their laurels. “It’s ‘the highest honor attained at
the University of Miami,’ but more than that it’s telling
me I also have to keep striving to attain that kind of
accomplishment in life,” Packard said.
4 SPRING 2012
Meet the college’s
Iron Arrow inductees.
Scan this QR code with your smartphone
or visit bit.ly/xjXvVE
(Above) Seniors Emily Packard,
Aly Jaffer, and Ashley Taggart.

CLASSSPOTLIGHT T H I S F E AT U R E H I G H L I G H T S C O U R S E S T H AT A R E C R E AT I N G S O M E C A M P U S B U Z Z .
COOKING WITH CHEMISTRY
STUDENTS TAKE TO THE LAB TO DISCOVER THE SCIENCE BEHIND GREAT FOOD
Jordan Balke used to be a purist when it came to steak. Until this fall,
she wanted her meat grilled, seared, and cooked medium-rare. Then
“I learned how to make a better steak,” said the senior majoring in
biochemistry. “It’s called sous-vide [French for “under vacuum”], and
it’s basically just a giant water bath where the food is held at a specific
temperature for a very long time. The result is a more tender steak than
any other you can find.”
Balke learned this lesson in Chemistry
317: Chemistry of Food and Taste, which she
says made her and her classmates look both
at cooking and chemistry in a new light.
Precisely measuring and slowly raising
the temperature of the steak using the
sous-vide process, which tenderizes the
meat, was just one item on the course’s
menu. Students investigated using the
acidity of citrus juices to prepare ceviche.
They calculated the physics of heat
transfer during baking molten chocolate
cake. They flash-froze ice cream with liquid
nitrogen to create a smoother dessert with
smaller crystalline structures and fewer
fats than traditional methods. And they
experimented with suspensions, colloids,
and emulsions, like the gels and foams
popularized at trendy restaurants.
Despite the rise in “foodie” culture, there
remains a steadfast need for better science
Students prepare their final projects for Chemistry
of Food and Taste.
in cooking, said professor Barbara Colonna,
a senior lecturer in organic chemistry, who
created the course. “Cooks may not know
why a particular method works, or how a food
is fundamentally changed as it is processed,”
she said. “And while scientists understand
how and why the changes occur, they don’t
necessarily know what makes good food.
There’s a real need to close that gap.”
Thus, after a semester in Chemistry of
Food and Taste, junior Joshua Bitran has
begun to appreciate the science behind
what’s on his plate. “Now whenever I
look at food, I really look at it differently,”
the biology major said. “I have more of a
respect for it, because it’s so complex.”
At the end of the term, the students
presented their final research projects on
different foods. For example, the chemiststurned-cooks
analyzed the molecular traits of
flavor compounds in peanut-butter-and-pickle
sandwiches, described the sequence of
physical-state changes in the various cooking
methods for making matzo-ball soup, outlined
reactions that change flavor and texture
during bread fermentation, diagrammed
the structures and compared the efficacy
of vitamin supplements, and explained the
processes and biological reactions that
create specific antioxidants in teas.
Bitran, whose final project involved
comparing the chemical structures of flavor
compounds in order to create a novel amusebouche
of caviar on a white chocolate
cracker, also appreciates the new culinary
skills he has picked up in the course. “It’s
really the first class I’ve taken here that
(Above) Joshua Bitran prepares caviar on a white chocolate
cracker for his final project in Chemistry of Food and Taste.
has immediate practical use, because I’m
cooking more,” he said.
Sampling the experiments after studying
the science reinforced the physical
manifestations of technical concepts,
students agreed. And, more simply put, such
sampling was a taste treat. “We showed up
hungry, because on most days we would have
some demo that involved eating,” Balke joked.
Demonstrations also sparked a community
partnership with the Whole Foods Market in
Coral Gables, which supported the course
with donations of food and lab materials. “It
was definitely a unique topic that piqued our
interest,“ said Melissa Jacobs, a marketing
coordinator for the store. “With the University
of Miami being one of our neighbors, we
were excited to assist by offering fresh highquality
ingredients for the students to learn
more about food and science.”
At present, Chemistry of Food and Taste
is limited to 30 science majors who have
taken advanced chemistry. But Colonna
hopes to expand the course and offer it as
a general science course in the future.
ARTS | SCIENCES 5

NEWSBRIEFS
PHYSICS | ART & ART HISTORY | ENGLISH | GEOGRAPHY & REGIONAL STUDIES | RELIGIOUS STUDIES
TEAMING UP FOR
SCIENCE EDUCATION
A&S FACULTY PARTNER WITH MIAMI SCIENCE
MUSEUM FOR RESEARCH AND OUTREACH.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MIAMI SCIENCE MUSEUM
As the Miami Science Museum plans an
impressive new facility—a cultural landmark
that is rising in downtown Miami’s Museum
Park, overlooking Biscayne Bay—College
of Arts and Sciences faculty are working
with the museum to help improve science
education in South Florida.
“With UM’s wide range of new developments
and innovative research,” said Gillian
Thomas, president and CEO of the museum,
“we have a rich terrain of material and
quality advice to make our exhibits relevant
both locally and internationally, scientifically
valid, and also inspiring—so creating the
next generation of scientists.”
The Miami Science Museum and UM
have teamed up since 2005 through the
museum’s Center for Interactive Learning
(CIL), which links informal (museum-based)
science education with formal (universitybased)
science education and research,
said Judy Brown, the museum’s senior vice
president for education. This partnership has
involved psychology faculty in meaningful
research on informal science education and
has helped researchers collect data from
museum visitors as well.
Learning about blood pressure in the Heart Smart exhibit.
For example, the interactive Heart Smart
exhibition teaches about cardiovascular
health and offers strategies for a heart smart
lifestyle. while providing researchers with
important data for tracking heart health in
the community. Exhibition visitors move
through a series of activities—including a
blood pressure station, body mass index
station, waist circumference station, lifestyle
quiz, relaxation area, and hula-hoop activity.
They receive personalized feedback and
learn how physical activity, nutrition, and
stress management could affect their heart
health. Visitors themselves may contribute
to furthering knowledge on cardiovascular
health by anonymously opting to share their
information with researchers.
With Heart Smart “we wanted to create a
personalized and engaging experience where
the key takeaway message is that making
small changes can add up to big results,”
said psychology professor Patrice Saab,
Principal Investigator of the project. Saab and
psychology professor Judith McCalla together
with the Miami Science Museum’s Brown
also use the Heart Smart exhibition as the
central component of a randomized controlled
trial of local high school students designed to
determine how health education strategies
affect heart health knowledge, attitudes, and
behavioral choices.
Moreover, “I’ve viewed the exhibition as
a way to translate what we have learned
in our laboratory-based investigations to
Head Start pupils learn from the ECHOS curricula.
the community at large,” Saab said. Heart
Smart has a wide reach. During its first 2
years, the exhibition has had approximately
79,000 visitors with about 80% consenting to
contribute their personal data.
Psychology professor Daryl Greenfield also
is enhancing science education through the
museum’s CIL partnership, but for a younger
audience. Through the Early Childhood Hands-
On Science (ECHOS) project, the museum
is developing interactive, integrated, and
science-centered curricula for preschoolers
in Miami-Dade’s Head Start program.
ECHOS links museum-created early
science education with early math, language,
and literacy instruction as well as with
social and motor development, thereby
demonstrating the potential of integrated
curricula to improve teacher practice and
student achievement for children from low
income families who are at higher risk for
school failure. “When we first started this
project, preschool science education was
not even on the radar,” Greenfield said.
“Now, there is a growing realization that
science in the early years can not only
improve multiple areas of school readiness,
but can also provide young minds with critical
thinking and problem solving skills that will
prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
Such collaborative projects can produce
outreach that we hope other communities and
institutions will embrace.”
As the new facility takes shape, UM faculty,
including Saab and physics professor Kevin
Huffenberger, also are assisting the museum’s
leaders with planning its other content
needs. For example, Huffenberger has helped
develop ideas for the museum’s new time and
space area. “I look forward to continuing to
work with the museum,” he said, “because it’s
important to us as scientists to get research
out to the public in a meaningful way—and
the museum serves as a conduit.”
6 SPRING 2012

WELCOMING WRITERS OF COLOR
UM HOSTS FIRST REGIONAL WORKSHOP OF THE VOICES OF OUR NATIONS ARTS FOUNDATION.
In recognition of the need for writers of color to secure feedback
from peers, and citing the University of Miami’s distinctive position
at the center of a diverse community, professor M. Evelina Galang,
director of UM’s creative writing program, invited Voices of Our Nations
Arts Foundation (VONA) to hold its first Voices regional workshop at UM
this winter. VONA was founded by acclaimed authors Elmaz Abinader,
Junot Díaz, Victor Díaz, and Diem Jones in 1999 as the nation’s only
multi-genre workshop for writers of color.
“This is VONA’s first event outside the Bay Area, and it has great
potential to benefit our campus and our MFA program by drawing in
talented writers from across the country,” Galang said. “The goal of
these workshops is to get writers at every stage to come together as
a community and [for young writers of color to] gain mentorship from
other writers of color who are already successful.”
Getting published is an arduous journey for any writer, but writers of
color may face additional barriers, said Galang. “At VONA, we are able
to focus on craft, and we put aside expectations about identity, race,
ethnicity and gender to support the participants’ writing,” she said.
Thus at the event, held this past January, 24 promising writers,
including UM graduate students and alumni, underwent a long
weekend of intensive writing and critique with Galang and three
other distinguished writers.
Poet Willie Perdomo, a lecturer at Fordham University and a
former Woolrich Fellow in Creative Writing at Columbia University,
worked with attendees to heighten their awareness of the unique
lyrical and rhythmic traditions that they manifest in their poems.
Novelist Mat Johnson, a professor in the University of Houston’s
Creative Writing Program and a former James Baldwin Fellow
of the United States Artists Foundation, helped students to bring
their cultural narratives to life in fiction and nonfiction. Abinader, a
memoirist, playwright, and professor of English at Mills College, led
sessions on bringing the minority cultural perspective to blogging
and other forms of Web presence.
Beyond the technical work on participants’ manuscripts, the
workshop also gave students an opportunity to share regarding the
realities of being a writer of color in publishing and academic life,
Abinader said. “We discussed where we fit in the literary world, what
conversations we need to have and how to have them, and what living
and working as writers means to us and to our communities.”
Gail Dottin, who has attended previous VONA Voices workshops,
came to the Miami event to reconnect with a group of writers
she respects and to help invigorate her work on a memoir about
her family’s experiences in the segregated Panama Canal Zone.
“Everything I write about has something to do with race politics
or race relations,” said Dottin, who holds an MFA from Columbia
University. “I keep coming to VONA because we write the stories no
one else can write.”
Returning to UM for the VONA Voices workshop was a “full-circle
moment,” said Danielle Gilyot, B.A. ’03, who was thrilled to return to
her alma mater to gain new insights into her work. Having minored in
English at UM and recently completed an MFA at the University of New
Orleans, she is working on a book tentatively titled In Katrina’s Wake.
“Being one of the very few people of color in my MFA program, I
often had to explain my work, but this workshop gave me a different
kind of critiquing experience,” Gilyot said. “My work will be stronger,
and I had to do a lot less explaining to improve it.”
ARTS | SCIENCES 7

NEWSBRIEFS P O L I T I C A L S C I E N C E | H I S T O R Y | S O C I O L O G Y | M O D E R N L A N G U A G E S & L I T E R AT U R E S
SHAPING POLITICAL DISCOURSE ONLINE
POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSORS TAKE RESEARCH INTO THE BLOGOSPHERE.
As the 2012 presidential race heats up,
the media are eager for insights from the
University of Miami’s political scientists.
Some faculty have already begun cultivating
a public audience directly by sharing their
expertise through blogs.
Associate professors Gregory Koger and
Casey Klofstad are blogging on national
politics, as well as state and local politics, for
The Huffington Post and the Monkey Cage, a
leading political science blog. “The idea is to
take leading political science research, apply
it to current events, and share it with a general
audience,” said Koger.
Since its launch in 2007, the Monkey
Cage has become a hub for discussions
among political scientists, the media, and
politics junkies from around the globe. As
an occasional contributor, Koger weighs in
alongside other top academic analysts from
NYU, Columbia, Georgetown, and Yale.
Koger started contributing to the Monkey
Cage in the summer of 2009 on the rules
of filibustering in the U.S. Senate. A year
later, he testified before the Senate’s Rules
Committee on that very topic. “That opportunity
was at least indirectly tied to the visibility of my
work for the Monkey Cage,” he said. “My posts
were well timed to help people understand this
issue as it was unfolding in the news.”
Both Koger and Klofstad view their blogging
as a public-service extension of their teaching
and research. “I think the public often feels
distanced from the academy, but blogging
helps bridge that schism,” said Klofstad,
Political science professors Gregory Koger, left, and Casey Klofstad take their research online via blogs.
who blogs at the Huffington Post. “Our work
becomes more relevant to the wider society
every four years—when there is a presidential
election—but in the 24-hour online news cycle
there is more demand for our research.” He
and his colleagues typically pinpoint the key
issues in political races and break down likely
voting behaviors according to demographic
factors such as age, ethnicity, and gender.
Blogging also allows academics to
disseminate research quickly, without having
to wait for interest from the media; and
highlighting relevant issues that the media
might miss can help inject certain research
into the national discussion. “We can now
directly communicate with the public,”
Klofstad said.
His and Kroger’s perspectives, given their
vantage point at the University of Miami, are of
particular interest to the American public this
year. “Florida is still a swing state, and we will
play a very important role in choosing our next
president. Everyone is looking for insights
on what might tip a close election.”
BOOKMARKS
UNITING STATES
In his first book, Uniting States (Oxford University
Press), assistant professor of political science
Joseph M. Parent argues that unions between
sovereign states are the balancing coalitions
of last resort. Elites can weld separate states
into a durable union, he maintains, only when
these entities would otherwise face particularly
serious threats. Drawing on five major historical
cases of union—the United States, Switzerland,
Sweden-Norway, Gran Colombia, and the
European Union—Uniting States sheds new
light on political polarization, state dissolution,
federalism, and the possibility of uniting
without going to war.
DIGNIFYING ARGENTINA: PERONISM,
CITIZENSHIP, AND MASS CONSUMPTION
In Dignifying Argentina: Peronism, Citizenship,
and Mass Consumption (Pitt Latin American
Studies), assistant professor of history Eduardo
Elena’s first book explores the relationship
between populist politics and mass consumption
in mid-twentieth-century Argentina. He describes
how the aspirations of ordinary Argentineans
meshed, albeit imperfectly, with Peronist paradigms
of state-led progress; and he offers new
insights on Peronism’s enduring significance as a
popular movement.
8 SPRING 2012

MAJOR INTEREST IN NEW MINORS
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES ADDS MINORS IN
ARABIC STUDIES AND LGBTQ STUDIES.
Responding to growing demand for more offerings in languages and
cultures that play increasingly important roles on the world stage, the
College of Arts and Sciences has introduced two new minors, and is
planning a third. Undergraduates throughout the university can now minor
in Arabic studies and starting next fall will be able to minor in lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) studies. Faculty are also
working to add a minor in Chinese Studies.
Students began enrolling in the interdisciplinary Arabic studies minor
this fall. “UM has been teaching the basic Arabic language for years, but it
is now an especially interesting time to study the Arabic world itself,” said
Christina Civantos, an assistant professor in the Department of Modern
Languages and Literatures, who spearheaded the effort to expand course
offerings. “Certainly the Middle East is frequently in the news for many
different reasons, and it is virtually impossible to accomplish strategic
initiatives without cultural understanding.”
Students minoring in Arabic studies complete nine credits of Arabic
language courses and six credits of courses focusing on Islamic studies
or Arabic culture. “UM has long been a leader in Latin American and
Caribbean studies,” Civantos said. “With this and other new programs we
are working toward becoming a truly global institution.”
Students are also seeking more courses in gender and sexuality
studies. An Introduction to LGBTQ Studies course was offered for the
first time this spring, and the class limit was raised from 25 to 35 to
accommodate interested students, said Steve Butterman, an associate
professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, who
chaired the committee to create an LGBTQ studies minor. “We started
offering queer studies in 2006, and student demand has been growing
steadily since,” he said.
The diversity of students interested in LGBTQ Studies also led the
committee to build the minor across a broad swath of disciplines both within
and outside the college, Butterman said. “A rich intellectual experience
in this type of academic inquiry means creating a solid, well-structured
curriculum as well as a sense of community among the students.”
Students can enroll next fall in the LGBTQ Studies minor, which will
consist of the introductory course and at least six credits of advanced
courses. Students also will have the option to complete a senior research
project within the minor. “The committee spent over a year working on course
content and a syllabus that includes instruction from across the college
and the university,” said Robert Johnson, a professor in the Department of
Sociology, who served on the committee. “I think one of the true strengths
of the program will be that so many departments are invested in it.”
Interest in the Chinese courses offered by the Department of Modern
Languages and Literatures also has expanded with China’s growing
position as an international political, social, and economic power. Some
90 students are currently enrolled in Chinese language classes, and a
minor, which faculty hope to create next academic year, will add upperlevel
Chinese language courses and incorporate humanities and social
sciences classes as well.
“Many students plan to pursue careers in government and business
with specific relevance to China,” said June Teufel Dreyer, a professor in
the Department of Political Science, who led efforts to found the program.
“This interdisciplinary minor will provide them with the language skills—and
grounding in the Chinese culture, history, and political system—they will
need to be competitive in today’s demanding job market.”
The College of Arts and Sciences expects to continue innovating in
this spirit. Dean Leonidas Bachas says that the college, as the largest
academic unit in the university, will remain responsive to students’
interests and emergent workplace demands when evaluating course and
curriculum offerings.
THE ITALIAN IN MODERNITY
In The Italian in Modernity (Toronto Italian
Studies), English professor Robert Casillo
and classics professor John Paul Russo look
both at Italy and Italian America to explore
the paradoxical representation of Italy as the
originator of modernity that has nevertheless
resisted many modern tendencies. In covering
diverse topics such as travel writing,
gender, national character and stereotypes,
immigration, and film, Casillo and Russo
discuss writers and artists as wide-ranging
as Stendhal, Stäel, Burckhardt, Puccini,
D’Annunzio, Santayana, Hemingway, and
Coppola.
SUPRAMOLECULAR PHOTOCHEMISTRY:
CONTROLLING PHOTOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
Professor V. Ramamurthy, chair of the chemistry
department, coedited Supramolecular Photochemistry:
Controlling Photochemical Processes
(John Wiley), a reference work on the past two
decades’ advances in the interdisciplinary
and rapidly growing field of supramolecular
photochemistry. As the most comprehensive
update on all aspects of photochemistry and
photophysics—embracing natural, synthetic,
inorganic, organic, and biological supramolecular
systems alike—the book covers supramolecular
photochemistry’s past, present, and also projects
the field’s future.
ARTS | SCIENCES 9

NEWSBRIEFS
M AT H E M AT I C S | T H E AT R E A R T S | P H I L O S O P H Y | A N T H R O P O L O G Y | C L A S S I C S
LECTURES DELIVER BIG SCIENTIFIC IDEAS
GENEROUS DONOR SUPPORT BRINGS LEADING SCIENTISTS AND MATHEMATICIAN TO CAMPUS.
Famed evolutionary biologist, humanist,
and author Richard Dawkins, who until his
recent retirement was Oxford University’s
Charles Simonyi Professor for the
Understanding of Science, delivered in
September one of best-attended lectures
in the College of Arts and Science’s history.
About 1,300 people attended the event,
filling the Storer Auditorium as well as
seven overflow classrooms where the
lecture was simulcast.
Dawkins’ popular books on science as
well as the propagation of the word meme,
which he coined to extend the Darwinist
idea of “replicators” into the cultural
sphere, have made him one of the world’s
most prominent scholars. His latest book,
The Magic of Reality, aims to interest
children in science by comparing mythical
stories to scientific explanations of natural
phenomena.
“The real world, as understood
scientifically, has magic of its own—a
spellbinding beauty which is all the more
magical because it is real and because
McKnight-Zame Lecture
we can understand how it works,”
Dawkins said.
The Appignani Foundation, founded
by Louis Appignani, partnered with UM’s
Department of Philosophy and Center for
the Humanities to bring Dawkins to Coral
Gables. “It was excellent to have someone
of Dawkins’ caliber at UM because he has
a broad vision on a number of important
issues,” said philosophy department chair
Otávio Bueno.
The McKnight-Zame Distinguished
Lecture Series brought another eminent
academic to campus in January, and he
spoke to a standing-room crowd at the
CAS Gallery. Professor Shing-Tung Yau,
a Fields Medalist who currently serves
as William Caspar Graustein Professor
of Mathematics at Harvard University,
delivered a lecture based on his recent
book, The Shape of Inner Space.
In the book and lecture alike, “I wanted to
give people a sense of how mathematicians
think and approach the world,” Yau
said. “I also wanted them to realize that
mathematics does not have to be a wholly
abstract discipline, disconnected from
everyday phenomena, but is instead crucial
to our understanding of the physical world.”
Yau’s lecture addressed how
mathematicians think and
approach the physical world.
Yau’s work in algebraic and differential
geometry has had a profound influence
on important topics in physics including
string theory. He described his
groundbreaking mathematical work on the
curving of space within a closed vacuum,
which offers a solution to the mystery of
extra dimensions posited in string theory.
The McKnight-Zame lectures are made
possible through support from alumnus
Jeffrey Fuqua, A.B. ’67, M.S. ’70, Ph.D. ’72,
who received his Ph.D. in mathematics
under the direction of professor James
McKnight. The series is named in honor of
professor McKnight and also of professor
Alan Zame, who was a mentor of Fuqua’s
while he was a student at UM.
In February, the Dr. Jimmie R. Nelson, ’59
Lecture offered a probing look at a different
kind of scientific puzzle. Department of
Energy official Ines Triay, B.S. ’80 Ph.D. ’86,
tackled nuclear cleanup in her lecture, “The
Environmental Legacy of the Cold War.”
Triay has dedicated her career to the
safe, timely, and cost-effective cleanup
of radioactive waste from our nation’s
nuclear-weapons production and
research. As the Assistant Secretary for
Environmental Management under` the
Obama administration, Triay led what is
generally considered the largest, most
diverse, and most complex environmental
cleanup in the world.
The Nelson Lecture was established
in 2009 through a bequest of alumnus
Dr. Jimmie R. Nelson, B.S. ‘59, a radiologist
who earned his bachelor’s degree in
chemistry from UM. Dr. Nelson hoped his
love of learning and chemistry would live
on through these annual lectures, which
are accessible to students and the public.
SHING-TUNG YAU
William Caspar Graustein
Professor of Mathematics at
Harvard University
10 SPRING 2012

Appignani Foundation | Department of Philosophy | Center for Humanities Lecture
“It was excellent to have someone of
Dawkins’ caliber at UM because he
has a broad vision on a number
of important issues.”
OTÁVIO BUENO, CHAIR
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSPHY
RICHARD DAWKINS
Former Oxford University
Charles Simonyi Professor for
the Understanding of Science
Dawkins’ lecture “The Magic of Reality”
focused on the magic of science and a
wide range of natural phenomena.
Triay tackled nuclear cleanup in her
lecture, “The Environmental Legacy
of the Cold War.”
Dr. Jimmie R. Nelson ’59 Lecture
INES TRIAY, ’80
Assistant Secretary for
Environmental Management
ARTS | SCIENCES 11

UM researchers unravel patterns
and influences of migration
COMMON
MIAMI PLAYS A
LEADING ROLE IN
UNDERSTANDING
MODERN HUMAN
MIGRATION
12 SPRING 2012

Alejandro Portes’ work has profoundly
influenced academic understanding of immigrant
communties. His arrival on campus marks the
emergence of the college as a major hub for
migration studies.
The history of civilization is a narrative of migration. In 100,000 years of our
history, human beings have populated every continent. People explore and
settle. They flee strife, persecution, disease, and danger, and they are drawn to
opportunity, peace, wealth, and freedom. Simply moving from place to place is
a fundamental human experience.
The United States famously has been described as a nation of immigrants.
Within this quintessentially American narrative, Miami has been playing a
leading role since the mid-20th century.
At the forefront of the study of migration is professor Alejandro Portes, whose work has
profoundly influenced understanding of immigrant communities. Portes first captured the
attention of academic and general audiences 20 years ago with his seminal book on Miami,
City on the Edge, which reshaped sociological research on immigration and redefined the
city itself. After 16 years at Princeton and 12 years at the helm of its prestigious Center for
Migration Studies, Portes has returned to Miami for part of the year to teach in the College of
Arts and Sciences and continue his research on the city and its immigrant communities.
Professor Portes’ arrival on campus also marks the emergence of the college as a major
hub for migration studies, which underlie many faculty members’ research in linguistics,
sociology, politics, epidemiology, and other fields. The study of migration reveals common
threads among these areas and suggests interdisciplinary approaches that enhance
understanding across the academic spectrum.
ARTS | SCIENCES 13

“Clearly [Miami] is a prime gateway city for
immigration from South America and the Caribbean,
and it has really been an experiment in multicultural
living and the resilience of American institutions.
alejandro portes
UM PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY
THE MOST FOREIGN U.S. CITY
n his years of study, Portes, who first came to Miami as an adolescent Cuban exile and as
a result enjoys close personal ties to the Cuban enclave here, has come to see Miami as
a unique vantage point for monitoring migration. “Clearly this is a prime gateway city for
immigration from South America and the Caribbean, and it has really been an experiment in
multicultural living and the resilience of American institutions,” Portes said. “Miami is unique.
It’s the most foreign city in the United States.”
Portes is not alone in looking to Miami for insight. The breakneck pace of Miami’s
transformation from tourist enclave to multicultural metropolis offers a glimpse at what other
American cities may face as immigration intensifies, said geography
professor Thomas Boswell, who has studied ethnic geography in South
Florida for several decades. “What has happened here in Miami should
inform us on some of the most important issues on the horizon, such as
immigration, education, health care, and the economy,” he said.
Another researcher of migration is assistant professor of sociology
Frank Samson, who joined the college in 2009 and is studying how
immigrants fit into and influence political institutions. “Demographically,
we have reached the point where about half of the newborns in the
United States are nonwhite,” he said. “So I am looking at how the
country may change in terms of race, ethnicity, and politics.”
LEARNING FROM LANGUAGE
The influx of Cubans into Miami during the 1960s, since followed
by waves of immigrants from elsewhere in Latin America and the
Caribbean, have made Miami a multilingual city whose government
recognizes English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole as official
languages. According to the 2010 U.S. Census data, more than 70
percent of Miami-Dade County residents speak a language other
than English at home.
And the city of Miami is one of the only municipalities in America
in which Spanish is a predominant language. “In Miami, if you
14 SPRING 2012

speak to people in Spanish, they’ll most often respond in Spanish and
continue the conversation that way,” professor of Spanish Andrew
Lynch recently told The Huffington Post.
Miami’s influx of wealthy, educated Spanish-speakers has made
Spanish a language of commerce, Lynch said. Yet second- and thirdgeneration
immigrants are not acquiring necessary formal Spanish
skills for professional communication, according to Lynch’s research.
“The city is by far the most bilingual in the nation and a major hub for
Latin American commerce and mass media,” he said. “If Miami wants
to maintain and grow those vital aspects of the economy, the city
needs to foster bilingualism, particularly in the educational realm.”
Miami’s Spanish-speaking populations also encompass diverse
cultural experiences, said Christina Civantos, an associate professor
of Spanish who studies the influences of Arab immigrants on Latin
America. Arab immigrants have impacted language and culture of
South America, particularly in Argentina, she said.
Civantos and Lynch agree that working in Miami is a boon to
their research, because their studies are relevant to their students.
“In my own classes, many Hispanic students have grandparents
or great-grandparents who moved to Latin America from the Arab
world,” she said.
CHANGING POPULATIONS
While immigrants from Latin American and the Caribbean are the
most prominent ethnic group in Miami today, South Florida has a
history of attracting other migrant populations, many of whom initially
saw the area as a winter haven. Among these groups are Jewish
Americans from the north, especially retirees, whom geography
professor Ira Sheskin has long studied. “To a large extent, the
migration of the elderly Jews once drove the economy here, but we
are now seeing steep declines in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties,
although the Jewish population of Palm Beach County continues to
increase,” Sheskin said.
Sheskin has conducted demographic surveys of Jewish communities
across the country for more than 30 years, and his research has clearly
shown the effects of such movement. “When migration changes the
ethnic mix somewhere,” he said, “it changes the politics, the economy,
and so many other things within the community.”
Migration can even alter the health status of a region, according
to sociology professor Robert Johnson, who researches medical
sociology. “If you look at history, people have long been concerned
with how migration might spread disease,” Johnson said. “In medical
sociology, we have recently been studying the effect of migration on
our immigrant populations’ health to better understand them.”
In the past, Johnson studied the health of Eastern European Jews
in Israel, and he recently completed the collection of health data on
Miami residents that will enable comparisons of immigrants’ health
with that of nonimmigrants. His data will also be used to compare the
health of Miami residents to that of U.S. residents in general.
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
Many faculty members welcome an interdisciplinary model for
exploring emerging trends in migration. “By working among diverse
disciplines we integrate different approaches, improve the research,
and ultimately reach a much larger audience,” Johnson said.
With so many researchers on the forefront of migration issues,
the College of Arts and Sciences is poised to become a major hub
for migration studies, said Portes. “There are enough faculty here
interested in these issues, and enough rich research to facilitate a
[UM] center,” he said.
ARTS | SCIENCES 15

A new play from Broadway legend
Tommy Tune and a partnership with
the Arsht Center give Theatre Arts
students professional experience.
hen professor Henry Fonte
became chair of the Department
of Theatre Arts last year he wasted
no time getting UM students on the
national stage, providing them with
unique training through partnerships
with theatre professionals. “We are
ensuring that our students have broad, meaningful
professional experiences,” Fonte said. “When
they go out looking for work, we want theatres and
casting agents to know they are exceptional.”
In November, more than 30 Theatre Arts students staged Fifty Four
Forever—a musical tribute to Studio 54 (a renowned 1970s New York
nightclub) and the first show in almost 20 years from Broadway legend
Tommy Tune. The production drew producers, artists, and national press,
including The New York Times, to the Ring Theatre and enabled students
to learn firsthand what it takes to build a major musical.
“It was by far the best experience I’ve had in my life,” said Kyle
Axman, a junior who played nightclub manager Steve Rubell, the show’s
lead character. “Working with Tommy was an incredible opportunity, and
he treated us as professionals throughout the process.”
Fonte hopes that the success of Fifty Four Forever will encourage
other playwrights to workshop original productions at UM. “With the
demise of the old apprentice system in theatre,” he said, “exposure in
shows of this caliber is invaluable for young theatre professionals.”
Significant contributions from donors, including real estate executive
Edward Easton and Michael S. Gordon (director of the UM Center
for Research in Medical Education), provided financial support for
the Fifty Four Forever project. Fonte noted that continued backing
from the UM community could make Theatre Arts a new hub for the
development of original plays.
Theatre Arts also partnered with the Arsht Center for the Performing
Arts in October to stage The House of Bernarda Alba, Frederico García
Lorca’s final play. The play was cotranslated by Pulitzer Prize-winning
playwright Nilo Cruz, who served last fall as a Center for the Humanities’
Henry King Stanford Distinguished Professor.
Critics hailed the UM/Arsht Center collaboration for reviving classical
theatre in Miami, and the successful staging prompted an enthusiastic
commitment from Arsht executive vice president Scott Shiller:
“What has started as a pilot program will soon grow into an ongoing
partnership,” he told The Miami Herald. “This is essentially the core of
16 SPRING 2012

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE RING THEATRE
the Arsht’s mission: Developing great talent
and keeping it here in Miami.”
While Fonte clearly has his eye on
national prominence for Theatre Arts, he
also shares Shiller’s vision of community
involvement and cultivating homegrown
talent. The department is building
partnerships with other local theatres,
and its students are teaching Citrus Grove
Middle School pupils dance and theatre.
Theatre Arts is also collaborating with
the School of Communication’s Motion
Picture Program to provide acting students
with more film experience and to give
Motion Picture students the opportunity to
direct actors.
“We are all firmly committed to continuing
this caliber of work and collaboration,”
Fonte said. “We’ve bitten off a lot in the
past year, and everyone—students,
faculty, the college, and professionals—
has really gotten behind it.”
(Top) Sean Zajac, B.S. ’09,
Tommy Tune
(Above) The Full Company
of Fifty Four Forever
See what you
missed at
the reunion
Scan this QR code with
your smartphone or visit
bit.ly/Adb6xS
Theatre alumni
reunite at The Ring
Laughter and song rang through campus this January when
alumni from 1970 to 1983 gathered to celebrate their years
performing together at UM’s Jerry Herman Ring Theatre. More than
50 former Theatre Arts students toured their old stomping grounds at
The Ring and gathered at the Newman Alumni Center to reminisce
and revel together again.
Alumnus Neil Einleger spent several months organizing the
event after he and several classmates planned to meet in Miami.
“It was really amazing how it mushroomed exponentially into a big
event,” he said. “Everyone was just so eager to see each other
and get back to UM.”
Theatre alumni from across the country attended, including Olympian
Greg Louganis and actress Dawnn Lewis. Lewis and alumnae Janet
Aldrich and Valerie Perri Lipson reprised performances from their UM
years, and the cast of Oklahoma! sang the classic title song as Einleger
accompanied.
“I marvel at the accomplishments of this group, in and out of the
theatre,” said Aldrich. “We’ve been through a lot, and emerged in
our 50s as wonderful individuals.”
Einleger hopes the event will inspire alumni to maintain strong
ties to UM and increase support for Theatre Arts. “Everyone realizes
what a special time and place it was for us, and I think they will be
more supportive of the University,” he said. “Ultimately, we would
all love to see the department get a new theatre because we have
simply outgrown The Ring.” Theatre alumni are planning more
events across the country to keep the reunion spirit going and to
continue rallying support for Theatre Arts, Einleger said.
ARTS | SCIENCES 17

Miami’s oldest art
museum continues
expanding its
educational mission.
(above) Africa, Bassa people (Liberia)
Divination Head, 20th century
wood and stain, 7 7/8 x 4 3/4 x 6”
Gift of Alan Potamkin, 2007.48.94
(below) Washington Allston, United States, 1779-1843
Mother and Child
oil on canvas, 49 1/2 x 40 1/4”
Gift of The Washington Allston Trust, 56.141.000
18 SPRING 2012
IMAGES: COURTESY OF THE LOWE ART MUSEUM
rt lovers are often surprised to learn that South Florida’s
oldest and most diverse art museum is housed at the
University of Miami. “The Lowe is the most comprehensive
museum in South Florida in terms of chronology and
expansiveness, and having it on campus is an invaluable
resource,” said art history professor Perri Lee Roberts.
The Lowe Art Museum celebrates its 60th anniversary this spring
with an exhibition of 137 works from its permanent collection, which
draws on art from around the world and through many eras of art
history. Miami is an established center for contemporary art, but
the Lowe’s diverse collection offers an important complement and
historical context, Roberts said.
The Lowe became South Florida’s first art museum when it moved
from three classrooms into its own building in 1952, through a gift from
philanthropists Joe and Emily Lowe. With continued support by the local
arts community, the museum’s collection has grown to nearly 18,000
pieces, spanning more than 5,000 years of art history and embracing
contributions from five continents.
The breadth and depth of the museum’s collections has been
influenced by its educational mission, said Brian Dursum, director and
chief curator of the museum. “For a university museum, what drives us
forward are the students and faculty and then the community at large,”
he said. “We’re doing more exhibitions from the permanent collections
that engage faculty and students.”
Students in classics, cultural studies, theatre arts, and the humanities
have investigated works related to their studies, and studio artists use
the collection for reference and inspiration. “In line with its mission, the
Lowe is a cultural asset that also enriches the curriculum for the entire

Christo, United States (born Bulgaria), b. 1935
Wrapped Monument to Cristobal Colon Project for Barcelona - Plaza Porta de la Pau, 1976
fabric, string, crayon and graphite on paperboard, 28 1/2 x 22 1/4 x 1 5/8”
Museum purchase through the 2003 Director’s Circle, the Linnie E. Dalbeck Memorial
Endowment Fund and the Lowe Art Museum Acquisitions Fund, 2003.7 © Christo
John Ferren, United States, 1905-1970
Untitled, 1958
pastel on paper, 25 1/8 x 19”
Gift of Theodore Racoosin, 70.031.001; © 1958 John Ferren
university by allowing students and faculty to experience art and history
firsthand,” said Dean Leonidas Bachas.
At present the museum faces some limitations in furthering its
educational mission. “Right now, if someone wants to do a seminar or
a class in the museum, we cannot accommodate that very easily,” said
Dursum. Thus the Lowe is planning to build a new art study center to
accommodate small groups and lectures.
While on-campus education remains a top priority for the Lowe, it
also educates the community. Many of the museum’s 35,000 off-campus
guests last year were drawn in through its small-scale events, freeadmission
days, monthly happy hours, or the annual Beaux Arts festival.
Hundreds of schoolchildren get their first exposure to art through tours
at the Lowe. A magnet program partnership with two Miami-Dade
county schools, Southside Elementary and Shenandoah Middle School,
helps students use museum resources to learn lessons in the humanities
and acquire critical thinking skills.
To help support future exhibitions and educational programming, this
past January Beaux Arts pledged $1.7 million to the museum. “The Lowe’s
multicultural collections mirror the diverse population of residents living in
Miami-Dade County,” said Beaux Arts president Jennifer M. Pfleger. “This
makes the museum a unique resource not only for the University of Miami
but for the entire community.”
Korea, Chosôn Dynasty, 1392-1910
Jar, 1700-1800
porcelain and underglaze cobalt blue, 15 3/4 h. x 12 7/8” dia.
Gift of Dr. Young Seek Choue, 60.157.000
ARTS | SCIENCES 19

TRACKINGHURRICANES
CLASS NOTES | ALUMNI PROFILES
YOURNEWS Let your classmates know what is going on in your life. Share news about yourself
in a future issue of Arts & Sciences magazine. Send your information—including
the year you graduated, degree, and major—to Jacky Donate, College of Arts and
Sciences, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248004, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-4620 or
via email to j.donate@miami.edu.
50s
_______________________________
JAMES F. POLLACK, AB ’53, JD ’55, was
nominated by the 11th district for the Tobias
Simon Award for his pro bono work during the
past 3 years. Pollack volunteers at Legal Aid
twice a week. He also volunteers at the Coral
Gables senior program, leading a weekly class
in current events and a monthly jazz class. He
was awarded the 2011 Positive Living Award by
the Alliance for Aging in the legal category.
VICTOR A. RATNER, BS ’54, Chemistry,
was president and CEO of Video Research
Corporation, an engineering and production
company that developed and manufactured
magnetic recording devices for government
and industrial applications. Ratner is now
retired in Roanoke, Virginia, where he
continues to be an active trombonist in local
music organizations.
JOSEPH MASCOLO, AB ’56, Theatre Arts,
has been in the entertainment industry
since he graduated from the University
of Miami in 1956. He has performed on
Broadway, primetime television, daytime
television and feature films, including
starring as Stefano DiMera since 1982
on the popular television show “Days of
Our Lives”.
JERRY V. WILKEY, AB ’55, JD ’57, received
the Florida Bar 50 year Membership “with
distinction” certificate in ’07 and was listed in
Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys.
Wilkey has been retired for 20 years and lives in
Palm Beach with his wife, Sari, B.S. ’57.
DEBORAH A. HOFFMAN, AB ‘56, J.D. ‘83,
received the Positive Living Award, Arts and
Music category, from the Alliance for Aging.
With Catalyst Miami, she recently launched
ReServe Miami, an innovative form of volunteer
civic engagement that provides talented and
experienced adults 55 and older opportunities
to give back to their community through
part-time service positions at Miami-Dade
nonprofits and public agencies.
GORDON R. MILLER, BS ’56, Chemistry, has
practiced opthamology in Miami for 52 years
and was recently appointed voluntary professor
of ophthalmology at the University of Miami’s
Miller School of Medicine.
60s
_______________________________
LEON J. HOFFMAN, AB ‘61, Psychology,
practices psychology in Chicago, specializing
in individual and group psychotherapy and
supervision, consultation and coaching with
individuals and organizations. He maintains hislife-long
passion for music as a chamber music
cellist and invites classmates to make contact.
RUBYE D. JEWELL, AB ’62, Languages, ED ’70,
will retire in July of 2012 after half a century of
teaching in Florida and Maine. She is currently
a teacher at C.W. Ruckel Middle School and
resides in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
ALLAN ROSENBAUM, AB ’62, History, is
professor of public administration and director
of the Institute for Public Management and
Community Service at Florida International
University. He was elected vice president of
the American Society for Public Administration.
His term will begin in March 2012 and he will
accede to the presidency in 2014.
JOHN D. ATLAS, AB ’65, Sociology, received
funding from the IDA Pare Lorentz Documentary
Fund to begin production of a new documentary
about democracy, the new journalism and
poverty through the work of Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now
(ACORN), America’s controversial anti-poverty
community group. The documentary is based on
his book Seeds of Change. He hopes to get the
film completed for the New York Tribecca Film
Festival and released before the 2012 elections.
CHARLES W. PRATT, BS ’67, Geology, welcomed
the arrival of his second grandchild, Henry
George, little brother to Charlie, on December 31,
2010. He hopes both of his grandsons will be UM
graduates. Pratt lives in semi-retirement in central
Florida. He enjoys working on his golf game.
70s
_______________________________
LOUIS J. TRIPOLI, AB ’70, Politics & Public
Affairs, joined the Albany-based civil litigation
and general practice firm Maguire Cardona
where he will serve as managing attorney.
During the past 25 years, Tripoli, a Syracuse
native, has tried medical malpractice cases in
various specialty areas, including obstetrics,
cardiology, internal medicine, neurology,
infectious disease, emergency medicine, nursing
home, and medical professional disciplinary
matters. Tripoli is admitted to practice in New
York, Arizona and the District of Columbia and
before the United States District Courts for the
Northern District of New York, as well as the
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
He is a member of both the New York State and
Onondaga County Bar Associations.
HEATHER FREELAND, AB ’70, Biology, passed
away on July 10, 2011. She is survived by her
husband of 37 years, Jerry Freeland, and her
sons Jerry, James and Kenneth.
GEORGINA A. ANGONES, AB ’72, English, was
appointed by Senator Bill Nelson to serve for
two years on the United States District Court,
Southern District of Florida Judicial Nominating
Commission. She is also the Assistant Dean
for Development and Alumni Relations at the
University of Miami School of Law.
20 SPRING 2012

John Santell found learning, love, and life’s work at UM
MARCELA C. AUERBACH, AB ’73, Sociology,
managing partner at Nolan & Auerbach, P.A.,
received the Lawyer of the Year award from
Taxpayers Against Fraud (TAF) in Washington
D.C. on September 13, 2011. She is a prominent
speaker who has led numerous panel
discussions and training conferences for
attorneys, federal and state prosecutors, and
federal agents on topics such as healthcare
fraud, investigative techniques, and federal
court and trial advocacy. She was a lecturer at
the Department of Justice Advocacy Institute
and spoke on panels at the Taxpayers Against
Fraud Conference and the Southern Health Care
Fraud Institute.
JONATHAN T. LORD, BS ’73, Chemistry, MD
’78, Pathology, joined the University of Miami
in September as chief innovation officer and
professor of pathology at the Miller School of
Medicine. He is currently chair of the board
of directors of Dexcom, which develops new
technologies and improvements in the field of
diabetes and glucose control. A fellow of the
College of American Pathologists (FCAP), he
is also a member of the advisory board to the
director of the Centers for Disease Control in
Atlanta.
RETHA BOONE-FYE, AB ’73, English, was recently
honored by Identify, Connect, Activate, The Black
Accomplished (ICABA) at a reception held in
October. The organization focuses on recognizing
black professionals and entrepreneurs who
excel in their fields. Boon-Fye is currently the
director of Miami-Dade county’s Black Affairs
Advisory Board.
RAYMOND ANGELO BELLIOTTI, MA ‘76,
Philosophy, PhD ’77, Philosophy, was appointed
Distinguished Teaching professor of philosophy
at SUNY at Fredonia. He analyzes our moral
obligations to the dead in his latest book,
Posthumous Harm: Why the Dead are Still
Vulnerable.
DAVID O. HARTMAN, BS ’76, Chemistry,
MBA ’79, was appointed visiting professor
of management at Quinnipiac University
School of Business.
DOUGLAS B. BULLOCK, AB ’77, Geography,
retired full-time in Walterboro, South Carolina
effective January 18, 2012.
He took a circuitous route to his degree, but
John Santell has spent a lifetime building on his
University of Miami experiences. In two stints
at UM, Santell honed the leadership skills that
led to his success as a businessman, he made
connections that shaped other aspects of his
accomplished career, and he met his wife of
60 years.
Santell first enrolled at UM in 1948, when he
and many other World War II veterans worked
on the construction of campus facilities, including
the Merrick Building. He formed friendships
with university administrators, including Vice
President Eugene Cohen and Treasurer John
O’Day, who saw his leadership potential and
put him to work for the university.
Santell was hired by the admissions office
to help veterans enroll in classes. “If it
wasn’t for them, there would probably be
no University of Miami,” he said. “So many
veterans came here, and at that time, the
university needed us.”
Administrators soon asked him to help
revamp the student worker program in the
cafeteria. Santell recruited new staff, set
schedules, and helped speed up the lines.
Cafeteria manager Olga Grob told The
Hurricane in 1950, “Faculty members and
customers agree that the service is much
better since John has been here.”
Sorting out student workers in the cafeteria
gave Santell valuable management experience,
but it also served as backdrop for a great love
story. Santell met his future wife, Carol, when
she stepped in to cover a friend’s shift. “This
little rich girl from Indiana had never worked
and didn’t know the routine of the cafeteria.
But Santell was smitten. He took her out to
his favorite off-campus spot, The Nook, where
he treated her to a 35-cent burger and beer
and asked her to marry him that very night.
“Carol, an art major, thought I was crazy, but I
knew I was going to marry her,” he said. “And
here we are.”
After the couple married in 1951, they spent
almost a decade away from Miami, while Santell
built a career in real estate and insurance. But
John, Carol, and their two children came back
to UM so that he could finish his degree. Upon
his return, administrators had another job for
Santell—as a campus police officer. He worked
nights patrolling the university and studying
during quiet times to complete a bachelor’s
degree in sociology and psychology.
“I wanted to be an anthropologist, but one
of the professors told me, ‘You’ve got too
much chutzpah. You should be a lawyer or a
businessman,’” Santell recalled. He did spend
“I love the University of Miami. I loved
everyone there. It was a wonderful
place for me.”
JOHN SANTELL (Above, with wife Carol)
a couple of years at the law school, which he
then left to pursue politics.
Working on political campaigns led to a job
at the Federal Housing Administration, and
eventually to his long career as a consultant.
“I represent about 20 of the biggest insurance
companies in the world,” he said, “and when
they have a problem with a government, I help
them get it resolved.”
In the ‘80s, the couple decided to spend a
year in Paris so Carol could further explore
her art. Carol was selected to exhibit her work
at the prestigious Grand Palais in Paris, and
one year became seven as her reputation as
an artist grew. As Carol’s dreams came true,
John followed his own passion for culinary
exploration.
John credits the university not only for the
skills it taught him, but also for the impact
UM has had throughout their lives. “I love
the University of Miami,” Santell said. ”I
loved everyone there. It was a wonderful
place for me.”
ARTS | SCIENCES 21

TRACKINGHURRICANES
CLASS NOTES | ALUMNI PROFILES
A civil litigator’s
competitive edge
RIGOROUS UNDERGRAD
EXPERIENCE AT UM HELPED
MOLD A TOP LAWYER.
“At UM, I began to learn
how to construct arguments
and how to be an effective
advocate. In the liberal arts,
there’s never one definitive
answer. Instead, there’s a
lot of open discussion and
defending of your position.”
DAVE BELL ’98
Dave Bell, B.A. ’98, has built an impressive record in
civil litigation. As counsel at the Washington, D.C., law
firm of Crowell & Moring, he has represented clients
in commercial, governmental, and international litigation
and has become a leading expert on electronic
evidence. Bell’s defense of a federal prison official in
Brooklyn, who had been sued by Pakistani detainees
after the September 11th terrorist attacks, even led
him to our nation’s highest court in 2009.
Bell’s client was a party to Ashcroft vs. Iqbal, in
which the Supreme Court ruled that top officials were
not liable for the potentially discriminatory actions
of subordinates, unless the officials directly ordered
those actions. “It’s been rewarding to represent a
government official who was trying his best to do a
very difficult job in the immediate aftermath of 9-11,”
he said.
The seeds of Bell’s success, he believes, were
sown in his liberal-arts education at the University
of Miami, which he attended on a partial swimming
scholarship, triple-majoring in political science,
English, and criminology.
“At UM, I began to learn how to construct arguments
and how to be an effective advocate,” said
Bell. “In the liberal arts, there’s never one definitive
answer. Instead, there’s a lot of open discussion and
defending of your position.”
Bell’s competitive nature helped him to excel at UM
both as a swimmer and a scholar. His name remains
on the record wall at the University Center Swimming
Pool for the men’s 200-yard medley relay. He also was
elected to Phi Beta Kappa, though he’s still a little
embarrassed by one of his grades.
“It’s ironic that I only got a B+ as an undergraduate
in Constitutional Law, since that’s been an important
part of my practice,” he joked. Bell later rectified that
errant B—with a higher mark in constitutional law at
the University of Virginia School of Law, from which
he graduated in 2001.
Bell’s performance on the job has been as exemplary
as his academic record. His strong work ethic
and determination, colleagues note, have made
him a rising star on the forefront of important topics
in the law, even bringing him to the ultimate legal
venue. “Being sworn into the Supreme Court bar was
an amazing experience,” he said. “Sitting 10 feet
from the justices and hearing them discuss a case I
had worked on for two years was a highlight of my
career.”
MARTA ORTIZ- BUONAFINA, PhD ’79,
International Studies, passed away on Sunday,
November 29, 2009.
80s
_______________________________
BARRY P. GOLOB, BS ’83, Chemistry, was named
recruiting partner of Duane Morris’ Intellectual
Property Practice Group. He practices in the
area of intellectual property law and litigation
with an emphasis on patent, trademark,
copyright, trade secret and unfair competition
litigation. He has represented clients in various
fields of technology including computer
software, pharmaceuticals, medical devices,
office furniture, the Internet, insurance,
manufacturing, LEDs and telecommunications.
NINA MARINO, AB ’85, English, is a partner
at Kaplan Marino in Los Angeles, California.
Marino, an expert in complex white-collar
crime matters, spoke on the issue of
representing the individual at the 26th Annual
National Institute on White Collar Crime in
Miami on March 1, 2012.
MARIANELA NOGUERA, BFA ’85, Art, a
Venezuelan artist, started her artistic career
more than 40 years ago. She is currently an
art teacher for Miami-Dade County Public
Schools. Besides commission artworks, she
has dedicated her artistic talent to serve the
community. She has painted murals for Frank C.
Martin K-8 Center, Hands of Miami, children’s
psychiatrist center in Hialeah, Florida, and
South Dade Middle School among others.
TIMOTHY S. HUEBNER, AB ’88, History, was
recently featured on C-SPAN 3’s American History
TV where he lectured on President Abraham
Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. To
watch the lecture, visit http://www.c-span.org/
Events/AHTV-Preview/10737425225-1/
ANITA CHENG, AB ’89, English, passed away
in September 2011. After graduating from
the University of Miami, she went on to
Georgetown where she earned her law degree.
She worked for the FCC and lived with her
husband, Michael, and their two children.
22 SPRING 2012

Like us on
Facebook
BECOME OUR FAN BY VISITING THIS LINK:
www.facebook.com/UniversityofMiamiCollegeofArtsandSciences/
Keep track of Hurricane Classmates by visiting our new Facebook page.
Scan this QR code with your smartphone
to visit our Facebook page online.
JENNIFER V. RUIZ, AB ’89, Sociology, JD ’92,
moved to Washington D.C. after graduation
where she worked as in-house counsel
attaining the position of Assistant General
Counsel at the United Mine Workers of America
Health and Retirement Funds. She then took
a few years off to become a full time stay-athome
mom to 2 beautiful girls she adopted from
Guatemala. She returned to the workforce to
pursue a career in Immigration Law. Ruiz is
licensed to practice in Florida, Washington D.C.
and Wisconsin and is fluent in Spanish.
90s
_______________________________
MICHAEL HETTICH, PhD ’91, English, published
a book of poems entitled The Animals Beyond
Us, which suggests that by growing more
attentive to the beauty, mystery, and cruelty of
nature, we can make peace with loss and with
the inner world. His work is published widely in
journals and anthologies, and he has published
six books of poetry including Flock and Shadow
(New River Press, 2005). He teaches English
and creative writing at Miami Dade College.
BLAND ENG, BS ’92, Mathematics and English,
was appointed Chief Executive Officer of
Brandon Regional Hospital. Eng, 41, has
worked for HCA for 17 years, most recently for
five years as CEO of Palms West Hospital in
Loxahatchee.
GLORIA M. ESTEFAN, AB ’78, Psychology,
recently released a new album—Little
Miss Havana. Known as the “Queen
of Latin Pop,” Estefan is in the top 100
bestselling music artists with over 100
million albums sold worldwide, 31.5
million of those in the United States.
Estefan has won seven Grammy Awards,
and is the most successful crossover
performer in Latin music to date.
LEYZA F. BLANCO, AB ’93, Psychology, JD
’96, was recently re-elected to the board
of directors for the International Women’s
Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation
(IWIRC) as an at-large director for a twoyear
term. Blanco works at Gray Robinson’s
Miami office, concentrating her practice
area on litigation matters including banking
and finance, complex business bankruptcy,
creditor’s rights and commercial litigation. She
has been selected as one of Florida Trend’s
“Legal Elite” since 2008 and was recognized
by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on its list of
“Outstanding Lawyers of Miami-Dade County
40 Under 40” in 2010. In addition, she serves
as lead adjunct professor for the bankruptcy
clinical program she launched at Florida
International University College of Law.
ROBERT C. HARDING, MA ’95, Inter American
Studies, PhD ’98, International Studies, director
of international studies and chair and associate
professor of political science, has been
awarded tenure and promoted to associate
professor and chair of political science
at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.
Previously, he was assistant professor at
Lynchburg College. His newest book, Space
Policy in Developing Countries, will be
published by Routledge in 2012.
EARNEST DELOACH, BA ’96, Political Science
and International Studies, served as panelist
on U.S. Congresswoman Corrine Brown’s
September 30, 2011 Church Foreclosure
Prevention Seminar and published an article
entitled “Seven Tricky Contract Terms and
What They Really Mean” in the Winter 2011
edition of Seminole Magazine. His business,
Young DeLoach PLLC, was named the 2011
New Emerging Business of the Year by the
African American Chamber of Commerce of
Central Florida.
JESSICA I. DAMIAN, AB ’96, English, PhD ’07,
English, was promoted to associate professor
of English at Georgia Gwinnett College, earned
GGC’s Outstanding Teaching Award, and
received the University System of Georgia’s
Teaching Excellence Award — the state’s
highest honor. She also was invited by Georgia
Gwinnett College to give the keynote address at
this year’s Convocation.
EZEQUIEL MORSELLA, BA ‘96, Psychology, was
named a faculty member at San Francisco
State University as well as the Department of
Neurology at the University of California, San
Francisco. His neuroscience research on the
brain’s conscious and unconscious processes
involved in action production has led to more
than forty scientific publications and two books,
including Oxford Handbook of Human Action.
In 2010, Morsella was nominated along with
six other neuroscientists/psychologists for the
Virtual Nobel Prize in Psychology (organized by
the University of Klagenfurt, Austria).
CHARONG CHOW, AB ’97, Philosophy, BFA
’97, Sculpture, is an internationally exhibited
artist and author. Her debut novel, Random,
was inspired by her best friend’s death. She
also writes a recipe and lifestyle blog with her
children, www.EatingWithHudson.com. She
lives with her husband, two children, and a
menagerie of animals in Sonora, California.
ANTONIO PALMER, BS ‘97, Biology, MSED
‘99, Sports Medicines, is the chief radiation
therapist at the University of Miami Hospital
and Clinics/Sylvester Cancer Center at
Deerfield Beach. He is married to Aileen Reyes
Palmer, AB ‘97, Economics, MSED ’99. They
live in Vero Beach, Florida, with their three
future Canes.
ARTS | SCIENCES 23

TRACKINGHURRICANES
CLASS NOTES | ALUMNI PROFILES
ARIELLE D. CHIKOVSKY, AB ’03, English, is an attorney in her
father’s Hollywood, Florida firm. She has skydived in New Zealand
and SCUBA dived in Australia, despite a diagnosis of hereditary
Usher Syndrome. In May, Chikovsky won $25,000 in the American
Eagle Outfitter’s Live Your Life contest, which she donated to
Hope for Vision, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding
treatments and cures for retinal degenerative diseases like
Usher Syndrome. Hope for Vision created Chikovsky’s dream fund
through which she hopes to raise $1 million to promote research
and awareness for blinding conditions.
10s
_______________________________
SCOTT MCNEIL, AB, ’11, Psychology, has
written a memoir about about his 15-year
battle with brain cancer. McNeil shares
his story with others to help motivate and
inspire them to never give up. He was able to
graduate from UM despite his constant fight
with cancer. Learn more about Scott at
www.scottsmcneil.com
ANTHONY ROSA, AB ’97, Sociology, is the
CEO and Founder of GSEA Fashion Group,
www.gseafg.com, a manufacturing company
he created after graduation, with offices in
Peru and New York.
ELIZABETH PRATT DAGGETT, BS ’98, Chemistry,
works for the U.S. Department of Education and
lives in Washington, D.C. with her family. She
has two children.
00s
_______________________________
ELIZABETH MCDANIEL-GARCIA, B.A. ’04,
Political Science, MBA ’11, was accepted to
the Teachers College, Columbia University to
receive her second Master’s Degree in the
field of Early Learning. She opened the third
campus of the Discovery Day Academy, her
school of early learning in August 2011. The
program focuses on mathematics, science
and critical thinking for children from birth to
5 years old.
MIGUEL ENDARA, BFA ‘06, Graphic Design,
a Miami-based web developer and stipple
enthusiast, recreated a Xeroxed picture of
his father using 3.2 million dots. The video
showing the process of this picture quickly
went viral. He found art as a perfect medium
to pay tribute to his father. See the video at
http://miguelendara.com/video/
SEAN M. KILPATRICK, A.B. ’06 Psychology,
MSED ’09 and SUSAN L. LEARY, AB ’06
English, MA ’08, celebrated their one-year
wedding anniversary on January 22, 2012.
Both work for their alma mater. Leary is a
lecturer in English composition and Kilpatrick
is the associate director of advising in the
Department of Psychology.
EVAN FELDSTEIN, BS ‘07, Psychobiology, is
currently a second-year law student at the
Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona
State University in Tempe, Arizona.
JENNA L. BLATSTEIN, AB ’08, Criminology,
launched her eponymous lingerie and
intimates brand in 2009. Her designs feature
ultra-chic style and stunning technical details,
fused with the contemporary need for
comfort and practicality. They are sold at
www.jennaleighlingerie.com
MARK L. SHYMAN, MALS ’08, Liberal Studies,
donated a Torah scroll to Mann’s Chabad in
South Beach. Its arrival now allows the shul
to have two Torahs, the number required for
proper Judaic worship.
MARGARET CARDILLO, MFA ’09, English, won
the gold medal for the Florida Book Award
in the Children’s Literature category for her
book, Just Being Audrey.
ALISON M. BRESCIA GRAY, BS ’08,
Psychology, BHS ’08, Pre-Physical
Therapy, DPT ’11, Physical Therapy and
JASON GRAY, BBA ’09, Accounting,
were married on September 10, 2011
in Summerfield, North Carolina, in the
company of many fellow Canes.
24 SPRING 2012

The College of Arts and Sciences appreciates
your commitment to enhancing learning and transforming lives.
MOMENTUM 2
THE BREAKTHROUGH CAMPAIGN FOR
THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
#
GIVE TO THE CAMPAIGN
Visit www.as.miami.edu/donate
or scan this QR code with your
smartphone to donate online.
SUBMIT YOUR CLASS NOTES
Send in your news for inclusion in the next Class Notes section of Arts and
Sciences Magazine. Submit online at www.as.miami.edu/alumni/
classnotes or email j.donate@miami.edu
MAIL THIS FORM TO:
Jacky Donate
College of Arts and Sciences
University of Miami
P.O. Box 248004
Coral Gables, FL 33124-9965
NAME:
UM DEGREE/MAJOR:
NOTES:
EMAIL:
YEAR:

1252 Memorial Drive | Ashe Building 227
Coral Gables, FL 33121-9965
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 438
Miami, FL
Theatre reimagined
Scan this QR code with your smartphone
or visit http://bit.ly/x6gS4o to learn about
the new adaptation of The Bacchae.
RETHINKING
CLASSIC THEATRE
THEN & NOW
In 1965, theatre students collaborated
with professionals to perform
updated adaptations of Hamlet,
Twelfth Night, The Tempest and
Julius Caesar at a Shakespeare
festival. This February, theatre
students performed an outdoor,
modern version of The Bacchae, an
ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides.
“I believe that in order to know
where you’re going, you have to
know where you came from,” said
Nicholas Ley, who played Dionysis
in The Bacchae. “Adaptations
filter the history in a way that’s
very relevant and approachable to
audiences today.”