September 4, 2007

Film scoring, female education how girls learn, digital rights and new media will be topics in the recently established College of Arts and Humanities 2007-2008 Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series.

The new series will debut Sept. 26 with documentary producer, educator and Fresno State alumna Diana Meehan.

The series will feature broadcast journalist Jan Yanehiro, movie score writer Jeff Atmajian, artist and art gallery owner Doug Walla, Pulitzer prize-winning photographer Robert Gauthier, intellectual property rights attorney Dennis Wilson, Smithsonian curator Harry Rand, and TV executive Howard Bolter.

All programs are free, except for the Yanehiro lecture, which is also part of the University Lecture Series. All are open to the public. Here are the details:

Sept. 26 – Author, educator, presidential adviser and documentary producer Dr. Diana Meehan will discuss her current book, “Learning Like a Girl: Educating Our Daughters in Schools of Their Own” from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Music Building’s Wahlberg Recital Hall.

Meehan, who graduated in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in English, is co-founder of the Archer School for Girls and founding director of the Institute for the Study of Women and Men at USC. She also is a founding partner of VU Productions, a documentary film company attached to Paramount.

Oct. 2 – In collaboration with the University Lecture Series, the College of Arts and Humanities will host Emmy Award winner, broadcast journalist, documentary producer and author Jan Yanehiro from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Satellite Student Union. Yanehiro, a 1970 journalism graduate, will be joined by one of her co-authors, entrepreneur Michealene Cristini Risley. They will discuss their book, “This is Not the Life I Ordered.”

Before taking on her current role as host of Comcast’s “Everyday Angels” – and prior to becoming executive producer of Pacific Fusion TV – Yanehiro pioneered the TV-magazine format as co-host of “Evening Magazine.” A 1970 Fresno State graduate, she was named one of the 2001 Outstanding Alumni by the Fresno State Alumni Association.

Oct. 22 – Fresno native Jeff Atmajian, who has orchestrated and composed music for more than 140 films, will discuss “Film Scoring: Past and Present” from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Music Building’s Concert Hall. Graduating in 1984 with a bachelor‘s degree in music, he has worked with orchestras in London, New York and Los Angeles on classical, popular and film recordings,

While pursuing his music degree - with an emphasis in composition - his love for symphonic and chamber music flourished. During these years he played piano for vocal groups and ballet classes, local theater productions and the university jazz band.

Nov. 26 – Douglas Walla, who earned a bachelor’s degree in art in 1973 and a master’s in 1974, will give a talk titled “Art of Engagement: Tales from a New York Art Dealer,” at 7 p.m. in the Alice Peters Auditorium of the University Business Center.

From 1973 to 1976, Walla was curator of the Fresno Arts Center. He then moved to New York City and eventually became the vice president of Marlborough Gallery, where he coordinated the exhibitions and activities for Francis Bacon, Larry Rivers, Alex Katz, Red Grooms and the estates of Jacques Lipchitz and Barbara Hepworth.

Jan. 17 – Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Robert Gauthier, who has covered assignments that include the Iraq War, the 2004 Greece Olympics, the Liberation of Kosovo and the Cannes Film Festival, will hold a photojournalism exhibit opening reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the President’s Gallery in the Thomas Administration Building.

Gauthier, who graduated in 1983 with a. bachelor’s degree in photojournalism, was a photographer, reporter and editor for The Collegian at Fresno State from 1979 to 1983.

Feb. 26 – Dennis Wilson, a 1988 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English, will address “Digital Rights, Virtual Worlds and New Media: Your New Reality” from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Alice Peters Auditorium.

Wilson, an attorney, represents some of the world’s largest media, entertainment and technology companies in complex litigation, counseling and transactions. His practice encompasses copyright, trademark, licensing, technology development, online advertising and Internet law issues. He has also been selected as one of America’s Top Lawyers by Forbes Business and a “Super Lawyer” by the New York Times and is listed in Who’s Who of American Trial Lawyers.

March 11 – Dr. Harry Rand, a senior curator for the Smithsonian Institute, will speak about American artist and 1943 Fresno State alumnus John Hultberg at 7 p.m. in the Alice Peters Auditorium.

Graduating from Fresno State in 1943 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature, Hultberg’s career spanned five decades with numerous exhibitions in the United States and abroad. Some of his honors and awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, Ford Foundation Fellowships, National Endowment for the Arts grants, three Pollack-Krasner Foundation grants and a Lee Krasner grant.

April 2 – With more than 30 years of experience in broadcasting, cable and new media, Howard Bolter will share his perspective on the evolution of television production to the launch of LATV, the first bilingual multicast network, with his lecture titled “TV to New Media: Now Everyone’s A Producer” at 7 p.m. in the Alice Peters Auditorium

Bolter, who graduated from Fresno State in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree . in theatre arts, is president and CEO for LATV Networks, the first and only 24/7 bilingual multi-cast broadcast television network. Bolter also has worked on several high-definition feature films and consulted on the startup of new cable networks.

Free parking for the lectures is available in lots C, D and J. For more information, call 559.278.3056.