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Acclaimed Composer James Primosch Returns Home to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Bach InstituteCleveland native and Cleveland State University music graduate James Primosch realized early on that he had a calling to music and that passion has driven...
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Acclaimed Composer James Primosch Returns Home to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Bach Institute

Cleveland native and Cleveland State University music graduate James Primosch realized early on that he had a calling to music and that passion has driven his life path ever since.

“One does not chose music, music chooses you,” he says. “I have been very fortunate to explore my love affair with music through performance and composition, while helping others to pursue that same passion.”

Primosch, who has composed music for some of the world’s top orchestras and served for over three decades as a professor of music at the University of Pennsylvania, will return to Cleveland this spring to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute. One of the world’s leading research centers on the music and life of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Institute, located at Baldwin Wallace University, has commissioned a new choral work by Primosch that will be premiered at BW in April of 2020.

“It is amazing to be asked to compose a piece in honor of Bach, one of the true giants of classical music, and to have it premiered in my home town is just icing on the cake,” he adds.

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Student Profiles: Jenavione Goiser and Jenna WhitefieldCleveland State University theatre students come from diverse backgrounds and approach the stage from different perspectives. However, they all share a love of the arts and a deep respect for the...
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Student Profiles: Jenavione Goiser and Jenna Whitefield

Cleveland State University theatre students come from diverse backgrounds and approach the stage from different perspectives. However, they all share a love of the arts and a deep respect for the power theatre has to lift people up. Below, current theater students Jenavione Goiser and Jenna Whitefield discuss their personal histories and artistic inspirations.

Jenavione Goiser
Junior Theatre Major (Acting Track) from Cleveland, Ohio

This go-getter dreams of working with Taraji Henson and Viola Davis one day. For right now, though, she’s loving her favorite CSU classes this semester - Audition Skills with Lara Mielcarek and Intro to Theatre Technology with Russ Borski. Her favorite plays and musicals include Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Naomi lizuka’s Polaroid Stories (in which she recently played Persephone), and Tyler Perry’s Big Happy Family. When she’s not in classes, she’s working with WinterWonder Cleveland as an Instagram Host. 

When asked how she deals with the stress of her schedule and everyday life, she answered, “Honestly, I pray and put everything into the hands of God. And I write my stress into my song lyrics, hoping one day someone will be inspired by my story." 

After graduation, she hopes to bring more opportunities to Cleveland and to those in need. She would also love to further her writing craft with song lyrics, play scripts and screenplays.

What does Jenavione love about CSU? "The diversity, and the fact that a student who is considered non-traditional (because of my age) is still able to make their dreams come true here. I will gain my Bachelor’s degree [while] my daughter watches her hero cross the stage, and I appreciate CSU for giving me the opportunity to do so.”

Jenna Whitfield
Senior Journalism and Promotional Communication Major / Theatre Minor from Geneva, Ohio

This stay-at-home mom’s dream is to work at Playhouse Square and to use her major and her minor to work in the industry in general. Currently, her favorite CSU course this semester is Russ Borski’s Theatre Makeup class. Her favorite musical? Hairspray! 

How does this busy student and mom of one-year-old Charlotte deal with a packed schedule? “I deal with stress by taking time to myself, and taking care of myself. Once I look good, I feel good,” she says. 

When asked about her favorite thing about CSU, she says, “My favorite thing about CSU is all of the professors who care so much about us and really help us out. They make my day.

Law Student Assists in Enhancing Civil Right for AllRenee Stromski, a second-year student in Cleveland State University’s Cleveland Marshall College of Law, had the opportunity to enhance her legal skills, while pursuing her passion for social...
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Law Student Assists in Enhancing Civil Right for All

Renee Stromski, a second-year student in Cleveland State University’s Cleveland Marshall College of Law, had the opportunity to enhance her legal skills, while pursuing her passion for social advocacy, this summer through an internship with the U.S. Department of Education.

Stromski worked for the Cleveland Region of the Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which covers the states of Ohio and Michigan. It seeks to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age. In that role, she assisted in investigating cases of discrimination brought by students, including conducting background research, data collection and past case law review.  The 12-week position gave her a first-hand view of civil rights policy and how it is implemented and enforced nationally.

“I got my undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s in social work, but felt I needed more policy and legal experience to be able to meaningfully address the injustices I saw in society,” Stromski says. “Cleveland Marshall, with its focus on experiential learning, social justice and leadership training, has been the perfect place to gain these skills.”

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Alumna Helps Create New Learning Pathways for Math StudentsTherese Rinehart has always had a passion for math and from an early age wanted to help others learn to love the discipline as much as she did. She now gets that opportunity every day, while...
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Alumna Helps Create New Learning Pathways for Math Students

Therese Rinehart has always had a passion for math and from an early age wanted to help others learn to love the discipline as much as she did. She now gets that opportunity every day, while also helping to develop innovative methods for delivering math education to students.

Rinehart, who graduated as Therese Morrison from Cleveland State University in 2003 with a dual major in math and education, currently serves as a math teacher at Phoenix High School in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The alternative high school utilizes a self-directed, online learning model with a focus on interactivity and college preparation. Rinehart teaches courses, participates in curriculum development and implementation and works to advance the student-centric, student-directed learning model at the heart of the school’s design.

“Phoenix High School is set up to ensure students are in charge of their own education and are allowed to learn at a pace that matches their needs and skills” she adds. “Educational concepts are presented through videos, active projects and demonstrations that are based on students’ interests and goals.”

The school is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and classes are two hours each. Students set their own schedules and can take courses online, complete sections at their own pace and then move on to the next. Rinehart provides guidance and assistance when students need additional help, along with mentoring support for class selection, career discovery and college preparation.

Phoenix is part of a growing group of alternative high schools nationally that are breaking away from the standard, lecture-based educational set-up to create a more open and active learning model. The school does still offer face-to-face classes for the more traditional learner. The Phoenix Philosophy is “We Exist for Students.”

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Creating Community through the ArtsGina Vernaci had spent nearly four decades as a theater manager and administrator and was in the middle of a highly successful tenure at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square when a lunchtime walk changed her educational and...
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Creating Community through the Arts

Gina Vernaci had spent nearly four decades as a theater manager and administrator and was in the middle of a highly successful tenure at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square when a lunchtime walk changed her educational and professional path.

“I walked by Cleveland State’s Levin College of Urban Affairs building, which is a block away from my office at Playhouse Square, and found myself wondering what urban affairs meant,” she says. “I walked in to find out and realized how important the field was to the work I did every day in building a broader arts community for the region. Shortly thereafter, I applied to the Master’s in Urban Studies program.”

Vernaci would ultimately graduate from CSU with her Master’s Degree in 2003 and credits the education and training she received as a key factor in her continued career advancement, which culminated in July of 2019 with her appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer of Playhouse Square. In that role, she manages all business and operational aspects for the largest performing arts center in America outside of New York. This includes overseeing community development projects, education initiatives and the presentation of over 1,000 events annually that draw in more than 1 million visitors from across the region and beyond.

“Knowing how cities work and how people operate within them has been pivotal to being a good leader for this organization which, in addition to presenting performances, is actively involved in downtown development,” Vernaci adds. “I use my CSU degree literally every day.”

Vernaci first joined Playhouse Square in 1984 and has watched the organization and the neighborhood it calls home transform before her eyes. Over the years she has served as program manager, director of programming, vice president, senior VP, executive producer and president and COO. In those positions she has managed nearly every aspect of operations and played a leading role in organizational partnerships and programming development that have made Playhouse Square one of the top arts institutions in the country.

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Addressing Human Trafficking in ClevelandHuman trafficking is a form of human slavery that includes forced labor, domestic servitude and commercial sex trafficking. It Is a major global problem and a particular challenge locally, as the state of Ohio...
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Addressing Human Trafficking in Cleveland

Human trafficking is a form of human slavery that includes forced labor, domestic servitude and commercial sex trafficking. It Is a major global problem and a particular challenge locally, as the state of Ohio ranks fourth in the nation for human trafficking cases.

Two CSU nursing students decided to investigate ways to address this issue by creating better methods for identifying trafficking victims and ultimately provide them with the support and assistance needed to free themselves. Amber Gillespie and Allyson Figlar began the effort as a project for their Master’s in Nursing degrees and were ultimately able to implement the program they designed, in partnership with a local health system.

“Over 80 percent of human trafficking victims come to the hospital during their victimization,” notes  Figlar. “Health care workers are therefore often the first point of contact for many victims. We saw this as an opportunity to help practitioners better identify those that are being trafficked and get them help.”

Figlar and Gillespie worked with CSU nursing faculty and several health-care mentors to research various human trafficking screening techniques and then developed their own tool that could meet the needs of the local population. They then created a training program to educate nurses, doctors, social workers, case managers and all other ancillary staff on the use of the tool as well as the key red flags and signals that could indicate victimization. They ultimately worked with a local health system to implement the tool into existing charting systems used by emergency departments, inpatient units and medical offices to diagnose and intake patients.

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Latest Poetry Center Publications Receive National AcclaimThe Cleveland State University Poetry Center released their newest catalog of books this September and their authors have been “cleaning up” with a host of national profiles and award...
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Latest Poetry Center Publications Receive National Acclaim

The Cleveland State University Poetry Center released their newest catalog of books this September and their authors have been “cleaning up” with a host of national profiles and award selections.

All five released books have appeared on Small Press Distribution’s Bestseller List in their first month of publication. Oliver Baez Bendof’s Advantages of Being Evergreen was number one on the poetry list. In addition:

Anne Lesley Selecer’s debut collection of poetry, Sun Cycle, was reviewed by Heavy Feathers Review.

Oliver Baez Bendof’s Advantages of Being Evergreen has been reviewed or featured in Ms. Magazine, Rolling Stone, Poets & Writers, Essay Daily, TC Tolbert’s Trans/Nonbinary Poetry Resource List, The Poetry Question, the University of Arizona’s Poetry Center blog, Tone Madison, Boricua Reads, NYU’s Skirball series, and Poetry Daily.

Conor Bracken’s translation of Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine’s Scorpionic Sun has been profiled by Bomb, Entropy, The Kenyon Review, and Poetry Northwest.

Amy Long’s book of essays, Codependence, has been featured in The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, DIAGRAM, Magnify, The Ish podcast, Heavy Feather Review, Fiction Points, and Pulpmouth.

Russell Atkins’s World’d Too Much has been featured in the Plain Dealer, Cleveland Scene and Entropy, and was selected as a Small Press Distribution “Handpicked” book. Atkins was also celebrated in a featured Cleveland Book Week event, in collaboration with the Cleveland Foundation and CSU, at the Karamu House.

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Competing for GoodFor the second year in a row, Cleveland State University’s two biggest colleges, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) and the College of Sciences and Health Professions (COSHP), went head-to-head, to see who could...
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Competing for Good

For the second year in a row, Cleveland State University’s two biggest colleges, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) and the College of Sciences and Health Professions (COSHP), went head-to-head, to see who could collect the most spices, salts, peppers, vinegar and oils for CSU’s Lift Up Vikes! Resource Center & Food Pantry.

Why spices, you may ask? Food pantries tend to stock the same foods week after week, and spices and oils are a great way to vary the taste of dishes. Additionally, spices, sauces, condiments and the like are often too pricey for the center to purchase on its own.

Last year, COSHP won handily, but this year, CLASS grabbed the trophy, bringing in 557 items to COSHP’s 324. The food pantry is richer by almost 900 items!  

Lift Up Vikes! is currently in the process of be moving to a larger and more accessible location in Berkman Hall. The new space will open in January. Please consider helping the pantry to meet an increasing demand by hosting a drive or making a donation. You can contact Lift Up Vikes! at liftupvikes@csuohio.edu. 

CSU Law Library Installs “Bird Friendly” Film on Entryway Glass The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library at Cleveland State University has installed a dot pattern film on entryway glass to prevent bird fatalities. Collisions with buildings are a...
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CSU Law Library Installs “Bird Friendly” Film on Entryway Glass

The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library at Cleveland State University has installed a dot pattern film on entryway glass to prevent bird fatalities.

Collisions with buildings are a leading cause of bird fatalities in North America. One study estimated that as many as one billion birds die each year in the United States from building collisions.

A combination of light pollution and reflective building materials confuse migratory birds leading to collisions with buildings. The reflections of trees or clouds can cause birds to misinterpret windows as open areas. Windows with plants behind them can also be problematic as birds mistake them for a safe landing spot.

CSU’s director of sustainability, Jennifer McMillin, worked with local and national bird advocacy organizations to determine the most appropriate patterns and products for the lobby windows. Both aesthetics and effectiveness were taken into account when selecting the frit pattern that was ultimately used. Vinyl dots spaced two inches apart in a grid pattern will help birds distinguish windows from natural habitat.  

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Student Service Trip Enhances Engaged Learning and Community Well-beingThrough a unique partnership with the Navajo Reservation, second-year students in Cleveland State University’s Master of Occupational Therapy program have the opportunity to...
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Student Service Trip Enhances Engaged Learning and Community Well-being

Through a unique partnership with the Navajo Reservation, second-year students in Cleveland State University’s Master of Occupational Therapy program have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Native American culture while providing central services to communities in need. For the past four years, OT students have been able to participate in a service learning trip to the Reservation, which is located in New Mexico and Arizona and has been designated as a Healthcare Provider Shortage Area by the U.S. government.

“This activity allows our students to gain a first-hand knowledge of the educational and healthcare challenges facing many Americans, provides real world learning opportunities for future occupational therapists and allows CSU to broaden its community engagement efforts,” notes Dr. Karen Keptner, an assistant professor of occupational therapy who organizes the trips and supervises the students in the field.

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