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Florida Southern Students Recognized for Academics, Vocal Performance

FSC at Campfire USA

Left Photo: Political Science majors Kelly Dorian (left) and Melissa George (right) with former FSC provost, Dr. Russ Warren, at The Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics. Right photo: FSC vocal student Joshua Mazur (center), seen here in a recent performance of “The Barber of Seville,” was named Most Promising Male Singer at a competition sponsored by the Tampa Bay chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Florida Southern College students continue to be recognized for the quality of their academics and their artistic performance. In recent weeks, FSC students were chosen to present papers at an important annual conference on Southern politics and captured a lion’s share of prizes at a prestigious regional vocal competition.

Political Science students from Florida Southern presented their original and collaborative research at the 34th annual Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics March 1-2 at The Citadel military college in Charleston, S.C.  The Citadel Symposium is a national biennial conference on Southern politics attended by scholars from all over the United States and several foreign countries.

Under the guidance of Associate Professor of Political Science R. Bruce Anderson, 12 FSC students were the only undergraduates to have papers accepted for the conference this year. The students and their papers were:

  • Kelly Dorian, Melissa George, Taylor Langston and Robert Gruber: “Hispanic Political Development, 1988-2010: The Political Convergence of Texan and Floridian Hispanic Populations.”
  • Hunter Kaiser, Annalise LaRoche and Cynthia Padilla: “Sorting the Sunshine State: The Partisan Effects of Retiree In-Migration in Florida, 1960-2010.”
  • Nicole C. Connors and Carlene Fogle-Miller: “Politics of Southern Politicking: From the Nixon Era to the Present Day – Changing Southern Strategy in National Elections.”
  • Courtney Ball, Alex Oommen and Jim Denham: “Is the Christian Coalition Invited to the Tea Party? The Variable Correlation Between Evangelical Voters and the New Right.”

FSC voice students distinguished themselves at the annual competition of the Tampa Bay chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing on Feb. 25 in Tampa. The competition included 135 singers, and FSC won more awards than any other institution represented. Under the direction of Associate Professor of Voice and Opera John Thomasson, FSC students took three first-place and three second-place awards, and senior Joshua Mazur won Most Promising Male Singer. Mazur kept alive a winning streak – an FSC student has won Most Promising Male Singer every year since 2007.

The students and their awards were:

  • Freshmen College Men: Ryan Beodeker, first place, and Jeremy Bixson, third place
  • Sophomore College Women: Lauren Williams, second place
  • Sophomore College Men: Derek Wallace, second place
  • Junior College Women: Alyssa Hunek, second place
  • Junior College Men: Christopher Kline, first place
  • Senior College Men: Joshua Mazur, first place
  • Most Promising Male Singer: Joshua Mazur

The accomplishments underscore the success of Florida Southern’s emphasis on engaged learning, which fosters collaboration between faculty and students and encourages students to apply what they have learned in the classroom, said FSC’s Provost, Dr. Kyle Fedler.
“We at Florida Southern are gratified that our faculty and students have been recognized for their hard work. We believe this demonstrates our commitment to engaged learning and to ever-higher standards for the College,” he said.

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