Articles in "Arts and Letters"

Comprised of soloists from around the country, the Austin (Texas)-based, Grammy Award-winning and internationally recognized Conspirare will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the Mannoni Performing Arts Center on The University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg Campus.

As the southern-most stop on its nationwide tour, the ensemble presents, Considering Matthew Shepard, composed by the group’s founder and artistic director, Craig Hella Johnson.

University of Southern Mississippi alumna Christopher Leigh hopes to change people’s perceptions and impressions of the flute with her debut album “Infrared.”

The self-published album, released last month, features songs combining classical flute with a pop/rock flare. Leigh, who earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from USM in 2012, notes that the album also includes “big” songs that sound as though they burst from a movie soundtrack.

Dr. Joseph Weinberg, assistant professor of political science at The University of Southern Mississippi, says that a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture will help foster better communication and more collaborative research between agricultural economists and political scientists.

Audience members at The University of Southern Mississippi’s Fall 2017 Commencement no doubt noticed many graduating seniors sporting bright turquoise cords for the first time as part of their graduation ensemble.

The University of Southern Mississippi has been ranked among the nation’s best values for music majors by online resource guide Great Value Colleges. USM is the only Mississippi college or university to earn a spot among the top 60 schools listed.

Three current Master of Fine Arts in Performance students at The University of Southern Mississippi and two MFA alumni have completed the rigorous requirements to earn the distinguished Lessac practitioner designation.

J. Theresa Bush, assistant professor of costume design at The University of Southern Mississippi, played an instrumental role in helping the renowned stage production “Fly” garner eight nominations for the 27^th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. The awards will be presented on Feb. 26 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif.

The University of Southern Mississippi Speech and Debate team had a successful performance at a recent tournament in Shreveport, La. and looks forward to its next event. The team will host the British National Debate Team Friday, Nov. 10 in the International Center, room 101 at 3:45 p.m. on the Hattiesburg campus. The free event is open to the public, and will feature a debate on artificial intelligence.

Rahul Shankar, a doctoral student in polymer science and engineering, took home the title of Grand Champion in the 4^th Annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition held Nov. 1-3 on The University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus. Shankar, a native of Mumbai, India, also collected a cash prize of $1,000.

Sheena Allen knew the Silicon Valley CEO stereotype when she moved out west a few years ago. She knew that stereotype looked very little like her. She came from a different place and did not receive an Ivy League education.

She knew those differences could be — in marketing speak — her unique selling proposition. And it was clear that Sheena Allen Apps was never going to be the typical Silicon Valley tech company.

Two history professors at The University of Southern Mississippi gathered leading scholars of women and minorities in the military to investigate military integration. They sought to answer three questions: “Why and how did the military change the way it dealt with service personnel who were not white, heterosexual men between World War II and the present?”; “How did minorities and women adapt to being part of an institution that had once been closed to them?” and “How similar was the military experience of African Americans, Japanese Americans, Native Americans, women and LGB+ people?”

Edited by Dr. Philip C. Kolin, Distinguished Professor of English (Emeritus) at The University of Southern Mississippi, the diverse contributions to the fall 2017 general issue of The Southern Quarterly explore the importance of the visual—in photography, cinema, music, jazz, poetry—as it sheds light on Southern authors, landscapes and texts.