Battles Receives 2020 Wilma Roswell Messing Jr. Faculty Award
January 27, 2020
The Office of the President has announced the recipient of the 2020 Wilma Roswell Messing Jr. Faculty Award: Joanna Battles, associate professor in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts.
Since 1977, the Messing has been awarded to full-time faculty members for internationally focused summer activities that will strengthen the curriculum and improve the teaching/learning experience. Faculty proposals are peer-reviewed by an appointed University committee.
Battles will travel to Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2020 to attend the Voice and Speech Trainer’s Association conference: Dreaming the Future, Evolving Traditions, as well as Fitzmaurice Voicework’s international conference, Freedom and Focus: Breathing is Meaning. Battles will be presenting at both conferences and studying alongside voice and speech professionals from around the world.
As a representative of Webster University at the VASTA conference, Battles will serve on a panel entitled “Lead From Where You Are: A round table discussion about promoting inclusivity in-season selection and in the classroom/studio.” And also have the opportunity to collaborate with voice and speech peers on this important topic that will impact future contributions to the Webster community.
While in Austria and New Zealand, Battles will also focus on creating new connections with international artists that will lead to future collaborations