OATdb Archive

2009 - 2010

Theatre And Dance, Department Of

Goal
Procure Appropriate Resources To Facilitate The Academic Mission Of The Department
The department will monitor the classroom, laboratory, research, and out-reach (service) needs of the unit. Budget requests will reflect these needs.

Objective
Increase Money Available For Scholarships For Theatre, Dance And Musical Theatre Students.
Increase funds raised.  Funds are raised at Gala and at UIL One act Play workshop. These activities are conducted in coordination with University Advancement.

Indicator
Assess Monies At Year's End Within The Friends Of Theatre And Friends Of Dance Accounts
Friends of Theatre and Friends of Dance accounts hold all monies raised by all departmental development activity. Funds are monitored monthly and reviewed at year's end .


Criterion
Raise $40,000 From Scholarship Gala.
Raise $40,000 at the annual scholarship fundraiser.

Finding
The $40,000 Criterion Was Not Met This Year
The  $40,000 Criterion was not met this year. The change in the economic climate impacted the level of giving. In addition we reestablished our Gala and the date was not conducive to full attendance.

Action
Review Fundraising Efforts
We have reassessed need for further development in the area of scholarship fundraising.We reevaluated the effectiveness of the scholarship gala and have determined what we could do to improve its effectiveness next year.


Goal
Provide A Rigorous, Current Curriculum
Provide A Rigorous, Current Curriculum for both Theatre and Dance

Objective
Discontinue Dance BA - Admit Students Only To BFA Program
The dance faculty will no longer admit students to the BA in Dance program.  Every student admitted at the undergraduate level from this year forward will pursue the BFA degree. Remaining Dance BA students will graduate under the requirements of the BA degree, and will be advised to determine if they can meet the standards trequired to be admitted to the BFA program.

Indicator
Dance BFA Undergraduate Admissions Only In 2009-2010
Beginning with the fall 2009 audition, all undergraduate admissions will be made for the BFA degree program.


Criterion
Students Not Meeting Dance BFA Standards Not Admitted
AS of Fall 2009, any students who do not meet the BFA Dance program admission standards will not be admitted to the SHSU dance program at all.  BFA admission is based upon juried audition.


Finding
No Undergraduate Dance Students Admitted Except To BFA Progam
In 2009-2010 there were no students admitted to an undergraduate SHSU Dance program except for the BFA program.  


Action
Rigorously Monitor Admission Standards For Dance BFA
The major concerns of faculty at this point in the transition away from the BA are potential decreases in number of total dance majors, and a general decrease in the quality of BFA student (lowering the bar of admission to BFA in order to insure sufficient dance majors in the program). While the quality of the 2009-2010 Dance BFA admission auditions did not raise alarm, the pressures of sustaining enrollment levels have convinced the  Dance faculty to continue to assess the outcomes of moving towards the single degree plan.

Goal
Promote Excellence In Creative Activities
Promote Excellence In Creative Activities

Objective
Demonstrate Externally Defined Competitive Excellence
In 2009-2010, The Dance program will demonstrate externally defined competitive excellence in regional and national arenas, e.g., the South-Central region of the American College Dance Festival and the Kennedy Center National Festival in Washington DC.

Indicator
Adjudication By American College Dance Festival Association DRAFT
Each year, the SHSU dance program submits choreographic work to be adjudicated at the South-Central region of the American College Dance Festival.  In this forum, both the merit of choreography and the performance of the dancers is evaluated with detailed oral feedback from three professionals in the dance community.  Works considered to demonstrate exceptional quality are selected for the Gala concert.  In even numbered years, between 2 and 4 works are selected to be presented at the Kennedy Center National Festival in Washington DC.


Criterion
Earn Recognition By American College Dance Festival Association
The SHSU Dance Program will l be recognized as outstanding  by external adjudication on the basis of winning choreography and performers who are rated as outstanding . The ultimate recognition is selection for the Gala  Concert and for the Kennedy Center National Festival in Washington on the basis of adjudication at the South-Central region of the American College Dance Festival

Finding
Selected For Gala And National Festival In 2010
The SHSU Dance Department earned recognition as an outstanding program. SHSU presented choregraphy by Assistant Professor Andy Noble, featuring 9 dance BFA majors.  From approximately 40 works presented at theSouth-Central REgion, Kinky Kool fAn Blowing Hard (by NOble) was selected for the Gala, and was one of four works chosen for presentation at the Kennedy Center.  The adjudicators were extremely complimentary about the technical and performance talent of all 9 students.  At the National FEstival, student Jesus Acosta-Herrera was recognized as one of 10 outstanding student performers; this information will be included in a news release to be published in Dance Magazine, the premiere publication for dance news

Action
Continue To Strive For ACDF Panel Recognition Of Excellence
  Faculty were satisfied with the technical and performance achievements of students as reviewed and judged by the ACDF panel. They are resolved to continue to strive for ACDF Panel recognition of the Dance Programs’ choreographic and performance excellence in the future. This helps to set the bar high for current and prospective students and can be used to help increase awareness of the SHSU Dance Program . This may be used to help stimulate enrollment , improve the applicant pool and support the maiintenance of high BFA admission standards

 



Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement The procurement of appropriate resources is an on going mission for the Department. The scholarship gala was successful last year in raising approximately $19,000, which fell short of our expectation.  We have  reassessed during summer 2010 and have identified better methods to procure resources.

The dance faculty had determined that because they are a small faculty they could be most effective by  focusing their energies in fewer directions. Although they do not yet know what effect the change from a BA and BFA program to only a BFA program may have on enrollment, they  are committed to giving all our dance students students  the rich experience encompassed in the BFA program curriculum, regardless of whether the students  intend to teach in a high school, perform in a professional company, open a studio, or continue graduate studies in dance.  Eliminating the two tier system appears to be a healthy step for the morale of the student body, but longterm impacts upon enrollment and the possibility of subsequent reductions in BFA quality standards  in order to sustain enrollment will be very carefully studied and responded to each year.

ACDF Panel recognition of the Dance Programs’ choreographic and performance excellence can be used to help to set the bar high for current and prospective students and can be used to help increase awareness of the SHSU Dance Program tp stimulate enrollment , improve the applicant pool and support the maintenance of high BFA admission standards