FACULTY Spotlight
"Storytelling is a significant part of my art practice, especially experimental narratives that examine access, borders, community, connection, and boundaries. My recent exhibitions include animations and moving images that explore collective wellness in public spaces through site-specific projected videos. Some of the works include: Bodies of Water, a multimedia installation at the Museo de las Americas in Denver; the sculptural map BIOME vs BORDERS, a site-specific piece at Union Hall that focuses on the proximity of Union Hall to one of the most polluted zip codes in the North Denver area, Globeville; Our Wishes , which displays hand-made banners with messages of hope throughout Boulder and Denver and includes projection onto the Denver Clock Tower; The Drying West, a multimedia installation which comments on the endangerment of species resulting from water diversion and shortages; Beyond Sound, screened at Side Stories Film Festival, is an animation that features Feel the Beat dance studio for the deaf, hard of hearing, and other folks with or without disabilities. Various iterations of Un País Olvidado: Reliquias de Vigencia/ Forgotten Country: Relics of Agency have been exhibited at the University of Colorado Art Museum, Arbor Institute, and at CU Experience Galleries during the Biennial of the Americas Cities Summit. This multimedia installation explores oral histories from the Venezuelan exodus."—Alejandra Abad
I am a professor of English at the University of Bucharest, a fellow of New Europe College, and a grantee of the British Council, the University of London, the University of Stuttgart, and the European Commission. I will be spending the fall term and part of the spring term at FAU as a Fulbright Visting Scholar. My research focuses on literary and cultural studies, on discourse and translation, and more recently on the comparative study of nationalism, and of postcolonial and postcommunist cultures. I teach graduate courses in the rhetoric of national identity and in the identity discourse of Western and Soviet subaltern cultures. At FAU, I will be teaching a 5-week graduate seminar this spring, “Neo-nationalist” and “Populist” Discourses of Identity in the Post-Cold War Age. I have published volumes, academic articles and book chapters on British and European romanticism, on the comparative study of Soviet and Western colonialism, and on the rhetoric of nationalism. My literary translations (mostly from Romanian into English) have appeared individually or jointly in several books from Romanian and US publishers. My book on nationalist discourse types, Patrii din cuvinte (Making Homelands out of Words, 2017) won the critical theory prize of the Romanian Association for Comparative and World Literature. I am co-director of the British Cultural Studies MA program and editor-in-chief of University of Bucharest Review, and served as Vice-Rector for International Relations and Academic Publications at my university. Outside academia, I also worked as a journalist and as deputy director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York. I’m looking forward to my stay at FAU!
Hi, I'm Danyelle Greene—I am a scholar-practitioner with a deep passion for the study and creation of African American cinema, documentary filmmaking, and aesthetics. My research and teaching interests revolve around the intricate dynamics of representation and re-presentation, particularly within the contexts of blackness, gender, and religion in film. I believe in using both filmmaking and written scholarship as complementary tools for critical inquiry and exploration. My work has been published in respected journals such as Black Camera and the Journal of Popular Culture, where I've had the opportunity to contribute to important conversations in my field. One of my proudest achievements was co-directing an art exhibition called In My Hands, where I showcased my co-produced video installation, Twice As Hard, and a triptych piece called Always Already. These projects allowed me to express my ideas and insights through visual storytelling, a medium I find incredibly powerful. My academic journey led me to earn a Ph.D. in film and media studies from the University of Kansas, and I continue to be dedicated to advancing our understanding of the complex and multifaceted world of African American cinema and its broader cultural implications.
Scott Wolfson is a communication professional with more than 25+ years of experience in the fields of public relations, media relations, brand marketing, and journalism. He’s a former broadcast news journalist, media coach, and owner of an independent television news studio. He graduated with an MS in Strategic Communication/Public Relations from Purdue University’s Brian Lamb School of Communication. He also holds a BS in Broadcast Journalism from Florida International University. Scott joins FAU as a full-time instructor teaching classes in strategic communication, public relations, and social media. He’s proud to call FAU his new home!
Ivy Ashe is a full-time faculty member in the SCMS and joined the department in the summer of 2022. Her areas of research include media and geography, tourism and journalism, visual journalism, self-presentation on social media, and journalism roles/functions. As a former community news reporter and photographer, she is deeply invested in research that investigates the role journalism plays in structuring the public’s sense of place, particularly places best known as a tourist or seasonal destinations. “I use mixed methods in my work, focusing on interviews, surveys, and textual analyses.” Ashe received her Ph.D. in Journalism and Media from the University of Texas at Austin and her M.A. in photojournalism from the University of Missouri- Columbia. She grew up on the Gulf Coast in Naples and Bonita Springs. In her free time, Ashe likes to do indoor rock climbing, film photography, and gardening. One fun fact about Ashe is that she has a senior rescue cat named Happy Jones who has visited 19 states and three national parks!
The following faculty of the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies were recently honored at the School’s annual Honors Day on May 5, 2022: In photo, from left: Dr. Lindsay Harroff, Becky Mulvaney Excellence in Instruction Award Dr. Nicole Morse, Excellence in Research and Creative Activity Dr. Nannetta Durnell-Uwechue, Outstanding Commitment to the SCMS The following faculty were honored with promotion or internal grant award (not in photo): Dr. Kevin Petrich, Promotion to University Instructor; Dr. Joey Bargsten and Dr. Gerald Sim, Promotion to Professor; Dr. Marquese McFerguson and Dr. Nicole Morse, Janke Grant Awardees.
Palak Barmaiya originally comes from Bhopal, India. At South Dakota State University she received her undergraduate degree in Journalism with a minor in Political Science. She is a content enthusiast who is interested in digital media technologies. Palak is interested in anything to do with culture, news, and life. However, her main passion is storytelling—she aspires to tell her stories in different forms of media. Palak is currently teaching New Media Narrative on the Ft. Lauderdale Campus.
Chuck Suits holds a B.A. in English Literature from Westminster College and is a graduate of University of Missouri School of Journalism with an M.A. with Honors in Advertising & Public Relations. He has held many important positions in the government & military. His expertise are: organizational advocacy & crisis communications, public affairs, electronic warfare & nuclear weapon employment. He is accredited in Public Relations (APR) and a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Glenn Geffner is a veteran of more than 30 years in the executive and media fields of baseball. He was first a senior-level communications executive before transitioning into a full-time role as a Major League Baseball broadcaster with the San Diego Padres, the Boston Red Sox, and for the last 14 years, the Miami Marlins. A South Florida native, he is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Media School of Journalism.
Shelby Cadwell is a Ph.D. student in the English department at Wayne State University located in Detroit, MI. Her dissertation research focuses on Afrofuturism, film, ecocriticism, and Black feminist theories of the human. MORE . . .