Lecture to focus on public speaking and performing, March 5

Lecture: Umble Master Class Lecture – “Bringing Voice and Body into the Academy” by Shoshana Simons and Nika Quirk
Date, time, location: Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Umble Center
Cost:Free and open to the public; Reception following

GOSHEN, Ind. – The 2008 Roy H. Umble Master Class in Communication and Theater at Goshen College will feature Shoshana Simons, an associate professor in the Transformative Leadership and Studies program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and Nika Quirk, a doctoral student in the same program, talking about “Bringing Voice and Body into the Academy” on Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Umble Center. The lecture is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow.

Simons weaves her passion for the transformative power of theater into her various roles as educator, organizational consultant, change agent, performer and drama therapist. Quirk is a certified InterPlay leader and has been playing, teaching and performing in this global improvisational community since 1992. In addition to the public lecture, Simons and Quirk will be speaking in college classes on March 6 and 7.

The Roy H. Umble Master Class brings nationally known practitioners and experts in communication and theater to the Goshen College campus annually for events and activities that enrich and inspire students, faculty, the broader campus and local and church communities. It was established with gifts from Goshen College alumni who had benefited from Roy’s teaching and inspiration. An initial gift from Janette Brunk in 1994 served as a tribute both to Roy and her parents, Perry and Fern Brunk, who developed an appreciation for theater because of their daughter’s involvement in it. In 1996, alumnus David E. Yoder, one of Roy’s many former students and admirers, initiated a fund-raising effort to build an endowment to support a master class.

Roy H. Umble (1913-1996) dedicated his life as a faculty member to Goshen College and its heritage. He had a deep commitment to the Mennonite Church and expressed his faith to many generations of Goshen College students through his involvement in speech and theater.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.