Fall 99 p. 2

Board of Directors
Deena Burke
Cornish College of the Arts

Kate Burke
President-Elect
U. of Virginia

BettyAnn Leeseberg-Lange
Past-President
Valparaiso University

Dorothy Runk Mennen
Founding President
Purdue University
Professor, Emerita

Janet Rodgers
President
Virginia Commonwealth U.

Mandy Rees
CA State U.-Bakersfield

Karen Ryker
U, of Wisconsin-Madison

Kate Ufema
U. of Minnesota-Duluth

Officers
Janet Rodgers
President
Virginia Commonwealth U.
922 Park Ave.
Richmond, VA 23284
804-828-6557
<jrodgers@saturn.vcu.edu>

Philip Thompson
Secretary
The Ohio State University
1089 Drake Union
1849 Cannon Drive Columbus, OH 43210
614-261-8340
<thompson.451@osu.edu>

Lisa Wilson
Treasurer
University of Tulsa
1535 S. Florence Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104
918-631-2566/2850
<lisa-wilson@utulsa.edu>

Craig Ferre
Newsletter Editor
Brigham Young U. -Hawaii
Laie, HI 96762
808-293-3903
<ferrec@byuh.edu>

Paul Meier
Newsletter Associate Editor
University of Kansas
Lawrence KS 66054
785-864-2692
<pmeier@eagle.cc.ukans.edu>

The President’s Letter

Dear Vasta Members,

The school year is well underway for those of us who are involved with academia. The theatre season is well underway for those of us who are theatre practitioners and for those of us involved with the corporate world, summer is over. Hopefully our batteries have been charged with the long days of summer sunshine and, for some of us, our trip to Toronto to attend the VASTA Conference and Shaw Festival. These events, indeed, do help to feed our creative spirits during the long winter months. It was wonderful to re-connect with kindred spirits in Toronto. I truly love the VASTA family and its commitment to fostering the newer voice trainer while providing a forum for those who have been around a bit longer. Thank you to everyone who presented and attended the 1999 conference at York University. And a special thanks to Candice Brown, Dawn McCaugherty, Christia Ward, and all of those who helped with planning and carrying out this important event.

Many exciting things are up and coming within the VASTA organization. Our journal, “The Voice and Speech Review” was launched in Toronto in August and the first volume is due out in June of 2000. Rocco Dal Vera is editor and if anyone has an article or idea for an article, please contact Rocco at Rocco.DalVera@uc.edu. Rocco’s plan is to start with one volume per year. The deadline for June of 2000 is Dec. 31, 1999.

Also, the second VASTA endorsed book, “The Voice and Speech Exercise Book” and audiotape is in the works and will be published by Applause Books. I have received a Faculty Leave Grant to work on this project during the spring 2000 semester and will soon be contacting all of you for contributions. It is my plan that a substantial part of the royalties from this project will go into the VASTA treasury help with future projects.

Our third big event in the works is our first International Conference, to be held at George Mason University outside of Washington, D.C., August 6th through 9th. This conference will be 4 days long and we are working on a theatre trip to Washington, D.C. on the day following the conference. Barbara Acker is the Director of the 2000 Conference. Her e-mail address is Barbara.Acker@asu.edu.

During the summer, it came to my attention that many memberships had lapsed during the spring and summer months. It is very easy, with our busy lives, to put our renewal postcard in a drawer and just forget about it. Unfortunately, it means that you might get deleted from the VASTA mailing list and then not receive the “Newsletter” or other important communications. Therefore, when your renewal card arrives, PLEASE remember to mail in your dues promptly to our treasurer, Lisa Wilson. Also, if you move or change any part of your address, be sure to send that information to Phil Thompson, VASTA’s secretary. (Both Lisa and Phil’s addresses are in the left-hand column of this page). The VASTA membership directory is published once a year and it is very important that you check to make sure that you are in it because this means that you are also on the mailing list. If you do NOT receive a membership directory this fall, contact Phil Thompson. Lastly, VASTA membership is necessary for inclusion in the Professional Directory on the VASTA Website. Check to make sure that you are there and that the information is as you WANT it to appear. It is up to you to keep VASTA up to date so you are accurately represented.

May the transition to the year 2000 be a smooth one for us all.

All my best,

Janet B. Rodgers, VASTA President

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