Michigan's CRLT Players to portray issues at universities

January 24, 2012

Research on pedagogical and institutional challenges will come to life Feb. 9-10 as a nationally known professional troupe from the University of Michigan acts and sings its way through difficult issues. The appearances by the CRLT Players are sponsored by ADVANCE-Purdue and its Center for Faculty Success.

CRLT primarily addresses issues of two kinds -- teaching and learning, and institutional transformation. The U-M group, begun in 2000, combines theatrical and other presentation techniques to engage audiences in issues distilled from interviews, surveys and other sources. CRLT has performed at nearly 50 campuses and almost as many conferences and other venues.

At Purdue, each of two presentations will focus on CRLT's key areas. On Feb. 9, faculty, staff and students are invited to "Institutional Change: The Musical" at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. Through intersecting story lines, the sketch explores the issues and social dynamics of departmental or school change processes. Key issues include how people define individual responsibility, global citizenship and the university.

On Feb. 10, a program for faculty will feature "The Fence," which involves a tenure meeting discussion by a science department executive committee. This sketch takes up fairness issues and the subtle role of gender perceptions. The program will begin at 9 a.m. in the Hall for Discovery and Learning Research, Room 131.

More about CRLT is at www.crlt.umich.edu/theatre/index.php. The page includes a link to an in-depth article in Change magazine.

ADVANCE-Purdue, which is part of a National Science Foundation program at many universities, is an institutional transformation project that targets recruitment, retention, and advancement of women STEM faculty at Purdue. More about ADVANCE-Purdue is at www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/advance.