December 4, 2003

Contract:
Jennifer Meriam, Director
(954) 262-5355
Mara Kiffin, Coordinator
(954) 262-5350
Elizabeth Ninomiya, Writer
(954) 262-5309

Nova Southeastern University Interdisciplinary Arts Students To Present Original Musicals As Part Of Capstone Projects

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Two students from Nova Southeastern University’s Interdisciplinary Arts Program will perform original musicals they have created as the performing arts component in their Capstone projects - an equivalent to a master’s thesis and the final step before graduation - on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center on NSU’s main campus. Students Lisa Watts and Rochelle Klein are in the first class that will graduate with a Master of Science in Education with a specialization in Interdisciplinary Arts.

Lisa Watts will stage “The Divine Wisdom of a Star Flower,” a children’s musical she wrote and choreographed, at 2:00 p.m. Watts will perform in the musical, which includes a cast of 25 children from an after care school program that she created. Rochelle Klein will perform her one act musical that she has written with an original musical score. The play takes a humorous look at the search to find one’s authentic self. Klein will stage her production at 7:30 p.m. Members of the local community are welcome to attend the events, which are free of charge.

Interdisciplinary Arts students Susan Shone and Susan Rakes performed their Capstone Projects recently at the Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center.

This is the first time NSU has offered a degree program with a specialization in the arts. The Master of Science in Education with a specialization in Interdisciplinary Arts degree program is offered through the Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP), although the program is equally geared toward non-educators interested in the arts. The program’s mission is to educate, nurture and facilitate visionary and conceptual artists by offering a nurturing learning environment, resources and tools to expand their knowledge, skills, experience, and entrepreneurship in the arts. The IA program fosters inquiry, research, and creative professional development by uniting faculty and students in acquiring and applying knowledge in professional, educational, community, corporate, cultural and other interdisciplinary settings. For more information on the Interdisciplinary Arts Degree Program, contact Program Administrator/Artistic Director David Spangler at (954) 262-8363, or visit http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/iap.

NSU’s Fischler School of Education and Human Services, based at NSU’s North Miami Beach campus, is the largest accredited graduate school of education in the United States with more than 12,000 students annually in more than 50 sites in the U.S. and abroad, and via a variety of distance education technologies. FSEHS, a leader in graduate distance education for educators, organizational leaders, and trainers throughout the world, has more than 7,000 students in graduate education programs in Florida alone, including both online programs and live classes at NSU locations statewide.