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|  Dr. Gail S. Medford, a native of New Orleans and a full professor of Theatre Arts, is an alumna of Xavier University of New Orleans, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Maryland at College Park, where she received her B.A in Communication Arts, M.A. in Acting and Ph.D. in Public Communications: Theatre, respectively. As a former military spouse and professional actress, she has enjoyed opportunities to engage in different theatrical venues and to teach speech, dance, and theatre at various two-year and four-year institutions across the country, including Northwestern University in Illinois; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; and St. Philips College in San Antonio, Texas. Since joining the Bowie State community in 1994, Dr. Medford has functioned at the institution both as a faculty member, where she has taught in two departments and served on numerous committees, and as an administrator, which included positions of Founding Director of the faculty development center (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) for eight years, Coordinator of Student Outcomes Assessment for two years and Director of the Office of Planning, Analysis and Accountability for three years. Soon after returning to faculty fulltime, she was appointed as Coordinator of the BSU Theatre Arts Program in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.
Adding to several honors and awards acquired during her twenty-four years in higher education, she has received three "Who's Who Among American Teachers" awards as a member of the Bowie State faculty. Her scholarship includes several professional presentations and publications on theatre pedagogy and curriculum, to include the recently published 2nd edition of her co-edited book titled "Teaching Theatre Today," and work as a facilitator in faculty development workshops. Adding to her interest in theatre pedagogy and theatre advocacy, Dr. Medford is currently researching senior theatre and experimental theatre as a critical pedagogy in non-arts curricula. She now serves as the Chair of the Theatre Education Reform and Certification Subcommittee for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and a member of the Praxis Theater Exam National Advisory Committee. She also has held membership in the National Communication Association, the Black Theatre Network, and the National Association for Dramatic and Speech Arts. Dr. Medford's acting credits include the lead roles in Sophocles' Medea, and Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, as well as Lady in Green and the Lady in Red in Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf. |
I chose Bowie State University because not only was it close to home, but it also has a growing and terrific communications department. 
Dr. Clarence E. Knight, Jr., chairman of the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Bowie State University. Under his leadership, the Department has grown considerably with new and exciting programs and an increase in the majors in each of the Fine and Performing Arts concentrations. 
Donna Broadway launched her writing career at Bowie State when she first became a contributor to The Spectrum newspaper, where she rose through the ranks to become Deputy Managing Editor during her senior year. 
