Ovations

research  teaching  creativity  outreach

The College of Liberal and Fine Arts

Contents

On the Air with COLFA Alums

On the Air with COLFA Alums

Flip on the TV or radio, and the faces you see and the voices you hear might just be graduates of UTSA’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts.

Found in Translation

Found in Translation

How Critical Languages Open Doors for COLFA Students

Through the Lens

Through the Lens

A Visual Tour of the COLFA Study Abroad Experience

Putting Tier One Ideals Into Motion

Putting Tier One Ideals Into Motion

12 Years of the COLFA Research Conference

Serving Those Who Serve

Serving Those Who Serve

Pioneering Doctoral Program Focuses on Research to Help Veterans

A Broad Umbrella

A Broad Umbrella

New Institute Tackles Complex Issue of Health Disparities

Center Stage

Center Stage

Theater and Dance at UTSA

Virtual Violence

Virtual Violence

The Complex Effects of Video Games

Alumni Profile: Patricia Adams

Alumni Profile: Patricia Adams

Helping Others with Real Life Issues

Student Profile: Darius Thomas

Student Profile: Darius Thomas

80 Percent Destiny, 20 Percent Choice

Welcome to another edition of Ovations, highlighting the outstanding achievements of students, faculty and supporters of the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts.


A Wide Aperture

John Frederick, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Back in 2002, soon after I was appointed in the dean’s office, I received an invitation to the UTSA College of Business Frost Distinguished Lecture. In those early days as dean I began thinking of the challenges that were new to me, especially about how we were preparing our students for the real world. How did our general courses in English, political science and history, and more esoteric studies, like Enlightenment philosophy or German language and culture, ready graduates for success? Such questions were on my mind the morning I strode next door to learn more about what was going on in our very fine business college.

I took my seat in the packed 302-seat auditorium, among mostly undergraduate business majors. The honored speaker was Ernest Bromley, Chairman and CEO of Bromley Communications, the nation’s largest Hispanic advertising agency. “I’m often asked how to best get on track for success in the business world,” he began. “The first thing I say is, get an undergraduate degree in liberal arts.”

I refrained from jumping up and shouting, “Yes!” — but only with great difficulty. It turns out that Mr. Bromley had been a UTSA political science major. In the years that followed that lecture I often took courage from his remark and from his personal example. All of the UTSA colleges do an outstanding job of building the future for our students and our community, but in this regard COLFA, with its complement of arts, humanities, and social science disciplines, was second to none.

Fast-forward to the Fall 2012 UTSA Alumni Gala. In one of the highlights of the evening, it was announced that Ernest Bromley and his wife Aimee had just committed $250,000 for scholarships in the liberal arts at UTSA. I made my way to their table to thank them, and told Mr. Bromley how his comment long ago had affected me. I was touched by their generosity and even more so by their graciousness. Not only did he remember the speech and the advice, but he also immediately expanded on the importance of a liberal arts education. “It gives you a wide aperture,” he said.

The scope of the liberal arts at UTSA is once again celebrated in the following pages. Our stories feature hardworking faculty and staff, loyal donors, and the students themselves, all contributing to an innovative, progressive learning experience, one which offers the most beneficial combination of light and focus, one only available through a “wide aperture.”

Daniel J. Gelo,
DEAN