News & Media

OWU Faculty Honored for ‘Excellence in Education’

DELAWARE, OH – Four Ohio Wesleyan University faculty members are among the professors recognized for “Excellence in Education” in the latest edition of Ohio Magazine.

Those recognized are:

Bonnie Milne Gardner, Ph.D. – A 1977 Ohio Wesleyan graduate, Milne Gardner joined the Theatre & Dance faculty in 1985. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and has had more than 20 scripts produced by professional, community, and educational theatres. She has worked professionally as a director, arts administrator, and dramaturg – and generously shares this knowledge with students. She has earned an Ohio Arts Council Playwriting Fellowship, was a finalist at the Edward Albee Playwriting Conference, and was a semi-finalist in the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Ten Minute Play Contest. Her book, “The Playwright-Director in American Theatre,” was published in 2001. Larry Griffin, D.M.A. – Griffin joined the Ohio Wesleyan faculty in 1986. He is passionate about helping young trumpet players develop their talents and explore creativity through music. He strives to provide an exciting environment in which to learn fundamentals of music performance. Griffin conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Brass Choir, Trumpet Ensemble, Pep Band, and Park Avenue Jazz Ensemble. He has toured extensively as a soloist and clinician, including a 1981 China tour. He taught and performed at the International Music Camp in Manitoba for 17 years. He is an active guest conductor throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Edward Kahn, Ph.D. – Kahn joined the Ohio Wesleyan Theatre & Dance faculty in 2004. He teaches theatre directing, literature, and theory courses. In 2010, Kahn created a semester-long political/social cabaret course to teach students to write and perform contemporary political and social material. The successful course resulted in the creation of “Juice Box Cabaret,” a new student group that performs material designed “to nourish thought and awareness.” Kahn’s scholarly work has been published in “Theatre Survey,” “Theatre Research International,” and “Theatre Journal.” He also is a contributing editor to Bedford/St. Martin’s “VirtuaLit Drama Tutorial.” Joseph Musser, Ph.D. – Musser joined the Ohio Wesleyan Department of English in 1977 and has been helping students to become better, more confident writers ever since. He teaches composition at all levels, as well as the introduction to the major and English literature 1660-1798. Of his courses, one student wrote, “I feel much more confident in my writing after being ‘Musserized.’ ” A former Newberry Library Fellow, Musser also is president the OWU Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society. He also composes music, with his works including two processionals for the 2008 inauguration of OWU President Rock Jones.

Congratulations to OWU’s Excellence in Education honorees!

Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 47 states and 57 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.