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The Online Magazine for Alumni and Friends of Siena Heights University
Educational Process Does Not Stop Over the Summer for SHU Faculty
King Guest Conducts at World Renowned Juilliard Music School
Wes King was in rare company last July in New York City. King, Siena Heights music instructor and director of Bands, was only one of 10 people worldwide to be selected to conduct at the Juilliard Conducting Workshop for Music Educators.
“I had thought about applying for it for a few years but I didn’t think I would be strong enough to get in,” said King, who is in his second year at SHU. “It was a big surprise for me and my family. It was just a really cool opportunity.”
King had to apply via a DVD audition. Required was a 15-minute performance and 15-minute rehearsal. For the rehearsal part of the audition, King used his work conducting a John Philip Sousa march with the Siena Heights band.
Out of more than 200 applications, only 48 were chosen. And only 10 were allowed to conduct at Juilliard, known as one of the finest schools for the arts in the world. He received another unexpected surprise when his younger brother, Greg, and his mother, helped fund his trip.
“You had people coming in from all over the world,” said King, who joined conductors from Japan, Scotland and South Africa among others. “And I was with people who had doctorates, who were working professionally. There were only a few band directors.”
Take a Guided Tour of the McLaughlin University Center –Through the Eyes of the People Who Use It
By Doug Goodnough
The new “Crown Jewel” of Siena Heights University was sparkling during Homecoming Weekend 2013.
The new $9.1 million McLaughlin University Center was dedicated Oct. 5 as part of the Homecoming celebration on the Adrian campus (picture above).
Major benefactor Mary Spencer and a contingent of more than 30 of her family members joined her to dedicate the facility that was named after her parents, Delbert and Donna McLaughlin. Joining Spencer and SHU President Sister Peg Albert for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Steve and Sally Hickman of the Hickman Family Foundation, which provided the lead gift for the project.
The McLaughlin Center officially opened its doors on Aug. 1. The 34,000 square-foot student and community facility houses the University’s dining service, which includes a Mongolian-style grill, a snack shop featuring Starbucks coffee and the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore.
SHU Dean for Students Michael Orlando was involved in the early planning of the facility, and he said to see the impact that it has already made has been remarkable.
“This is because students wanted this space on campus,” Orlando said. “It was really refreshing that we were able to modify the design so it did have student input. … Although it’s just a building, it’s an indicator that this is where students are meant to be.”
Since this is a student-and people-centered facility, the staff of Reflections thought it appropriate that the people who use it every day should take readers on a guided “tour” of sorts to show off some of the favorite features.
Willis Sowle III Begins Dominican Young Adults Chapter at SHU
Willis Sowle III ’15 is part of a youth move-
ment happening on the Siena Heights University campus.
The junior Religious Studies major from Toledo, Ohio, attended a Dominican preaching in action conference in Chicago in May 2012. Soon after that experience, he had a revelation.
“As I began to engage in campus ministry in the fall, it seemed like there was a missing piece in the faith community on campus,” Sowle said. “I came to realize that we are a Dominican university, and a vast majority of the students and faculty haven’t really embraced that idea. (This) led me to the conclusion that we need a student organization that enlightens students to the truth found in Dominican life.”
In October, Sowle helped form a chapter of the Dominican Young Adults on the Siena Heights campus. The DYA has replaced Sojourn, the campus ministry youth group that previously existed. He said the learning about the Dominican tradition and heritage has been a process.
