College of Fine and Applied Arts

A bachelor of arts degree in dance studies will be offered at Appalachian State University beginning in August.The new degree will serve students who are interested in pursuing graduate work in dance choreography and performance or a related field such as dance therapy, expressive arts or arts management. It also will serve those who plan to teach dance in a community or academic setting or dance professionally.

Appalachian’s Department of Theatre and Dance has offered a minor in dance for more than 30 years. Interest in the degree has grown steadily over the years. The program has three full-time dance faculty and five part-time faculty.

Ray Miller, chairman of the theatre and dance department, says hundreds of students each year enroll in a dance class offered by his department. “Dance as an art form has wide popular appeal to many students today,” Miller said. “With the popularity of movies like ‘Save the Last Dance’ and ‘Center Stage,’ this generation of students is very open to studying and performing dance for both personal enjoyment as well as a performing art.”

Miller said renovations to dance studios located in Varsity Gymnasium have meant a real boost to the program. “It not only is a reaffirmation of the importance of dance on par with art and music, it allows us to offer more classes to more students, and be able to say with confidence that we can offer a major because we have space to do so.”

The degree is structured to encourage collaboration with at least one other discipline on campus, Miller said.

“It’s designed for those who want to make dance a part of their entire working life, long after a performing dance career might have ended,” he said. “For instance, a student might major in dance studies with a focus on arts therapy, anthropology or musical theatre, among others.”

For more information about the new dance studies degree, call the Department of Theatre and Dance at (828) 262-3028.

Photo courtesy of the Department of Theatre and Dance and Greg Williams

The students working at Appalachian’s Biodiesel Education and Research Lab through the Appropriate Technology program in the Department of Technology have installed a 1.7kW grid-tied photovoltaic system completing an array of solar energy technologies. 

Photovoltaic cells, or PV cells, are devices or banks of devices that use the photovoltaic effect of semiconductors to generate electricity directly from sunlight. A grid interconnected solar power system consists of a PV panel or array of panels added onto the regular source of electricity provided a utility company.

The system installed at the biodiesel facility will not only provide all the power needed to make biodiesel but also will put green power onto the utility grid. This will be the first grid-tied renewable energy system for New River Power and Light.  

Mick Kreszock received the MCNC Appreciation Award during NCREN Community Day Dec. 8, 2006, held on the MCNC Campus in Research Triangle Park. The award was presented by John Killebrew, director of the North Carolina Research and Education Network. “For many years you’ve been one of the most energetic and successful proponents of two-way video for distance learning,” Killebrew told Kreszock. “You’ve led our working groups to have a terrific focus on quality and on the processes underlying the achievement of quality. With your help, we’ve achieved a remarkable level of performance that continuously improves as the years go by.” MCNC is a non-profit organization committed to advancing education, innovation and economic development throughout North Carolina by delivering next-generation information technology services.

Appalachian State University (ASU) installed a second Skystream 3.7 from Southwest Windpower at their Wind Energy Research & Demonstration facility on Beech Mountain. The new turbine was installed on a 35-foot monopole tower during a North Carolina Small Wind Initiative workshop in October. The workshop was one of ASU’s most successful events with nearly 50 participants. In July, a beta version of the new Skystream was installed on a 70 foot tilt-up tower at the class five Beech Mountain site. Both turbines are currently operating and selling their energy to the local utility.

ASU operates the Beech Mountain Wind Energy Research & Demonstration Facility for the dual purpose of providing first-hand experience with wind power technology and serving as a small wind test facility. Tours and workshops are hosted at the facility, which is maintained by ASU students, faculty, and staff.

John Craft in the Graphic Arts and Imaging Technology (GAIT) program became an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop after successfully passing the certification exam at Prometric, an authorized Adobe testing center in Greensboro.

An Adobe Certified Expert is a person who has demonstrated proficiency with one or more Adobe software products. An individual successfully passing the rigorous exam has earned certification specifically created for graphic designers, Web designers, video professionals, system integrators, value-added resellers, developers, or business professionals seeking recognition for their expertise with Adobe products.