Brevard College Professor Receives Distinguished Theatre Studies Award

Brevard College Coordinator of Theatre Studies Dr. Kelly Carolyn Gordon recently received the Robert A. Schanke Research Award for excellence in theatre scholarship at the Mid-America Theatre Conference in Chicago.

Gordon, who has taught acting, directing, and script analysis as well as directed at Brevard College since 2008, was recognized for her article, “Class Act(resses): How Depression-Era Stage Actresses Utilized Conflicting Cultural Ideals for Women to Fight Economic Crisis in Their Community,” which she presented as part of the conference's Theatre History Symposium. The article discusses how actresses utilized elements of the conflicting “true” and “new” ideals for women to create a number of ingenious projects to aid unemployed theatre workers during this period. In particular, the paper focuses on Selena Royle’s founding of the Actor’s Dinner Club in New York City.

Gordon earned a Ph.D in theatre history, with a certificate in women’s studies, from the University of Georgia, and a master’s degree in directing from Emerson College. She completed her undergraduate work at Ohio Wesleyan University and the City of London Polytechnic. Gordon has also studied at Piven Theatre Workshop and La Mama's International Symposium for Directors in Umbria, Italy. Her writing has appeared in Lighting Dimensions, The Encyclopedia of Modern Drama and The Dallas Morning News. Last summer, Gordon was a Fellow of the Leadership Institute of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. She is the granddaughter of actor Eddie Bracken.

The Robert A. Schanke Research Award is given annually to an untenured faculty presenter of the Theatre History Symposium and carries a cash award of $500 as well as subsequent publication of the paper in Theatre History Studies, the journal of the Mid-America Theatre Conference. Established in 2005, the award is named for Robert A. Schanke, a noted theatre educator and scholar for more than 40 years.

Brevard College’s Library Recognizes Women’s History Month

Brevard College’s J.A. Jones Library is recognizing Women’s History Month and its theme “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet” by offering a wide range of materials that honor women who have taken the lead in the environmental or “green” movement.

The Brevard College Library collection includes books, encyclopedias, journals and e-books representing women as scientists, adventurers, writers, politicians, teachers, naturalists, feminists, heroines, leaders and other women of achievement. Sample resources include Academic Search Premier (online); “A Companion to American Women’s History; Britannica Online”; “Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor”; “The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement”; “Journal of Women's History” (online); “See Jane Lead”; “Such News of the Land: U.S. Women Nature Writers”; “Verve: Western North Carolina’s Smartest Magazine for Women”; “Women and Leadership”; “Women in World History: a biographical history; Women, Power, and Politics”; and “Women Pioneers for the Environment”.

National Women’s History Month honorees for 2009 were chosen as having shown leadership in preserving the natural environment and reversing ecological destruction. To learn more about the nominees and women’s historic accomplishments, visit the National Women’s History Project Web page at www.nwhp.org. A Women’s History Resource Catalog and other pertinent resources on women’s history are available through the Brevard College Library during regular library hours. The library is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and Sunday 3 p.m. - 10 p.m. For more information about the library and its resources, contact Mike McCabe, director of the library, at 884-8248 or library@brevard.edu.

Brevard College Professor Invited to Attend Oxford Round Table On Ethics

Brevard College Associate Professor of Business & Organizational Leadership Barbara Boerner will travel to England this month to participate in an upcoming Oxford Round Table on ethics.

Boerner, who has taught at Brevard College since 1998, is one of 30 academic, business and government leaders from around the world who received an invitation to discuss “Ethics: The Convolution of Contemporary Values.” The Round Table will be held March 22-27 at Lincoln College in the University of Oxford. During the Round Table, Boerner will present her paper on “Organizational Responsibility for Ethical Behavior: How a Learning Organization Instills Ethical Culture.” Papers presented at the Round Table may be subsequently submitted for publication in the Forum on Public Policy, a journal of the Oxford Round Table. The Forum is published in both hard copy and online formats. Papers considered for publication in the Forum are evaluated by peer reviewers as to technical and substantive quality and for potential to make a significant contribution to new knowledge in the field.

The Oxford Round Table celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It was founded as a colloquium for small groups of governmental leaders and academics to engage in discussions of contemporary public policy issues that affect states and nations. Alumni of the Round Table include professors, university presidents and vice-chancellors, lawyers, physicians and ministers of education from many countries and institutions throughout the world.

Round Table participants are selected after a screening process. They can be nominated by previous participants or directors, from recognized presentations and awards from state and national organizations or be a representative of a successful university or school district.

Boerner, who has presented papers at international conferences in Rome, Italy and Athens, Greece, is a Doctor of Business Administration candidate in International Business at Argosy University; and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University; a master’s degree in education from The American University; and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.