News and Notes

IU East Spring Lecture Series
The Spring Faculty Lecture Series continues with Julien Simon, assistant professor of Spanish and French, and his presentation, “An Introduction to Cognitive Literary Studies.” The lecture is at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3 in Whitewater Hall, room 132.

The faculty members presenting in this series received a Summer Faculty Fellowship in 2008. The fellowship is awarded to faculty in support of research or creative activities conducted during the summer, with the intent to stimulate further development of important research and scholarly endeavors.

Registrar to participate on IU committee
Dennis Hicks, registrar, has been appointed by IU President Michael McRobbie to serve on a university-wide wide Veterans Services Coordinating Committee.

The committee will act to ensure the needs of military veterans and the ability for IU and the regional campuses to accommodate their education.

Music professor performs with ensemble, receives New Horizons grant
Elliott McKinley, assistant professor of music, had the world-premiere of a new work, “Three Autumn Sketches,” scored for mixed-chamber ensemble, by the Duquesne University New Music Ensemble conducted by David Stock. The work was commissioned by Duquesne University to celebrate the retirement of Stock. The performance was December 2-4 in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

McKinley performed with his improvisation ensemble “earWorm” as part of the International Society for Improvised Music Annual National Conference at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver held in Denver, Colo. from December 5-7. The ensemble will perform as part of the College Music Society regional conference at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. from March 13-15. He will also perform and present a masterclass with the ensemble as part of Indiana University South Bend’s “Michiana” festival of improvised music. The festival will be held May 29-31.

A recent recipient of the Indiana University New Horizons Research grant in January, McKinley will compose a new concerto for percussion and orchestra. The new work will be composed for percussionist Andrew Martin and has an anticipated premiere in Minneapolis during the 2010-2011 concert season.