Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for fall 2018 commencement. Read about more graduates.

This month, Quinn Mihalovic graduates with a BFA in dance, and he says he owes his success to the School of Film, Dance and Theatre dance faculty, especially Karen Schupp, associate professor and assistant director of dance. Quinn Mihalovic graduates with a BFA in dance. Photo by Carlos Arturo Velarde Download Full Image

“Karen Schupp saw something special in me from the beginning of my studies,” Mihalovic said. “I remember being upset that she wouldn't let me transfer into a different ballet class my freshman year. However, she continued to support, encourage and challenge my dance technique and artistry. I believe it was from this class that I realized that everything I do in college is for me, my body and my artistry, not for the grades.”

That lesson was a clear changing point for Mihalovic.

“My growth throughout my time here has been exponential, and it wouldn't be without her or any dance faculty that have taught me,” Mihalovic said.

As his graduation approaches, Mihalovic is using all he learned to create his own show.

“As a part of my senior project as a dance performance major, I am making my own full-length choreographed work titled “gemini” to showcase my developing artistry as I enter the ‘real world,’” he said.

This show, which is about the contrasting elements Mihalovic recognizes in his own life, takes place Friday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m. at Bulldog Hall, previously Physical Education Building East, on ASU’s Tempe campus.

Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

Answer: I knew that I was a decent dancer starting in high school. However, I went into college as a kinesiology major, but took a contemporary class my first semester at UW-Madison. This dance was way different from what I had done in high school. It involved the knowledge of the body that I was craving and interested in. From then on, I've simply been obsessed with dance and all aspects of it.  

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: I've learned a lot about balance. From having fun, staying focused on schoolwork, working and paying my own way through college, and also having a social life, I've gone through a lot of realizations about responsibility as a functional human and how I can take these into becoming an artist.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: In truth, I first came down to Arizona to visit my grandparents, as they are snowbirds, floating between Wisconsin and Arizona. I fell in love with the campus, and I knew I wanted to stretch my boundaries away from Wisconsin. I didn't know a whole lot about the dance program going in, but I have sure learned a lot coming out.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: The studio. I feel I can be my best self in the studio, whether I am in technique class, in the studio choreographing, or in the studio doing homework or chatting with friends. I've spent so much time in these rooms, and I wish I could continue to spend just as much time in these studios.  

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I plan to move to New York City next September. I hope to find work doing light design and stage management for dance performances, which will hopefully lead to becoming a dancer for contemporary dance companies in New York. I sure hope I don't freeze after spending the last 3.5 years in paradise.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I would first build a black box theater, easily accessible to the entire Phoenix area. Next, I would do my best to get rid of plastic water bottles and straws on ASU campus (or the entire state or country). Reusing is the new NEW.  Let's save this planet, one step at time. 

Thirty-seven senior leaders from more than two dozen universities, including University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of California at Merced, have been selected as fellows in the sixth cohort of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership, co-hosted by Arizona State University and Georgetown University.

The eight-month program, which began Nov. 12 and takes place at Georgetown and ASU, focuses on preparing the fellows to lead organizational change at colleges and universities. Download Full Image

During four intensive sessions in the District of Columbia and Tempe, Arizona, fellows at the academy will be introduced to the latest thinking and research about change leadership, teaching and learning in a digital age, external challenges facing higher education and the financial sustainability of institutions.

Participants also will apply the principles of “design thinking” to reimagine the future of higher education. A mix of seminars, hands-on workshops, design sessions and fireside chats with leading thinkers from various industries will help the fellows prepare for leading innovation at their own institutions.

Academy faculty members represent a cross section of higher-education scholars and leaders from other sectors of the economy that are facing similar challenges.

This year’s fellows are:

• Mark J. Antonucci, chief of staff, ASU Foundation
• Melissa Beckwith, vice president for strategy and innovation, Butler University
• Carrie A. Berger, associate dean for research, Purdue University
• Richard J. Bischoff, associate vice chancellor for faculty and academic success leader success, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Pamela Anthrop Cavanaugh, associate vice provost, University of Central Florida
• Steven H. Davidson, associate dean, Questrom School of Business Boston University
• Stephen M. Duffy, associate provost, Texas A&M International University
• Kelly Gagan, vice president for advancement, Nazareth College
• David Gard, assistant vice president for economic development, Indiana University
• Erin Golembewski, senior associate dean, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Amy Goodburn, senior associate vice chancellor and dean of undergraduate education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Deborah Helitzer, dean, College of Health Solutions, ASU
• Jerry Eugene Johnson Jr., assistant vice president, research and sponsored programs, University of Houston-Downtown
• Adanna J. Johnson, senior associate dean of students and director of diversity, equity and student success, Georgetown University
• Jean Kelso Sandlin, associate dean, California Lutheran University
• Ann Kovalchick, associate vice chancellor and chief information officer, University of California at Merced
• Gwen Landever, academic dean, University of Saint Mary
• Paul W. Layer, vice president for academics, students and research, University of Alaska
• Tiffany Lopez, professor and director, School of Film, Dance and Theatre, ASU
• Maureen Jane MacDonald, dean of science, McMaster University
• Linda McMillin, provost, Susquehanna University
• Mary J. Meixell, associate dean, School of Business, Quinnipiac University
• Shaily Menon, dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Joseph’s University
• Karen Miner-Romanoff, assistant dean of academic excellence, NYU
• Amy L. Ostrom, PetSmart chair in service leadership, W.P. Carey School of Business, ASU 
• David D. Page, vice president for enrollment management, Dillard University  
• Karen Pedersen, dean, Global Campus, Kansas State University
• Jeffrey L. Ray, dean, College of Engineering and Technology, Western Carolina University
• Jack Rice, director, school of education, Loyola University Maryland
• Jason Schupbach, director, The Design School, ASU
• Heather J. Shipley, vice provost of academic affairs and dean of University College and interim chief online learning officer, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Lisa L. Templeton, associate provost, Oregon State University
• Patricia Thatcher, associate vice president of academic affairs, Misericordia University
• Derrick L. Tillman-Kelly, director, UIA Fellows Program and Network Engagement, University Innovation Alliance
• Melissa Canady Wargo, chief of staff, Western Carolina University
• Lynn Perry Wooten, dean, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
• Abbey Zink, dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Sam Houston State University

For more information, go to georgetown.asu.edu.

Written by Jeff Selingo, executive director of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership and special adviser to President Crow.

Five years ago, New York artist Kim Weild directed the world premiere of renowned playwright Charles Mee’s unconventional “Soot and Spit” at Arizona State University. The production moved to New York City with several ASU collaborators, and in September it received the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation's award for Outstanding Performance Art Production.

Weild said she suggested “Soot and Spit” when she was asked what play she wanted to direct that season for the School of Film, Dance and Theatre in ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, saying, “On the page it doesn’t read like a regular play or even like a ‘traditional’ Chuck Mee play, but I see it and I think ASU may be one of the very few places I know of that would be capable of handling it from both the technical and design perspectives.” “Soot and Spit” premiered at ASU in 2013. Photo by Tim Trumble/Courtesy of ASU’s Herberberger Institue for Design and the Arts Download Full Image

Weild answered a few questions about the award and the people behind this production.

Question: How did you get involved with this play?

Answer: I first read the play in 2011 on Charles Mee’s website. When I read it, I could see the whole play in my mind’s eye. In 2013, Jake Pinholster (director of the school at the time, now associate dean of policy and initiatives for the Herberger Institute) called me to ask if I would be interested in returning to ASU. I had directed “Big Love” there in 2010 and had a great time. I replied with an enthusiastic yes.

Q: Do you think the time spent directing “Soot and Spit” at ASU helped lead to its success and the recent award?

A: Absolutely! One hundred percent without a doubt. The production that was recognized with the award would not exist without ASU. The award belongs to everyone who ever worked on “Soot and Spit.”

Q: Why was the School of Film, Dance and Theatre in ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts an ideal place to premiere this play?

A: Oh, there is so much to say about this. First, it’s no secret ASU has super-talented undergrad and graduate students. I learned this firsthand when working on “Big Love.”

Premiering “Soot and Spit” at ASU also offered remarkable, unparalleled support in the form of time, space and money for the development of an incredibly ambitious new work that was experimenting with form, structure, music and the integration of actors from the outside with different abilities. Jake found the financing that made it possible for us to cast Robert DeMayo, an extraordinary deaf performer who originated the role of James Castle, to have him as an artist-in-residence. That also created the opportunity for Robert to offer the students a unique acting workshop. We also screened a film about his life, which offered students a radically different perspective.

ASU is also uniquely situated within a thriving deaf community, which gave us another kind of support.  Being at ASU meant we were able to collaborate with actors from Detour Company Theatre (a local organization that provides theater training and performance experiences for adults with cognitive and physical disabilities) and include two of their staff members in our rehearsal process.

By developing this piece in an academic setting, certain resources were easier to obtain, and when the piece moved to New York for further development, I was able to keep three of the original designers on the project. Hayley Peterson, who was herself nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Costumes, Boyd Branch, who created the media, and Dan Puccio, who created the arrangements and original compositions for the premiere. In a perfect world I would have brought them all, but financially it wasn’t viable for our small company.  I was also able to have Shay Webster, an original cast member, in one of the development productions that happened over one of her summer breaks.  Having the premiere at ASU also afforded me the time and space to figure some things out about that piece that under a traditional and more compressed new-work process might not have been possible.

Q: How does it feel seeing “Soot and Spit” get recognized?

A: Immensely gratifying, and more than anything I am proud of every single person who has contributed to “Soot and Spit” since its first inception starting with ASU and Detour.

Q: What advice do you have for theatre artists in school now?

A: Dream big. What makes you uniquely you is what no one else can do, and that is going to be what distinguishes you from others. Follow your interest.

Be organized. If you’re not inclined to be organized, figure it out, even if it is a messy organized. This will make or break careers.

Listen. Really listen, even when it may cause you discomfort. It’s OK if you don’t have all the answers. You are not alone in this. Remember to have fun.