Timothy W. Holley Appointed Director of NCCU’s University Honors Program
Durham, NC: Timothy W. Holley has been appointed director of North Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) University Honors Program (UHP). Holley is an assistant professor of music in the NCCU Department of Music. He will continue to teach the string class and conduct concerts of the string ensemble.
“I am really excited about this opportunity and the challenge to expand the University Honors Program,” said Holley. “The honors program has much potential.”
Holley says his goals for the 2006-7 academic year are to increase test preparation opportunities for UHP and other NCCU students; to encourage and support international study and travel options for UHP students; to increase collaborative efforts and programming with other university programs such as the Office of International Affairs and International Fellowship; and to increase the number of students enrolled in the UHP to 200. Currently, there are 112 students in the NCCU UHP.
The NCCU University Honors Program is designed to enroll, retain and reward academically talented students, encouraging them toward intellectual initiative and independence. These students, selected for their outstanding academic achievements and monitored throughout a rigorous four-year matriculation, will be prepared to pursue advanced degrees in highly competitive graduate or professional programs and to assume leadership roles both in their professions and in society.
Holley received his bachelor of music from Baldwin-Wallace College and a master of music and a doctor of musical arts from the University of Michigan.
(As readers of this journal know, Holley is also an occasional contributor to CVNC. This news item is based in large measure on a press release provided by NCCU. Posted 7/1/06.)
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Randall Meder Departs from Raleigh for University of Wisconsin, Green Bay; Alfred E. Sturgis Re-Appointed to Direct Choirs at NCSU; & Other Changes Involving Music in the Vicinity of The Brickyard
Raleigh, NC: Alfred E. Sturgis has been named Visiting Conductor of Choral Activities at NC State upon the departure of Randall Meder, who has conducted the choirs for five years and who has accepted a teaching position at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Well-known throughout the state for his work with the NC Master Chorale, the Carolina Ballet, and the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Sturgis previously directed the choral program at NC State for 11 years.
Returning to NC State in this visiting appointment, Sturgis will “supervise and oversee the future direction of the choral program,” according to NC Music Department Director J. Mark Scearce. “Al Sturgis has been choral music’s visionary in this community for going on two decades. We are fortunate to be able to turn to him for leadership as we grow our music program in scope and stature.”
Assisting Sturgis will be Thomas Koch, “whose expertise in musicology, piano accompanying, and choral conducting will be a great match for the artistic direction Sturgis will provide,” says Scearce.
The appointments of Sturgis and Koch will be effective for the 2006-7 academic year.
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After ten years of dedicated service, Jack Fuller, NCSU’s Director of Athletic Bands, has asked to step down from his position to oversee the Music Department’s Outreach and Assessment efforts.
“Jack Fuller has built The Power Sound of the South to one of respect and admiration throughout the ACC,” said Dr. J. Mark Scearce, Director of the Music Department. “We are fortunate to have his continued organizational skills put to assessing the quality and growth of the department as we enter the 21st century.”
In his place, current Assistant Director of Athletic Bands, Dr. Paul Garcia, will assume the title of Director of Bands, encompassing the Athletic Bands on the court and in the field and Wind Ensemble in the concert hall.
N. Alexander Miller III, Associate Vice-Chancellor and Executive Director of ARTS NC STATE, voiced his enthusiasm for the choice: “Paul Garcia, in his three years at NC State, has already shown himself to be an ambassador for the arts. This broadening of his duties, both on and off the field, will give Music and the Arts at NC State greater visibility in the community at large.”
To complete the transition, John Wesley Parker has been named the Director of Jazz at N.C. State, bringing to a close an exhaustive search to find a replacement for former director John Entzi. Wes, as he is known, is a trombonist as well as having expertise in marching band with which he will also assist as part of his duties.
“This restructuring and new hire will solidify the progress the Music Department has made in the last 80 years to supporting our athletic teams while providing a tremendously valuable service to our students at NC State,” said Thomas Stafford, Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs. The restructuring and new hire will all take effect in Fall 2006.
(These news items are based in large measure on press releases provided by NCSU. Posted 7/1/06.)
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