November 10th, 2010
Philosophy Professor Paul Churchill, Dean Barratt, Makwei Mabioor Deng, and Evan Faber.
I recently met an incredible young man named Makwei Mabioor Deng, GW’s first Banaa Scholar. Originally from a village in the southern Sudan, Deng and his family fled to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya where they lived for 16 years. Deng came to GW via the Banaa scholarship program in 2008 and is now majoring in philosophy with aspirations of law school.
On top of his full load with GW, Deng recently completed a book in Dinka, the language spoken by the more than three million Jieng people in the Sudan and across the globe. His efforts will help transition Dinka from an oral language to a standardized written language, and his book has the potential to introduce written language the Jieng people.
Banaa was created by recent alumni Evan Faber, BA ’09, Justin Zorn, BA ’08, and a few of their fellow students activists during their time at GW. Arabic for “build” or “create,” Banna provides a free education to Sudanese students in the United States on the condition that they will return home to improve their country. Its mission is to improve the conflicts in Dafur and Sudan by empowering peacemakers both within and without of the countries.
GW is currently accepting applications for an additional Banaa student to begin in Fall 2011. I encourage you to learn more about Banaa.org and their efforts and view the video about Deng’s experience thus far.
Tags: Banna Scholar, Banna.org, Philosophy
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October 25th, 2010
“One of the themes in Oleanna is the relationship between power and language and therefore between fact and language: Those in power control the language and, therefore, control its meaning, its effect and its relationship to the truth.”
—Theatre Professor Alan Wade
Recently, GW’s Main Stage opened its season with David Mamet’s Oleanna, produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance and directed by Theatre Professor Alan Wade. The production featured four nights of performances: one by the Alpha cast, one by the Omega cast, and, in an interesting experiment, two shows were performed by a combination of players from each of the two casts. The experiment was fascinating to watch as the actors did not rehearse together prior to the performance. In front of our eyes, they created their own staging as their lines unfolded. I was very impressed with the student actors’ abilities to adapt in the moment to their scene partners.
Keep an eye out for Main Stage’s upcoming performances. Don’t miss William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, premiering Halloween weekend!
Tags: Department of Theatre and Dance, MainStage, student performances
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October 22nd, 2010
Last weekend, the campus was bursting with students and their parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends. Colonials Weekend is a time for families to visit, spend some time with their Colonial, and learn more about GW. This year’s festivities included live music and performances, pumpkin carving at the annual Octoberfest on the Mount Vernon Campus, and two performances by comedian Jimmy Fallon.
At the Parent’s Association Advisory Council meeting, I chatted with parents about our academics and the improvements we’ve made to our advising system. They were pleased to hear that we’ve doubled the number of professional advisors now available to undergraduates. On Saturday morning, nearly 500 parents and students stopped by the Dean’s Breakfast to socialize with members of our faculty and administration. I spoke to them about the special academic opportunities we offer our students, such as the Dean’s Seminars for freshmen.
It was an all-around great weekend, and I appreciate the efforts families made to join us and their students on campus for the festivities.
Tags: Colonials Weekend, fall on campus, parents, Students
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August 30th, 2010
National Council Advisory Group member Ron Pump, BA ’64, recently asked, “Is there concern given the current economic maelstrom that ‘the arts’ will suffer? Will there be poets tomorrow to soothe the minds, artists whose canvasses capture the beauty and nuance of the human spirit, or novelists who enrich and excite our imagination?”
I am convinced that there will continue to be actors that bring life to the angst and triumph of the human condition—and among them will be the talented graduates of the Academy for Classical Acting Program. The academy, a collaboration between the Shakespeare Theatre and the Columbian College, has trained more than 140 actors in classical acting over the years. This summer, our students performed in two productions: King Lear by William Shakespeare and The Malcontent by John Marston. The photos in this post show the MFA graduates as they celebrate the conclusion of the incredibly intense year they spent focused completely on classical acting.
Bravo!
Tags: Academy of Classical Acting, Shakespeare
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July 23rd, 2010
Summer Academic English students at the Lincoln Memorial.
I recently welcomed to campus our new first-year international students who are participating in the Summer Academic English Program.
Organized by Professor Shoko Hamano, director of the Columbian College Language Center, the program is designed to ease the cultural transition of incoming international students while giving them a head-start on academic requirements. The students experience dorm living, have access to University libraries, facilities, advisors and faculty, and participate on field trips to museums, monuments, and other venues to learn their way around Washington, DC. While getting acclimated, the students earn seven credits towards their undergraduate degrees.
Among the courses is “American Multi-Cultural Perspectives,” which teaches the conventions of university-level academic writing, and an academic skills workshop that teaches specific strategies for critical reading and discussion of presentation skills.
It was a joy to meet this summer’s group of six students and wish them well on their GW academic experiences in the fall.
Tags: Columbian College Language Center, Summer Academic English Program
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July 15th, 2010
International Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship 2010
Last week, The GW Documentary Center wrapped up the 2010 International Emerging Flimmakers Fellowship Program. Twenty finalists—10 women and 10 men—were selected to participate out of 251 filmmakers from 56 countries who applied. They spent six weeks in DC, traveling from places like Morocco, Nicaragua, India (Kashmir), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Brazil, Armenia, Malaysia, Uganda, Pakistan, South Africa, Colombia, Egypt, Rwanda, Nepal, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Kyrgyzstan, Ghana, and Cambodia.
These individuals are the new thought leaders and storytellers of the 21st century. They were challenged, tested, and asked to move past the difficulties of language, pre-determined political opinions, and cultural divides. The resulting films are a collection of their ideas, peoples, and value systems.
The fellowship program, launched in 2008, reflects GW’s belief in international dialogue and the truly global impact of public diplomacy. The 2010 Fellowship was made possible by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State and the generous in kind support of the Panasonic Corporation of America. We are proud to be part of bringing together this creative international talent to our campus!
Watch the 2010 International Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship video from the Center for Innovative Media.
Tags: Documentary Center, International Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship Program
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July 2nd, 2010
Art student Olivia Krueger and Dean Barratt.
At the end of spring semester, the Department of Fine Arts and Art History used Classroom 102, their student-run gallery, to exhibit the work of our budding artists.
I was particularly impressed with the work of art student Olivia Krueger, who used a cement pillar as a canvas for her work. She covered the pillar with receipts collected randomly from her roommates, students at other universities, and her own wallet. The resulting exhibition is a fascinating reflection of, and comment on, our big and small purchases and transactions where no money was exchanged. Her installation won third place in the Fine Arts and Art History Department’s 2010 Annual Award Show.
I was so taken with Olivia’s project that I invited her to display her piece on the pillar in Columbian College’s main office for the summer. It is a provocative piece that has inspired a variety of interesting responses in its first few days of installation. I’m proud to say that I participated in the creative process and contributed a handful of my own receipts as Olivia reassembled the piece. I love this unique update to our office—please stop by Phillips Hall, suite 212, to see it.
Tags: Dean's office, Department of Fine Arts and Art History, student art
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July 1st, 2010
Dean Barratt with students at Colonial Inauguration.
It’s Colonial Inauguration time! During this special time of the year, incoming students and their families visit GW for summer orientation—campus tours, question and answer sessions, and learning about student life.
While the parents were on campus with their budding undergraduates, I spoke with them about the breadth and depth of the arts and sciences at Columbian College. I also gave them an overview of our excellent advising system, and its recent enhancements—we just doubled the number of our professional advisors, allowing more time for personal contact between students and advisors.
Colonial Inauguration also hosted a Majors Fair where faculty from each of our departments spoke with students about courses they may wish to take within each of our departments. Students can choose from our large menu of 46 majors and 57 minors, 26 combined bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and a broad range of special academic opportunities.
To all our incoming students, welcome! We look forward to having you on campus this fall.
Tags: advising, Colonial Inauguration, new students
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June 30th, 2010
Shakespeare Theatre Company Director Michael Kahn, Dean Barratt, and Academy for Classic Acting Director Gary Logan.
The Academy for Classical Acting is GW’s one-year intensive MFA program that is a collaborative undertaking with Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company. This year’s students are finishing their year of study by performing two plays in repertory: King Lear by William Shakespeare and The Malcontent by John Marston.
DC area alumni were invited to join in a reception on opening night to learn more about the Academy for Classical Acting from our Shakespeare Theatre partner Michael Kahn. Guests also received a brief synopsis of King Lear from Academy Director Gary Logan. I personally had the opportunity to attend both performances, and I was completely carried away into Shakespeare’s time with stories that are still so relevant for today. Performances of both plays continue this week; you can find more details and reserve tickets at: http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/academy/index.aspx.
Tags: Academy for Classical Acting, arts, Shakespeare Theatre Company
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May 26th, 2010
Dean Barratt with the Gaffney Family.
One of the many moments that made Commencement weekend so special was my time with alumnus John Gaffney, BA ‘82, who is Chairman my National Council Advisory Board. It was such a pleasure to meet John’s mother, and the rest of the Gaffney family who had gathered to celebrate the graduation of Sean, the next generation of Gaffneys at GW. The Gaffney legacy continues this fall when Sean’s sister, Caroline, enters Columbian College as a freshman, and brother, Conor, transfers from Franklin and Marshall College for his third year.
John Gaffney and Dean Barratt.
John spoke at Columbian College’s noon Celebration and presented the GW Alumni Association prize to Political Science graduate Julienne DeWalt. He applauded her accomplishments and reminded the students that they are now part of the GW alumni family. As I am a GW alumna too, I sincerely endorse John’s remarks. We hope that our graduates will keep in touch and find ways to participate in our lifelong and worldwide community and give back to their alma mater through volunteer service and philanthropy.
Thanks so much to John for the important role he continues to play in the life of Columbian College!
Tags: Celebration, Graduation
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