Recognition Awards reception honored faculty and staff

The College of Fine Arts Recognition Awards reception honored faculty and staff in four categories as part of an event celebrating the hard work and contributions of our colleagues. The awardees included:

Greg Jasperse is an assistant professor in the School of Music and Director of Gold Company. Since taking over the vocal jazz program at WMU, Greg has continued the long tradition of excellence while introducing his own innovations to both Gold Company and the program at large. He has introduced a wider array of influences into both his studio teaching and into the repertoire that Gold Company engages in. Greg has brought Brazilian stalwart Chico Pinheiro, vocal super group MOSS, Los Angeles pianist Josh Nelson, vocal legend Deborah Brown, and most recently one of the most highly regarded vocal groups in Jazz, the New York Voices. Greg produces the WMU Invitational Vocal Festival, bringing hundreds of students to campus for a weekend of vocal jazz every spring semester. He is one of the most in-demand clinicians across the United States, traveling to both coasts this year to conduct workshops and adjudicate in Seattle and New York. He co-hosted the ACDA state conference this year at WMU. Major publishing companies Alfred Music and Hal Leonard have repeatedly hired Greg to record its choral demos. 

Greg’s studio is run with clear, high expectations and accountability. He is an exacting teacher, and he places high demands on his students. It’s always very apparent when his students perform, either on recitals or juries, that Greg places a high premium on preparation. He has continued to push the group to new and even greater heights, opening for jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, staging a massive production for GC’s 40th anniversary, and mounting a 7-day tour of Southern California, culminating in winning the Monterey Next Gen jazz festival and being invited to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival in September. 

"Greg is single-handedly the most influential professor I've had at WMU. The experiences he gives us and the people we meet through him are the reasons why I will be a successful, marketable musician. I have only good things to say about him." -Cara Gross

Stephanie Hovnanian has served as a part-time clarinet professor since 2010. Stephanie has maintained the clarinet studio for many years without a full-time clarinet professor. Although recruiting generally is not considered a part of a part-time instructor's role, Stephanie has managed to consistently attract students to our program.  Stephanie always makes time to be present at Juries and Area Recitals, she has performed with Western Winds, and takes great pride in her teaching and her students' success.  

"She has honestly been a rock for a lot of people here. Whenever we had a clarinet question or something personal going on in your life you always went to Professor Hovnanian. Professor Hovnanian has pushed me to new levels of my performance abilities and I owe it all to her." - Ashley Beattie   

Dave Marlatt has worked in the Graphic Design program for over 20 years, where he goes above and beyond what is expected to keep the Design Center and program operations running smoothly and professionally. He organizes the archives, library, supplies, and keeps all business files up-to-date. He has supervised student workers and organized the volunteer student monitoring system. Dave’s main responsibility is handling all of the client accounts in the Design Center. The Center functions as a curricular component of the Graphic Design program with approximately 40-50 client projects a year. Many projects have multiple parts and therefore a variety of billing responsibilities. In addition, he handles all of the accounting for the entire program. The faculty work with Dave to distribute funds for visiting designers, course materials, events for students interested in applying to the program and our student group.

"Dave has always impressed me with the way he takes care of the graphic design students. He practically dotes on them and it warms my heart every time I witness it." -Mindi Bagnall 

David Code has contributed high-level service to the School of Music, the College of Fine Arts, the University, and professional organizations in music theory and music technology from the local through international levels. In addition, he has envisioned and created a wide variety of online Google forms to clarify and streamline so many aspects of the School's daily operations relating to our faculty, staff, administrators, students, and potential students. David used similar vision in devising ways to solve the most complex aspects of our New Student Audition process and our Graduate Entrance Exams for Music History and Music Theory by incorporating them into the new eLearning system. David's deep understanding of the workings of the School comes through his many years of previous service as chair of every major committee of the School of Music and chair of the School of Music's Academic Area.

"David Code's ability and boundless energy to creatively problem-solve while serving others with such vision and selflessness humility is something I have marveled at for over 22 years, but his service this year has been truly extraordinary and deserves special recognition." - Dr. Dan Jacobson