Visitations
I’ve been visited over the past few days by people and events. Two alums paid me a surprise visit beginning Tuesday afternoon, and we have spent some time together reminiscing and catching up on careers and lives. One young man has been working as an understudy for Putnam Spelling Bee, having made his debut in the show last December, and doing commercials, while the other has begun the pursuit of an academic career after finishing a tour with the Missoula Children’s Theatre company. In talking with them I gain an acute awareness of my theatrical isolation here in Dunkirk, and how much I need to have those great conversations about the nature and direction of theatre. They’ve also been informally chatting with the students. We have such a good network of alumni out there now that it’s good to tap their experience, and for our current students to at least see the various levels of succcess and struggle that goes on once you leave college. It’s been very pleasant and social.
The end of the academic year brings with it a whole new level of student anxiety, and my free time is being taken up with students who want individual work sessions on their assignments outside of class. I see a bit more stress in them the past few days as they struggle to get all their assignments done not only for their theatre classes but other classes as well. You spend a lot of energy at this time of year trying to prevent student meltdowns. I continue to search for an aesthetic of teaching theatre which will work to alleviate stress and not add to it. Hopefully over the semester break I can put enough thoughts together to articulate some ideas on that topic.
And I’ve also received a new temporary assignment at Fredonia. Our present dean is leaving in January for a new position in France, and I have been appointed as Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. The appointment is for one semester while the college searches for a permanent replacement. I’m both awed and excited by the proposition. I never really had it in my head as a career path to become a dean, but I received some encouragement to apply for the position, and I figured it’s an excellent opportunity to explore what such a position is like. So for now, the catchphrase will be “I’m not a dean, but I play one at SUNY Fredonia.” I hope this won’t affect postings too much, but don’t be surprised if there is a slight change in the nuances of the postings. I suspect the experience and knowledge I’ll be gaining will find their way into a few paragraphs here and there. Please wish me luck, as I need all the help I can get! -twl
