Wed Dec 1
When Jeffery Redding joined the UCF School of Performing Arts as the director of choral activities in fall 2020, he arrived with a proven track record in music education, performance and direction. In the year since, he’s infused new and exciting energy into the school’s choir ensembles, drawing on his extensive experience in the field — the…
Mon Nov 22
This year, Chanukah, the Jewish eight-day wintertime “festival of lights” also known as Hanukkah, is observed Nov. 28 – Dec. 6. As of 2021, there are about 15.2 million Jews worldwide, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel. In the United States, about 5.8 million adults are Jewish, with another 2.8 million that identify having…
Fri Nov 19
Professor of history Luis MartÃnez-Fernández is a finalist for a 2021 Don Quijote Excellence Award, an honor that recognizes visionary, courageous Central Floridians who have taken risks to achieve their goals and improve their community. Conceived in 1997 by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando and Prospera, the Don Quijote Awards have honored…
Fri Nov 19
To say Clarence Penn is a prolific jazz drummer would be an understatement. With multiple Grammy Awards under his belt and a discography boasting several hundred studio albums across a wide range of jazz expression, his talents have taken him across the nation and around the world on tour. “At first, I started out as…
Wed Nov 17
Associate professor Alla Kourova has taught Russian at UCF for over a decade, earning a reputation as an educator who celebrates culture beyond the classroom. Now, she’s been honored by the Florida Foreign Language Association with the organization’s Most Valuable Teacher Award. Affiliated with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, the Florida Foreign Language Association…
Mon Nov 15
UCF’s Supply Vault for Student Veteran Success officially launched earlier this week. Sponsored by the UCF Community Veterans History Project in partnership with the UCF Veterans Academic Resource Center, the vault demonstrates UCF’s appreciation for student veterans’ service in the U.S. military. Barbara Gannon, associate professor of history and coordinator of the Veterans History Project, has…
Wed Nov 10
Applications for the 2021 Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts and Wellness Innovation Awards are now being accepted. The two $25,000 awards, which seek to build sustainable models for arts and wellness innovation across the Central Florida community and UCF campus, are given annually to projects that are focused on interdisciplinary collaboration in the area of arts and wellness. Applications for 2021 are open through December 3. This year’s…
Wed Nov 3
For Dr. Luciana Garbayo, assistant professor of philosophy and medical education, the COVID-19 pandemic is more than a public health crisis — it’s an opportunity to engage in an ethical dialogue about public health with the community. As a professor with a joint appointment in the College of Arts and Humanities and the College of…
Fri Oct 29
Since 1868, the United Kingdom’s Royal Historical Society has served as a leading learned society for historians of all kinds. The society boasts nearly 4,500 fellows worldwide, including two historians sure to be familiar to those studying the discipline at UCF: Assistant Professor Duncan Hardy and Associate Professor and Department of History Chair Peter Larson. “For more…
Fri Oct 29
When Patrick Braillard ’14MA was 16 years old, he was in a car accident that left him with a broken back. The sports enthusiast could no longer play football or run track, so he turned to theater and the school play as a hobby. “I’ve never looked back,” says Braillard , an adjunct faculty member…
Thu Oct 28
I n episode 11 of Knights Do That, we speak with Martha Brenckle, a writing and rhetoric professor in the College of Arts and Humanities. Brenckle shares her expertise and love for writing, her involvement within the Orlando arts community, her role as treasurer for the LGBTQ+ History Museum of Central Florida and more. Produced…
Wed Oct 27
Like father, like daughter. Following in her father’s footsteps, Ana Beltran ’19 fell in love with the arts from a young age. Some of her earliest memories include watching her father bring concepts to life for his post-production company in Venezuela. The introduction to the world of animation, post-production, and broadcast television fostered her creative expression and…
Tue Oct 26
It started with a dream of becoming an automotive designer. Blending creative and technical work is something that Michael Viscione ’08 has been drawn to for years. “I fell in love with the artistry complemented by the technical side of automotive design work,” says Viscione. “My passion is turning concepts into reality.” And while he doesn’t build…
Mon Oct 25
Last summer, Alexis Rodriguez ’18 completed an internship with the LGBTQ History Museum of Central Florida. As a graduate student in UCF’s history master’s program, he saw it as an opportunity to support his studies while volunteering with an organization focused on collecting, observing and exhibiting the history of Central Florida’s LGBTQ community. However, over the course of his…
Fri Oct 22
The 21 new inductees of UCF’s Scroll and Quill Society represent a broad spectrum of academic expertise, such as fiction writing, artificial intelligence, police-community relations, nursing and terrorist recruiting tactics on social media. The Scroll and Quill Society celebrates faculty members who for at least a decade have made scholarly contributions of impact to advance…
Fri Oct 22
Have you ever been on a blind date? Even if the answer to that question is no, it’s easy to understand the internal pressures that arise when faced with the prospect of a new relationship. Theatre UCF’s production of the 2013 Broadway musical First Date explores the rollercoaster of emotions that overwhelm individuals on their journey to find love. When…
Thu Oct 21
Seventeen faculty and staff projects will receive about $5 million in Jump Start funds to advance UCF’s impact under President Alexander N. Cartwright’s 2021-22 Strategic Investment Program. “I am delighted that we were able to fund so many strong proposals and only wish that we had the resources to support more of them,” says Michael D.…
Fri Oct 15
Kenneth Hanson, professor and program director of Judaic Studies, was invested into the Tess and Abe Wise Endowed Professorship in Judaic Studies on Thursday, September 30. in a virtual ceremony. The endowed faculty position, which was established thanks to generous gifts from Tess and Abe Wise and their family, recognizes Hanson’s accomplishments and will allow…
Thu Oct 14
Daniel M. Jones, who served as Theatre UCF’s costume shop manager for more than 15 years, died over the weekend. He leaves behind a legacy of friendship, beautiful music and acclaimed work. Jones’ work as a costume designer was celebrated by the national theatre community, receiving numerous commendations from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre…
Mon Oct 11
In 1968, the first Hispanic Heritage Week was observed in the United States. Twenty years later, it was expanded to the month-long celebration we now observe from September 15 to October 15. As Stacey DiLiberto and Karina Cespedes see it, Hispanic Heritage Month provides an opportunity for the nation to celebrate the cultural identity of…