College of the Arts

Jason Lester, D.M., Dean

Antonio Zarro, M.F.A., Associate Dean for Academics

Don Piper, M.A., Associate Dean for Assessment & Operations

Mark Aliapoulios, M.M., Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement

Faculty

Professors

Mark Aliapoulios, M.M.
Stephanie Bennett, Ph.D.
Katherine Chute, Ph.D.
Tim Eichner, M.F.A.
Jason Lester, D.M.
Allen McCoy, M.F.A
Thomas Parham, III, Ph.D.
Don Piper, M.A.
David Pounds, M.F.A.
Tom St. Antoine, Ph.D.
Antonio Zarro, M.F.A.

Associate Professors

Jin Hanley, MA
Michael O’Connor, Ph.D.
Dana White, M.F.A

Assistant Professors

Patrick Clifford, M.M.
Heather Couch, M.F.A
Alex Damarjian, Ph.D.
Sean Radford, B. A.
Sonia Santiago, M.M.
Trent Stephens, M.F.A.
Jiehua Zhang, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor

Joseph Sowers, M.A.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory

Jeremy Nowak, PH.D.

Visiting Lecturer of Communication

Michael Chute, Ph.D.

Artists in Residence

Eileen Hebron, B.A.
Marilyn Mims, B.M.E.

Dean Emeritus

J. Duane Meeks, Ph.D.
Lloyd Mims, D.M.A.

Professor Emeritus

James Craft, M.F.A.
Alex Wainer, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Emeritus

Don Butler, M.F.A.
Wesley Jamison, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Emeritus

Roget Pontbriand, M.M.

The College of the Arts includes the Departments of Dance; Music; Theatre; Communication, Journalism & Public Relations; and Visual & Media Arts. Together they embrace a diverse group of disciplines that emphasize artistic expression, arts advocacy, redemptive storytelling, and transformational experiences. The fundamental strengths of each department are based upon innovative and critical thinking, historical and cultural awareness, thorough examination of the creative process, and core Christian values.

We are connected to artists who through the centuries made tremendous sacrifices so the message of the arts could be passed from generation to generation. We are aligned with, and an extension of, those individuals. Our calling is significant. We have been entrusted with the Arts for our generation and as cultural archivists the ensuing artistic creativity generated during this time will be restorative, authentic, and inspiring.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS & PARTNERSHIPS

While each department is focused upon an intensive dedication to the individualized study and practicum within each discipline, the design of the degree programs within the College of the Arts provides for a unique community arena, through which interdisciplinary and collaborative engagements are encouraged and cultivated. Our collaborative efforts extends to external partnerships outside of the university, which aid in broadening the academic experience while disseminating and promoting the individual talent within the disciplines. Some of the partnerships involve opportunities for both students and faculty.

The College of the Arts is comprised of the departments of Dance; Music; Theatre; Communication, Journalism & Public Relations; and Visual & Media Arts. Students are welcomed into the Departments of Dance, Music, and Theatre by both a successful completion of the required audition and acceptance into the university. Prospective students in Cinema and Art also are accepted based on a portfolio of their work presented prior to acceptance into their respective programs. The programs are designed to focus on their potential, preparing them for professional and graduate work within their field. Each department is dedicated to the highest level of academic achievement in an environment that serves to encourage artistic creativity and individuality, while facilitating collaborative, multidisciplinary engagements within the College of the Arts.

Students receive professional training by highly regarded, seasoned professionals who continue their disciplines within the community and abroad. A strong emphasis is placed on the core fundamentals in an effort to maximize a student’s potential, by providing studies in history, literature, theory, and pedagogy. In addition, the performance experience is heightened through a multitude of master classes, visiting artists in residency, and performance opportunities, which aim to broaden the innovative scope of the academic experience.

Performance Facilities at Palm Beach Atlantic University

To facilitate their studies, students have access to a computer/piano lab with 13 workstations, three composition labs, 15 soundproof practice rooms, and advanced software and technology. The College of the Arts houses both a small rehearsal room as well as the Choral Rehearsal Hall, the Instrumental Rehearsal Hall, which is large enough for full symphony orchestra and symphonic band rehearsals, and the Percussion Studio. The main performance venues at Palm Beach Atlantic University include the elegant Vera Lea Rinker Hall featuring the 159-seat Helen K. Persson Recital Hall, the Fern Street Theatre (originally used by Ballet Florida), and DeSantis Family Chapel. Due to its close proximity to venues in the Downtown West Palm Beach area, as well as its collaborative partnerships, the students also benefit by performing at facilities such as the Kravis Center, the Norton Museum of Art, The Anne Norton Sculpture Gardens and the Society of the Four Arts.

Media Productions

Students and faculty in the Cinema Arts, Sports Broadcasting and Journalism programs collaborate in the creation of television programs, short narrative motion pictures, documentaries, commercials, broadcast news reports, sports broadcasting, and writing for student publications. The faculty desire to engage students in mentoring relationships in which students apprentice with faculty to learn production skills and techniques. Faculty design these experiences to mirror as much as possible the standards, practices and procedures employed on professional productions and publications. Students who show themselves faithful and skilled in carrying out responsibilities in lower-level production positions can expect, as they matriculate through the program, promotion to higher-level opportunities. Productions that the faculty judge of sufficient quality are regularly submitted to various film and video festivals and contests, which in the past have resulted in numerous awards. Journalism majors are also responsible for the publication of the student newspaper, The Beacon.

Equipment and Facilities

Cinema Arts, Journalism, and Sports Broadcasting majors use state-of-the-art media production equipment. Students in lower-division broadcast journalism, sports broadcasting, and film courses learn basic camera skills on professional formats. Depending upon their major, upper-division students perfect their technique on broadcast quality, high definition video and/or film cameras. Production experiences include instruction in the use of professional lighting and grip equipment. Students use Avid systems for editing video before moving to a ProTools suite for sound postproduction. A television studio of approximately 2,300 square feet with a state-of-the-art control room serves as a home for classroom exercises, as well as for the production of ongoing news and entertainment television shows. Students can capture images on professional-grade, digital still cameras and edit their images on industry-standard software in the Mac Computer Lab.

Communication, Journalism, Cinema Arts, Sports Broadcasting and Digital Media Production Internships

Students in Communication, Journalism, Cinema Arts, Sports Broadcasting and Digital Media Production major areas of study should consider undertaking a professional internship as part of their course of studies. The majors in Journalism, Sports Broadcasting, and Public Relations require an internship. Students must be enrolled in the internship course concurrently with the job site experience. Integral to the course is a classroom component that requires 1.5 in-class contact hours per week with the instructor or the equivalent in an online version of the course. Students who fail to complete the academic portion of the course will not receive academic credit for the site work segment of the class. Students must match the appropriate professional experience with their major and with the course number. The appropriate internship courses are COMV 4711 -COMV 4714 for Communication majors, PRLV 4733 for Public Relations majors, SPBV 4723 for Sports Broadcasting majors, DMPV 4713 for Journalism and Cinema Arts majors, or THEV 4713 -THEV 4716 for Theatre majors.

Before a student arranges for an internship position at an organization, he or she must first seek the approval of the instructor of the appropriate internship course. To do this, the student should complete an Internship Prospectus Form, which may be obtained from the Office of the Dean. Once the instructor grants that permission, and only then, the student may conclude arrangements with the proposed organization. While the School of Communication and Media will assist where and when appropriate, it is primarily the student’s responsibility to arrange for the industry position.

An internship requires at least 30 hours of site work over the course of the semester for each credit hour granted. For example, a student registered for the COMV 4713 must perform 90 hours of supervised work at the job site spread out over the course of the semester.