Greensboro College President's Essay Included in Book on United Methodist Higher Education

President Lawrence D. Czarda, Ph.D., 

"GREENSBORO, N.C. -- An essay by Greensboro College President Lawrence D. Czarda, Ph.D., has been included in a book on United Methodist higher education published by the association of United Methodist schools and colleges.

The book, "Conversations: Leading United Methodist-Related Schools, Colleges, and Universities," grew out of discussions among 40 leaders in United Methodist education who met in July to reflect on educational leadership in the United Methodist context.

Czarda's essay, "How the Historic Wesleyan Tradition in Education Can Inform United Methodist-Affiliated Institutions," is among seven in the book. Rosalind Fuse-Hall, president of Bennett College, the other United Methodist-affiliated college in Greensboro, also contributed an essay, "Out of Our Caves: Courage for Conversations in the Light."

The book is edited by Nashville author M. Kathryn Armistead and Melanie B. Overton, assistant general secretary for schools, colleges and universities of the General Board of Higher Education Ministry of the United Methodist church.

It is published by the National Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities of the United Methodist Church. At that group's 75th annual meeting this past February, it approved a call for Methodist institutions to recommit to justice and dignity in 2015 and 2016, both in institutional actions and in "conversations that matter about ideas that matter."

The July meeting that gave rise to the book was a follow-up to that February meeting.

Broadly speaking, the Methodist tradition combines openness to all religious faiths and all who would learn with the notion that faith and reason can and should co-exist.

Greensboro College provides a liberal-arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located near downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities."

- A Press Release

Greensboro College Theatre Presents "The Robber Bridegroom" Feb. 18-22

"Greensboro College Theatre presents the musical "The Robber Bridegroom," Feb. 18-22 in the Gail Brower Huggins Performance Center in Odell Building on campus.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, through Saturday, Feb. 21, with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday, Feb. 22.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students. To reserve tickets, call 336-272-7102, ext. 5242, or email tickets@greensboro.edu.

"The Robber Bridegroom"'s book and lyrics were written by Alfred Uhury, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Driving Miss Daisy," and were based on a 1942 novella by Eudora Welty. Music is by Robert Waldman.

Since opening on Broadway in 1975, this rousing, bawdy Southern fairytale has gone on to become a regional favorite. As Broadway historian Peter Filichia puts it, "This is a favorite show of many people who hate musicals, because it eschews the more obvious conventions and has no trouble being its unpretentious self."

Between its two Broadway productions, the show launched the careers of Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone and Barry Bostwick (who won that season's Tony for Leading Actor in a Musical).

Set in eighteenth-century Mississippi, the show follows Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods, as he courts Rosamund, the only daughter of the richest planter in the country. The proceedings go awry, however, thanks to a case of double-mistaken identity. Throw in an evil stepmother intent on Rosamund's demise, her pea-brained henchman, and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have a rollicking country romp.

The music is one of the only genuine bluegrass scores ever heard in a Broadway musical.  With its distinct sound, colorful cast, and unique form of storytelling, "The Robber Bridegroom" is a hidden gem!

Greensboro College's Department of Theatre seeks to provide a strong foundation in theatre while allowing the student to emphasize in a particular area such as directing, acting, or arts administration.

The coursework is integrated with the production work to provide a better understanding of the many facets of the theatre. Required participation on stage or backstage on all theatre productions allows the techniques and theories that are examined in the classroom and the laboratory to be tested in a performance setting.

For more information about the program, contact David Schram, Jefferson Pilot Professor of Theatre and founding dean of the School of the Arts, at 336-272-7102, ext. 5243, or email schramd@greensboro.edu.

Greensboro College provides a liberal-arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located near downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,150 students from 26 states, the District of Columbia and 10 nations in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities."

- A Press Release