May 2010 Alumni E-Newsletter

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Alumni Profiles

Bleakley, Sonya
Stadig, Kathryn
Zindorf, Melanie
Compton, Jessica
Schmid, Diane
Georg, William
Blanks, Bernard
Rice, James
Harrington, Patrick
Schnupp, Timothy
Raucher, Laura
Andus, Jennifer
Stewart, Jessica
O'Leary, Aileen
Oppenheimer, Rebecca
Adcock, Eugene
Nusbaum, Austin
Conkling, Paul
Sumlar, Keith
Sharif, Madni
Kole, Patricia
Blumenfeld, Daniel
Dorsey, Eric
Davis, Jonathan
Castagna, Nicole
Parvizian, Pasha
Jolley, James
Marshall, Jennifer
Critelli, Amanda
Hagemann, Jennifer
Earl, Maryann
Garie, Allison
Angle-Jessie, Kimberly
Hinkson, Maurice
Falls, Michael
Holley, Richard
Hughen, Susan
Coyne, Michael
Watts, Melanie
Salkov, Daniel
Godwin, John
Plack, Elliott
Brophy, Frank
Dehinwa, Adedunni
Kunkel, Casey
Shelyubsky, Liana
Shultz, Geoffery
Mittrick, Mark
Neighbors, Lindsey
Davis, Stefanie
Otterbein, Melissa
Grace, Jenny
Mccormick, Amanda
Flanagan, Lisa
Nelson, Kelly
Newman, Alexander
Minnehan, Ryan
Kaiser, Lauren
Calliste, Cornelia
Surowiec, Justyna
Franzoni, Stephen
Sappington, Brent
Seaman, Matthew
Ittner, Brandon
Bailey, Douglas
Ren, Yuxia
Porter, Lauren
Hill, Lakeysha
Canfield, Ashley
Love, Jeffrey

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Tiger Spotlight

Courtney Bell ’01 & Mike Flanagan ‘02

You never know where life will take you. For Courtney Bell and Mike Flanagan life’s adventure has taken them from the classrooms of Towson University to Glendale, California, to pursue their passions of filmmaking, acting and producing. Courtney, from Columbia, MD and Mike, from Bowie, MD both came to Towson with scholarships in hand and ready to jump in to all the opportunities TU had to offer. Courtney participated in many plays through the Theatre department, as well as shows with the Mobtown Players. Mike also dabbled in theatre, participating in a few plays on campus as well; but he found his true calling making movies, and spent much of his time working on projects at the Media Center.

While at Towson, Mike filmed the movie “Makebelieve” on campus, shooting in such spots as Tower B and the Glen Dining Hall. Starring a cast of Towson Theatre students and crewed by Towson Mass Comm majors, the film was featured in the Maryland Film Festival in 2000, and thus elevated Mike to the status of “feature filmmaker.” After switching to the newly offered EMF major, Mike went on to shoot “Still Life” while in school, and “Ghosts of Hamilton Street” right after graduation in 2002. To Mike, filmmaking “is such a powerful medium – it reaches so many people and evokes such intense emotion. It has staying power and represents a truly collaborative art form.”

After graduating from Towson in 2001, Courtney worked with several regional theatres in Cincinnati, DC, Maine, and Colorado. When she went to LA to look at graduate schools she reconnected with her old friend Mike from Towson, who she hadn’t seen in more than 5 years. The two became engaged and are planning a spring 2011 wedding! They began shooting a documentary together called “American Marriage”, delving into the understanding of the institution of marriage and the array of views on traditional marriages in this country. The project, which will be submitted to the Sundance Film festival, has been in the works for about a year, and may culminate with their own wedding at the end of the film.

The pair’s current project is the filming of their new horror film, “Absentia.” According to Mike, “Absentia is that rare type of horror movie: one that doesn’t rely on gore, violence, and cheap shocks.” Instead they will rely on realistic characters with a thought-provoking storyline, then “weave in elements of universal psychological fear, the result of which makes great horror films.” To read a synopsis, watch a trailer, and learn more about the film, please click here.

TU Events

Towson Heritage Celebration

The Alumni Relations Office is looking for our legacy students and alumni. Family connections are a part of Towson University’s success. Many of our current students are sons and daughters of Towson alumni, or they have legacy connections through their siblings or grandparents. We believe that these legacy connections are something to commemorate, so we are inviting all of our legacy alumni and students to a special “Towson Heritage Celebration.” Please let us know if you are part of a Towson University legacy family and we will get you the information about the event.

TU 2010

Culminating the 2010 Plan

Serving as the oldest and largest producer of teachers in the state of Maryland, Towson University is an established center for excellence in the teaching profession, and will continue to produce well-qualified teachers to fill the 2.2 million teaching positions that will be needed nationally in the next 10 years. TU's teacher education programs receive full accreditation from the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and in 2008 Towson University was named the recipient of the prestigious Christie McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education by the American Association of State College and Universities. Through Towson's Professional Development School Network, teacher candidates receive hands-on training in the classroom and guidance from experienced mentor teachers. This approach significantly improves teacher retention, saves public education dollars, and contributes to an improved learning environment for students.

Event Photos

View photos from these recent alumni events:

To view all group photo albums, click here.

Alumni Links

Stay informed about the TU Alumni Association and all the benefits and resources available to you as an alumna/us!

	Office of Alumni Relations Towson University 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252
	800-887-8152 • 410-704-2234 • f. 410-704-4740 • alumni@towson.edu