Arts Guides Fall 2019 Preview: South Jersey | Page 17

The College of Performing Arts,
founded in 1971 at the then Glass-
boro State College, has always
served as a cultural center for the
campus community, the South Jer-
sey region, and beyond, offering
a diverse range of programming—
including classical, contemporary,
and popular music, dance, and
theatre. A thriving Center for the
Arts was established in the 1990s
at what became Rowan University,
with a professional presenting se-
ries of celebrated performers and
a community music school. This
changed in 2002, with the dis-
banding of the Center.
Over the past five years, how-
ever, the College has been rees-
tablishing these vital programs,
according to Debbie Shapiro, Di-
rector of Community Engagement
& Presenting. A new Community
Music School provides one-on-
one music lessons with Rowan
faculty for the public and the Ma-
rie Rader Presenting Series brings
2019 FALL PREVIEW
world-renowned artists to Rowan
for public performances, as well as
co-curricular educational opportu-
nities for students, and community
outreach and engagement initia-
tives, according to Shapiro.
Shapiro’s appointment in the fall
of 2018 signified a significant in-
vestment in the rebuilding and
increasing public service through
the performing arts at Rowan.
Other transitional steps taken by
the College in the past three years
include the appointment of a new
Dean, Dr. Richard Dammers, and
the hiring of four new full-time fac-
ulty—all scholars, performers, and
leaders in their respective artistic
fields. Student enrollment in the
Center increased by nine percent
from 2017 to 2018.
The University, as a whole, has re-
cently earned R2 research status—
a Doctoral University with High
Research Activity and, according
to Shapiro, has been able to in-
crease the quantity and quality of
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