Thu Jul 30
UCF Alumnus Alexander Bornstein ‘09 has been composing music for television, film, concert halls and more since graduating from UCF. Bornstein’s next big project, Transformers: War for Cybertronis now streaming on Netflix. We caught up with him to see what it was like creating the music for the new animated series. Read our Q&A with Bornstein from 2018. What was…
Thu Jul 30
Jason Fronczek ’16 spent more than four years in prison, where he focused on bettering himself through reading. On Sunday, he graduates with an MFA. The art teacher is telling his students to scribble. He doesn’t want to see any straight lines. “I knew I had to counter my incarceration with something positive. Education would…
Wed Jul 29
Which would make you happier: more time or more money? Most people want both and say they’d be happier if they had both. However, most of us spend the majority of our time chasing money and sacrificing our experiences and relationships in the quest for financial security. Our consumer-driven economy supports this notion that more…
Fri Jul 24
Orlando Opera and UCF Professor Stella Sung today were awarded a prestigious grant to the tune of $10,000 as part of Opera America’s national program to promote female composers of the genre. Nine teams of opera companies and composers around the country shared in Opera America’s $100,000 announcement. Sung, also director of UCF’s Center for Research…
Thu Jul 23
As protests and demonstrations spread around the country in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, UCF students have the opportunity to enroll in a variety of courses that can help them better understand the calls for equality, reform and justice. These 13 courses are a sampling of what is offered at UCF this fall…
Thu Jul 23
M.C. Santana has been assigned as Discipline Coordinator for Women’s and Gender Studies programs across the state of Florida. The Department of Education’s Statewide Course Numbering System oversees the assignment of course numbers to all courses in Florida colleges and universities. Santana will work with the Department of Education in Florida to assign new and revised…
Mon Jul 20
As part of the National Council for History Education (NCHE) Summer Professional Learning Series, Luis Martínez-Fernández, professor of history, will host a webinar on “Slavery and Resistance in the Atlantic World” on July 28. Martínez-Fernández’s webinar will explore African slavery as an Atlantic-wide phenomenon that began in Hispaniola in 1502 and was finally abolished in Brazil in 1888. It…
Thu Jul 9
Assistant professor of studio art Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz’s vocals can be heard on the new single “The Twitch” by local electronic musician and DJ Stereo 77 (Alejandro Ramirez). Raimundi-Ortiz features a chilling, fraught spoken-word narrative about domestic abuse, while Ramirez creates a dense mat of intricate sound that is somehow meditative and anxious at the same time. Raimundi-Ortiz…
Wed Jul 8
Light up the grill, hop in the pool or head to the beach! UCF Music’s Steel Band, Black Steel, has released their new album that is perfect for all of your “Summer Knights.” Black Steel is lead by music faculty member, Kirk Gay. “Creating Summer Knights was a great learning experience for the members of the band. Recording in…
Mon Jul 6
Associate professor David Poissant will kick off publication day for his debut novel, Lake Life, published by Simon & Schuster, with a virtual book launch on Tuesday, July 7 at 6PM. The event will include a reading, conversation with fellow assistant professor Jake Wolff, and Q&A with the author. This event is free and open to the public. Register for the…
Mon Jul 6
Texts and Technology at UCF is hosting two virtual conferences this summer, both of which focus on the fusion of humanities questions with critical examination and playful exploration of the potential of technology. On July 13-15, the ACM Hypertext + Social Media conference includes research on all aspects of the modern web. The conference theme, “Hypertext for…
Wed Jul 1
Faculty member David Head is an historian, author, and lecturer of history at UCF. A scholar of early America, Head currently researches George Washington, the Founding Fathers, and the American Revolution. Recently, he has dedicated his time to publishing articles based off of his history. Here are a few of them: 1. We Need ‘Dad History’ to Help…
Mon Jun 29
Theatre alumna Elisabeth Christie organized the event, “Black Artists for Black Lives,” which took place Sunday, June 28 at Orlando City Hall. Programming featured fellow Theatre alumnus Arius West and incoming director of choral activities Jeffery Redding. Standing on the steps of City Hall on Sunday, a trio of female singers performed “Lift Every Voice and…
Mon Jun 29
Theatre alumna Elisabeth Christie organized the event, “Black Artists for Black Lives,” which took place Sunday, June 28 at Orlando City Hall. Programming featured fellow Theatre alumnus Arius West and incoming director of choral activities Jeffery Redding. Standing on the steps of City Hall on Sunday, a trio of female singers performed “Lift Every Voice and…
Thu Jun 25
UCF faculty members will host a virtual event July 2 to discuss the critical issues of racism in American history. The Black Lives: Racism and the Struggle for Justice in the American Democracy teach-in will include historical lessons about local, national and global racial injustices and systemic racism that Black people have been subjected to for centuries.…
Tue Jun 23
Orlando Sentinel writer Katie Rice reports on FPEP‘s plans for classes and a UCF Art Gallery exhibit this fall while expanding to online courses. As an inmate at the Polk Correctional Institution 10 years ago, Jason Fronczek discovered a love for teaching while volunteering in the GED and English as a Second Language programs. (In the featured image Jason…
Thu Jun 18
“The Heritage Collection: Photographs and Oral Histories of West Winter Park” is a permanent exhibition of local history shared by the residents who have lived it. (Photo and caption courtesy of the Hannibal Square Heritage Center) The Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth worked in tandem to mark the end of slavery in the United States more…
Wed Jun 17
The UCF College of Arts and Humanities is hosting a series of talks from the faculty highlighting research and teaching in arts and humanities. The summer speaker series will run from June 18 through July 23 and include topics ranging from how to create more entertaining online educational content to how UCF’s Center for Humanities and Digital…
Wed Jun 17
“What a long year this week has been,” someone I know posted to Facebook. I’m guessing she had an exhausting day. One so draining that she felt as if she had given more time than she had available to give in a single day. She is not alone. Many people have expressed how emotionally spent…
Tue Jun 16
The University of Central Florida is one of 84 communities nationwide participating in the NEA Big Read from September 2020-June 2021, receiving a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This is the sixth consecutive year the College of Arts and Humanities has received NEA funding to host this community event. The NEA…