College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts

The team from College of Visual and Performing Arts consisting of:

• Christy Fagan, Executive Assistant to the Dean
• Lyn Renfro Jackson, Unit Manager
• Christina Gonzales, Senior Business Assistant
• Aaron Chavarria, Recruiter
• Patrick Hutchison, Director of Communications and Marketing
• Ken Spraberry, IT Specialist
• Michela Heth, Event Coordinator
• Kathy Nordstrom, Lead Advisor
• Robin Phillips, Development Officer

As if the massive challenges of the pandemic weren't enough, the College of Visual and Performing Arts also experienced a significant leadership change in August of 2020. This team hadn't met their new leader prior to this change. They could have crossed their arms. They could have pursed their lips and raised their eyebrows, especially when we started talking through a number of fairly substantive changes in operations.  Instead, they asked: how can we help? What can we do? Who needs us right now?  They dove in headfirst without a glance back.  They offered to help each other with overwhelming tasks. They suggested new ways to provide resources to students who might be struggling.  They investigated different platforms for communication in hopes of reaching more members of our community and fostering greater support for our endeavors.  They developed crowdfunding initiatives, engaged new potential supporters, built marketing campaigns featuring our students, publicized new programs touting the accomplishments of our faculty, and acknowledged that we had a lot of work to do in making our arts more diverse, inclusive, and equitable. This was a hard year. This was hard work. Many, many times, these staff members were asked to take on more than they'd signed up for. Without exception, they always rolled up their sleeves and did the work.