Alumna Publishes Book

Congratulations to Ashley Farabee on the publication of her first novel, The In-Between. Ashley graduated in 2012 with a degree in Communication Studies. The In-Between, published under the name Ashley Cameron, is about four characters struggling to deal with a “quarter life crisis” – a time in life where the safety net of college has vanished but the security of a job has yet to appear. You can read more about the book online and it will soon on Amazon.com. As you will see, Ashley dedicates the book to her teachers and professors. Congratulations Ashley!

Alberto Gutierrez Directs “I Am EOP”

COMM Graduate Program Alum Alberto Gutierrez directed the “I am EOP” performance that premiered at SJSU on October 17, 2013.

Alberto created this evening of story telling and performance from the experiences of current and past EOP students. Alberto conducted in-depth interviews with 56 students (from an initial response of 200) to select the final 11 interviews which were transcribed and prepared for presentation.

Congratulations Alberto on a successful performance!

Forensics Team Wins Big at Golden Gate Tournaments

The Forensics Team sent 8 students to compete in 22 different events this weekend at the Golden Gate Tournament. SJSU Students won 15 prizes!

Congratulations to all students!

Here are specific results:

Golden Gate Tournament, Part 1
Novice Extemporaneous Speaking: 
Gagandeep Gill 5th place
Anita Inagandla 3rd place
Open Extemporaneous Speaking: 
Katelin Zweifel-Korzuchin 7th place
Novice Informative Speaking:
Victor Hernandez 3rd place
Novice Impromptu Speaking:
Anita Inagandla 7th place
Victor Hernandez 6th place
Hamir Mahal 2nd place
Open Parliamentary Debate:
Katelin Zweifel-Korzuchin & Matt Zupko double-octofinalists
Golden Gate Tournament, Part 2
Novice Extemporaneous Speaking:
Anita Inagandla 6th place
Open Extemporaneous Speaking:
Ryan Gallagher 6th place
Matt Zupko 4th place
Katelin Zweifel-Korzuchin 1st place
Novice Prose Interpretation:
Victor Hernandez 4th place
Novice Informative Speaking:
Victor Hernandez 3rd place
Novice Impromptu Speaking:
Hamir Mahal 3rd place

Dr. Spangler Elected President of American Conference for Irish Studies

Congratulations to Dr. Matthew Spangler who was elected President of the American Conference for Irish Studies, West.  This is the Western regional for the national Irish Studies organization of scholars.

The American Conference for Irish Studies is a multidisciplinary scholarly organization with approximately 800 members in the United States, Ireland, Canada, and other countries around the world. Both national and regional meetings include plenary speakers, academic sessions in all fields of Irish Studies, poetry and fiction readings, films, and performances of Irish music and plays.

For more information, please visit the website: http://www.acisweb.com/index.php

Kudos to Dr. Spangler for taking on this important leadership role!

Dr. Spangler Awarded Prestigious NEH Grant

A hearty kudos to Drs. Matthew Spangler and David Kahn (Theatre Arts) who received a $162,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to host a Summer Institute for School Teachers titled “The California Immigrant Experience through Literature and Theatre.”  The Institute will run from July 13-27, 2014and will be held at San Jose State University.  Drs. Spangler and Kahn will serve as hosts and co-directors for the Institute.

Institute faculty include:
Maxine Hong Kingston (author of The Woman Warrior, China Men and other novels; Professor Emeritus,
UC Berkeley)
Ping Chong (internationally acclaimed theatre director, playwright, video and installation artist; author of
East West Quartet and creator of Undesirable Elements performance series)
Luis Valdez (author of Zoot Suit, La Bomba; founder of El Teatro Campesino)
Kinan Valdez (actor, director, and producing artistic director of El Teatro Campesino)
Donna Gabaccia (author of Immigration and American Diversity, among many other authored and
edited books on the immigrant experience; Professor of History, University of Minnesota)
Kelly Lytle-Hernández (author of Migra: A History of the U.S. Border Patrol, among other articles
and books on immigration from Mexico to the United States; Associate Professor of History,UCLA)
Judy Yung (author of Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America, among many other articles and
books on immigration from China to the United States; Professor of American studies, UC Santa Cruz)
Sharon Ott, (theatre director and former artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Performing Arts
Faculty Savannah College of Art and Design)
David Terry (a specialist on the performance of space and place; Assistant Professor of Communication
and Performance Studies, San José State University)
Glen Gendzel (author of numerous articles on immigration; Associate Professor of History, San José State
University)
Sara Zatz (Associate Director of Ping Chong & Company; program director of Undesirable Elements
performance series)
Matthew Spangler (author of numerous articles and plays about transnational migration; Associate
Professor of Performance Studies, San José State University)
David Kahn (a specialist in documentary theatre performance; Professor of Theatre Arts, San José State
University)
The Institute scholar-participants will be composed of 25 school teachers competitively selected from around the country.  Eligibility: Full-time teachers in American K-12 schools, whether public, charter, independent, or religiously affiliated, as well as home-schooling parents, are eligible to apply to NEH Summer Institutes. Americans teaching abroad are also eligible if a majority of the students they teach are American citizens.  Librarians and school administrators may also be eligible.
For questions or to request additional information contact Project Coordinator Maria Judnick [CAimmigrationinstitute@gmail.com] or Dr. Matthew Spangler [matthew.spangler@sjsu.edu].