2021: Dr. Sharon Davis Gratto

During Women’s History Month, the Women’s Center coordinates, as an experiential learning opportunity for students, an annual exhibit highlighting the contributions women have made at the University of Dayton. The 2021 theme, Leading with Character and Resilience, captures what it means to work in the midst of a pandemic, social and political unrest and economic uncertainty. Each honoree displayed resilience, drive, character and tenacity and created inspiring ways to move forward.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/women_of_ud/1053/thumbnail.jp

Preparing Future Leaders in the Arts through the Community Arts Engagement Certificate Program: What I Learned from Teaching the First Introductory Seminar

The University of Dayton’s Community Arts Engagement certificate program was recently launched with the teaching of its first introductory seminar. The program and this course were conceived to be broader in scope for arts majors than the more familiar arts administration minor program. Several of the outcomes of the seminar—both those planned and those unforeseen—can be informative in thinking more expansively about experiential learning and community collaboration in arts education or other disciplines. This article represents a narrative description of the program and its introductory seminar and a personal reflection after teaching the seminar for the first time

DOC 2020-03 Certificate in Community Arts Engagement

Legislative Authority1. Rationale for the new certificate program With the suspension of the University’s Arts Administration minor program, a curricular gap was created for students who continued to express an interest in pursuing professional work in arts management and related fields. The creation of a new undergraduate arts certificate program that better reflects the University’s values by focusing on community engagement through the arts will be more accessible, practical and attractive as an undergraduate certificate than a more narrowly focused arts management minor program or a graduate certificate program with limited connection to the arts. This undergraduate certificate program will create a collaborative environment where students can work on community-based projects. A demonstrated interest in this type of program has been evident in informal conversations with and among undergraduate arts majors and non-arts majors. Several students have enrolled in the Non-Profit and Community Leadership Graduate Certificate Program as their only current option. The program will be open to interested degree-seeking undergraduates in the Department of Music; the Department of Art and Design; the Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology Program; the Department of Communication; the Department of English; and the School of Business, as well as those whose academic focus is in other areas of study. Arts majors and students majoring in non-arts disciplines will have opportunities to collaborate to identify specific problems and needs in the community and to work toward finding creative solutions for those problems. Modes of student learning will include the development of case studies for information collection, problem identification and project-focused work toward solutions, and consultation with diverse experts. This certificate program will serve specific community members, such as those who work in social justice or social service settings and want to bring the arts to the people they serve. The program will also support arts organizations in their efforts to reach wider and more diverse audiences. The program will be sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and administered by the Department of Music with a faculty member assigned as Coordinator. The first Certificate Coordinator will be Professor Sharon Gratto, who is active in the arts community and will recruit and advise students for the program. A Certificate in Community Arts Engagement will help prepare undergraduate students find innovative ways to advocate for the arts and to bring the arts to more diverse segments of the community. Today’s arts organizations and other community organizations need creative thinkers who have the skills to help make connections across disciplines and to bridge the gaps that exist between and among various constituencies. This program supports the University’s educational goals and objectives by encouraging and supporting students to become change-makers as they engage in civic practice in the community with and through the arts

Chapter 7: Perspectives on West Africa: Reminiscences of the Global Education Seminar in Ghana and Togo

A reflection on the 2018-19 Global Education Seminars in West Africa.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cip_ges_2019/1010/thumbnail.jp

Dayton Funk Symposium Welcome

Words of welcome from Sharon Davis Gratto, professor of music and Graul Chair in Arts and Humanities.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dayton_funk_content/1001/thumbnail.jp

2nd Funk Symposium: Selected Proceedings, 2021

This is a printed proceedings of symposium presentations by authors who elected to submit them. They are available free for download, but printed volumes are available for $6 plus tax and shipping.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dayton_funk_content/1043/thumbnail.jp

University of Dayton music education graduates continue teaching careers in international schools amid global pandemic

Despite international travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, two University of Dayton music education graduates have found new international school teaching positions abroad

Preparing Future Leaders in the Arts Through the Community Arts Engagement Certificate Program: Learning from the Introductory Seminar

The Community Arts Engagement Certificate program was approved when the Arts Administration minor was discontinued. The certificate’s target audience includes students in Music; Art and Design; Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology (TDP); and Communication. The first seminar is being taught this semester to students majoring in Graphic Design, Art Education, and Theatre. All seem to be searching for arts career guidance, including how they will be able to pursue full-time careers in the arts they love and have sufficient income. These students are racially and geographically diverse. They come from Fresno, California; West Dayton; Oakwood; and Cleveland. The seminar format includes many guests from the local community; extended class discussions; a field trip to observe examples of the arts at work in Dayton; attendance at selected arts events; and related readings. Final evaluations include written reflections on the seminar experience and recorded interviews with people successfully engaged in their arts areas. This program’s goal is to bring students closer to the arts community and to increase awareness of how the arts function both in arts and non-arts organizations. Engaging directly with arts leaders can help them network and increase their confidence about the future

Track 5: One Person\u27s Look at Inclusive Excellence

Presentation took place May 13, 2021; presentations will be made available via WarpWire to members of the University of Dayton community in early June