Faculty produce creative, scholarly work

It was a productive spring for faculty members in the creative arts at Pitt-Bradford as they presented their work from New York City to Korea.

Performances of compositions by Dr. Joshua Groffman, assistant professor of music, were given at Vincennes University in Vincennes, Ind., by the Poné Ensemble for New Music in New Paltz, N.Y., and at the Voices Up! concert series at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus in New York.

He also presented a paper, “A Guided Inquiry Approach to the Core Theory Sequence” at the College Music Society' Northeast Spring Concert at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.

Groffman also received a grant with Sarah Heady from Arts Mid-Hudson to fund a developmental workshop of their new opera, “Unfinished,” this summer in Millbrook, N.Y., and New York City.

A video performance by Anna Lemnitzer, assistant professor of art, “Bathing Residue,” was on display at the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art Museum Korea. She also exhibited work at the Penn-Brad Oil Museum Art Auction and Reception.

This summer, she will be the artist in residence at Lolo National Forest Rock Creek Area in Missoula, Mont., where she will complete a series of 13 life-size drawing and watercolor pieces.

Cheri Thomas Maxson, instructor of writing, published a play, “Murder at the Malt Shop,” a 1950s melodrama, with Pioneer Drama Service. Maxson wrote and staged the play in 2010 at Oswayo Valley High School.

Dr. Nancy McCabe, professor of writing, published two reviews and four articles for Ploughshares Online. The subject of her articles concerned the Johnstown Flood, orphan trains and bathrooms in literature, roadkill poetry and Laura Ingall Wilder's connection to Cuba, N.Y.

Additionally, she signed a contract for her first novel, “Following Disasters” to be released by Outpost 19 on Oct. 1.

Carol Newman, instructor of writing, had a poem chosen for the anthology “Far Out: Poems of the '60s” published by Wings Press. The poem, “Simplicity” is under the section titled “What's that Sound?”

“None of us knew it then, but we were on the cusp of the so-called sexual revolution and Vietnam. My poem grew from the reflection on that rapid transition from innocence to knowledge, what we thought was ahead of us and what came to be, and that last joyous breath of total innocence,” Newman said.

Faculty outside the creative arts made presentations as well.

Dr. Helma de Vries-Jordan, assistant professor of political science, published an article, “Marriage Equality in Ireland: A Historic Referendum and Victory for LGBT Rights” in the newsletter of the European Studies Center and Jean Monnet European Center of Excellence.

Dr. Donna Dombeck, associate professor of education, made a presentation, “Meeting Charlotte - Broadening Awareness of the Teaching Effectiveness Instrument for Teacher Candidates, at the 2016 National Student Teaching and Supervision Conference in West Chester.

Dr. Tracee Howell, assistant professor of English, presented a paper, “Practicing What We Preach: Rhetorical and Sexual Violence in the Academy” at the 2016 Northeast Modern Language Association in Hartford, Conn.

Howell also presented with Catherine Kula, instructor of writing, at the International Writing Center Association Collaboratory in Houston.

Dr. Shelley Klinek, assistant professor of health and physical education, received a grant for $3,200 for archery equipment from the organization Autism Speaks to conduct a research project on archery and autism.

Dr. Jean Truman, made a poster presentation at Drexel University's EDU-SIM Conference: Transforming the Educational Landscape in Clearwater, Fla. Her presentation, “Enhancing Focused Assessment Utilizing Standardized Patients During a Burn Situation,” explained her work using people posing as patients to teach students in the Associate of Science in Nursing program at Pitt-Bradford.