The Spark: How a homemade printer launched campus innovation

Conversations around a dedicated Makerspace began back in 2013, sparked by a desire among faculty and staff for students to have access to 3D printing technology.?

David Berk, director of instructional technology at 麻豆影院, convened interested parties to discuss new technologies and ideas. During one of these meetings, former chemistry professor Dave Hall showed off his own 3D printer he had built to use in class—the inspiration for a creative space on campus.?

The library, as the physical heart of campus, became the natural home for the Makerspace.?

“Since the beginning, the Makerspace has been a space that is collaborative and responds to student, faculty, and staff needs,” said Vanden Elzen. “Every piece of equipment was requested by a faculty member or student who needed it for a project. It’s very much been responding to the needs to the campus, especially related to the curriculum.”?

Vanden Elzen worked with campus partners and the grants team to secure initial funding from the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM). This funding allowed them to purchase their first 3D printers, 3D scanners, and computers.?

From the start, the focus was not only a creative outlet but also supporting career enhancement and integrating maker pedagogies into curriculums.?

“We wanted to be able to let students work on hands-on skills and develop future-ready thinking,” Vanden Elzen said. “Helping students express their creativity helps them bring their ideas to life and develop these new skills.”?

Frank agreed, citing the Makerspace as a natural extension of what libraries have always stood for: curiosity, exploration, and access to knowledge.

“It’s given students a place to experiment, create, and bring ideas to life, connecting what they learn in the classroom to the real world,” Frank said.?

Building the Ethos: Librarians as learners, community as creation

The Makerspace opened the summer of 2015. Housed in the library, Vanden Elzen took an increasingly active role in developing policies and overseeing operations. While Dave Hall and staff members from UW-Stevens Point provided early support on 3D printing and makerspace management, Vanden Elzen said she picked up many of the other skills as she went.?

“To any librarian or instructional technologist, you know it’s just what we have to do,” Vanden Elzen said. “We need to be responsive to the needs of the people we’re serving.”?

This responsiveness involved not only learning how to use and maintain the equipment but also developing a framework for teaching others. Recognizing that the Makerspace was about more than just equipment, Vanden Elzen helped develop a clear set of learning outcomes and an official Makerspace ethos.

“A makerspace means collaboration, a failure-safe environment, being respectful and responsible,” Vanden Elzen said. “It’s not just making with the objects; it’s also making with the community.”

Prototypes and Pedagogy: Transforming the Curriculum

When the Makerspace first opened, its limited capacity meant it was tied mostly to coursework. Faculty approached Vanden Elzen with ideas about for integrating the Makerspace into their curriculum. Her job is to collaborate with faculty to ensure learning outcomes are met with the right tools.

Doug Martin, professor of physics, first engaged deeply with the Makerspace in 2019 when he began working with Vanden Elzen on 3D printing a research-grade microscope. Martin’s goal was to create a high-quality instrument easily built by anyone with access to a 3D printer.

They are currently on prototype version 51, but the real impact can be seen in the student outcomes.

“During this process, a half-dozen students have spent summers working in the Makerspace to improve the microscope parts,” Martin said. “One graduate has gone on to work on telescope development with 3D software. Another uses design software to model high-energy physics. So the prototyping with the Makerspace has had fantastic long-term outcomes for these students.”?

The space also provides practical solutions for labs, as demonstrated by Meghan Raebel, assistant lab supervisor. She used 3D printers to address contamination issues in a biology lab.

“Students were setting long glass pipettes directly on the countertop,” Raebel said. “I found free (3D model) files that allowed pipettes to be suspended above the counter and keep them separate without touching. I was able to use the 3D printers to make a class set.”?

The Makerspace’s interdisciplinary reach also extended to the humanities. Brigid Vance, associate professor of history, used the space in her course “Early Cross-Cultural Interactions Along the Silk Road.” After students read an essay focused on the astrolabe—an astronomical, navigational, and time-keeping device used by the ancient Greeks and Romans—she used the Makerspace to 3D print the devices. The exercise enhanced student learning by experiencing a reading through touch.

“For them, manipulating an astrolabe in an attempt to orient themselves in geographical space was both challenging and illuminating,” Vance said. “Challenging in that it was a new instrument for everybody in the class. Illuminating in that it helped students experience the astrolabe and better understand the points of a technically difficult essay.”

“I think the Makerspace helps students and faculty to see another way in which education can look so different,” Vanden Elzen said. “The simple act of focusing on an idea while designing, selecting materials, and using tools can supplement classroom learning and help students see things from a different perspective.”

Frank added: “It reminds us that learning isn’t confined to a classroom or a textbook—it happens wherever imagination, tools, and people come together.”

Empowerment through Creation: Stories of Future-Ready Lawrentians

As the Makerspace’s reputation grew, so did its hours and accessibility, thanks in large part to a dedicated team of student assistants. This expansion allows for personal projects, tinkering, and skill-building outside of class.?

Vanden Elzen sees this as central to the Makerspace mission.

“I see it as helping them become future-ready Lawrentians; they’re learning to take control of their lives through a seemingly small way of repairing something instead of buying something new,” Vanden Elzen said.

First-year Eleanor Erwin from Wausau, Wisconsin perfectly captures the wonder the space can inspire:

“When I first heard about the Makerspace, I figured it would be a closet with some watercolors. I soon realized that it was a dedicated space for every kind of creation!” Erwin said. “The fact that this space is here, staffed with passionate creatives, with easy access to training, and is stocked with such a variety of good-quality supplies and machines (with no additional cost) really makes me feel that 麻豆影院 cares about artistic expression.”

For senior Lee Gobenciong, a student assistant, the space has been a source of empowerment in several ways, from learning to sew to repair and alter his clothing, to developing critical teaching skills.?

“I’ve improved with interacting with different people and teaching instead of me listening to a teacher,” Gobenciong, a business & entrepreneurship major from Park Ridge, Illinois, said. “That’s a skill I know I will use in business and in my career.”

Junior Grace Romano, also a Makerspace student assistant, received a tour of the Makerspace from Charlie Wetzel ‘23 during her first year. The rest was history.

“It feels good because I remember getting trained, and it made me happy after I was trained, because I would come in here and just make whatever I wanted,” Romano said. “Now other people can do that because I help them and give them access.”

To Romano, a studio art and geosciences major from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, the Makerspace was also a place to meet people and build a community.

“This is a good community space to meet like-minded people,” Romano said. “It’s like I have a higher chance of finding someone with shared interests here than I do anywhere else.”?

The Next Chapter: Keeping Creation Current

Over the past decade, the Makerspace as been a devoted space for creative expression in and out of the classroom. Vanden Elzen intends to keep “making” current.

“Learning new technologies, integrating new ideas, new digital literacies, like working with AI,” Vanden Elzen said, “those are very important things for our students and for all of us to understand.”?

“The Makerspace fits with the mission at 麻豆影院, especially to help create future-ready, lifelong learners. I think the Makerspace really helps establish this idea of empowerment through creation, and it really fits with this idea of curious learners, curious Lawrentians. I have been happy to be able to support the Makerspace in its growth over the years, and I would love to see it grow even more.”

Aimed at rising high school students, options include two distinct paths for high-achieving, AP-level students: The and The . Both of these elite learning opportunities are designed and taught by 麻豆影院 University faculty. Applications/registrations are open now through March 22, 2026.

The Ascent Summer Institute is a one-week residential experience offered on the 麻豆影院 University campus. It offers high school students a college-level, interdisciplinary learning and leadership development experience. Opportunities in the Ascent Summer Institute are designed to allow students to explore topics of scholarly interest they would not typically encounter in their regular academic curriculum. This program is open to high school freshmen through seniors.?

The Odyssey Immersion Program allows participants to earn college credit as they engage in a three-week interdisciplinary exploration spanning three locations. It is taught collaboratively by three faculty members from different disciplines, providing a rich experience that delves into the topic area from unique points of view. The first week of their academic journey takes place on the 麻豆影院 University campus. Week two brings students to Bj?rklunden, 麻豆影院’s “north campus” in Door County. Students complete the final week of their experience at 麻豆影院’s London Centre, where students explore topics of interest through a global lens. Odyssey is open to rising juniors and seniors.?

“These summer options will help 麻豆影院 University to connect and engage with high-performing high school students who are academically curious and intrigued by a journey of learning and self-discovery,” said Trevor Lord, assistant vice president of Strategic Partnerships. “Students will experience real college rigor in an environment that values intellect, artistry, and purpose.?

Primarily guided by 麻豆影院 University faculty, students will engage in hands-on study, explore cultural connections, and build enduring friendships with peers who share their curiosity and drive.?

“The greatest pleasure has been watching my creative colleagues come together to develop these incredibly cool and impactful course experiences that, through their interdisciplinary approach, reflect the best of 麻豆影院,” said associate professor Elizabeth Becker.?

These signature experiences will allow students to deepen their sense of purpose, discover unexpected connections between academic disciplines, and synthesize those discoveries into their lives in ways that point out new, previously unexplored pathways to learning, leadership and self-expression. ?

“Ascent Summer Institute and Odyssey Immersion Program at 麻豆影院 University are the ideal summer choices for students to explore their interests, refine their goals, and strengthen their sense of purpose, all in an academically challenging, intellectually stimulating, college-level environment,” Becker said.?

In addition to the new programming, 麻豆影院 continues to offer summer options for varying ages and interests.

• Learn more about our summer programs for kids and teens offered at 麻豆影院 in music, theatre, athletics, and aviation.

• Learn more about the Bj?rklunden seminar series for lifelong learners at 麻豆影院’s north campus in beautiful Door County.

We have an adage in anthropology: ‘to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange.’ Students learn to reexamine what they consider familiar and to open themselves up to the diversity of perspectives that exist. Science fiction does the same thing.
– Kailey Rocker

Mark Jenike, associate professor of anthropology and chair of the department, said elective courses like Anthropology and Sci-Fi provide an opportunity for students to dive deeper into specific aspects of humanity and understand them in new ways.

“Anthropology is the only discipline at 麻豆影院 that seeks to understand humans as a total species, from our origins to the present, in all of our global diversity,” said Jenike. “Dr. Rocker’s Anthropology and Sci-Fi course is the kind of creative application of an anthropological approach to understanding humanity that our topics courses are particularly well-suited for.”?

Ethnography & Science Fiction

While they differ in content, writing style, and audience, both anthropological writing and science fiction share a commonality: they are forms of world-building. The course combined creative writing with ethnographic writing through readings, writing, and a world-building project.

Ethnography is a research methodology that cultural anthropologists use. It is a type of immersive fieldwork where anthropologists live with, work with, and interview the people they are studying. It also refers to the written stories anthropologists produce from their fieldwork.

“We collaborate with communities to share their story and their experience of the world around them,” Rocker said. “There is a creative component, though. My field notes are often written down as a story: what I encountered, who I learned from, and some quotes they shared with me. In ethnographic writing, you are trying to the best of your ability to represent the words and the worlds of the people that you work with as truthfully as you can.”

This is where the two genres differ. While ethnographers are responsible for truthfully and honestly representing the people they study, science fiction writers have more creative freedom. This freedom makes science fiction a great avenue for exploring anthropological ideas without having the same constraints.

World-Building and the Power of Sci-Fi?

For their world-building project, students worked in small groups to construct a world where specific technology, technological input, or environmental change had occurred. From there, they imagined the logic and cultural systems of that world, exploring beyond the bounds of their own reality.

“They were each responsible for developing some aspect through story and through it an anthropological analysis,” said Rocker. “I asked them to think not only about technology or material but to think more about the human experience. How would this impact what a family structure looks like? How might it influence relationship building or language development?”

As part of this project, students also interviewed each other in a ‘cultural exchange’ to present an analysis of what a long-term cultural encounter between two very different groups would look like.

From this project, the idea of a sci-fi zine was born.

“One student just made a casual remark that they really enjoyed reading the other groups’ material,” Rocker said. “That it was so neat to dive into a different world that wasn’t their own and to see the creativity, imagination, and exploration. I was like, ‘Would anyone be comfortable sharing their stories outside the classroom?’”

The answer was yes. Nine students from the winter 2025 course worked with Rocker through the spring to edit and compile their stories into a science fiction zine. A limited number of copies were also printed by Allegra Appleton.

In the zine, the students used the genre of science fiction to build worlds with their own cultural logics and contemplate anthropological questions.

“We are fortunate to have An Anthropology Anthology of Other Worlds as a lasting reminder of the achievements of Dr. Rocker and her students in the anthropological study of self and other, of the familiar and strange,” Jenike said.?

Exploring Humanity Through Fiction?

Junior Percy Schneider, an anthropology major from Milwaukee, WI, always had an interest in humans and in fiction. They found their passion for anthropology after taking Rocker’s introductory cultural anthropology course.

“I love humans; I love everything we create,” Schneider said. “I took intro to cultural anthropology with Kailey Rocker, and something just kind of clicked: ‘This is my field. This is where I’m meant to be.’”

Schneider studied under Rocker again in the science fiction course. They enjoyed the readings and the challenge of studying humanity through science fiction.

“I think science fiction is a great genre because it’s looking at humanity looking towards the future,” Schneider said. “There are stories where it gets really dystopian, but other times, there are ones that just fill us with this blinding hope.”

For their literary exercise, Schneider collaborated with, among others, junior Iris Shykula, a junior creative writing and Russian studies major from Longmont, CO, to create a shared universe for their stories. The effort was entirely collaborative, as they had to decide how their stories fit together, what the timeline was, and the rules of how their world functioned.

Schneider’s story follows a 16-year-old on her ‘descent,’ a rite of passage for people in their culture who are about to start a new job at the bottom of the ocean. The story also explores the theme of kinship in a world without traditional families.

“I was really trying to focus on finding family in a world where you don’t begin with one, because in the world we created, there are no babies or children,” Schneider said. “I focused on that idea of how someone looking like you could be comforting, even if you don’t know them at all. I wanted it to be like coming to a home that you never knew you had.”

The students were also asked to write an anthropological analysis of their own works of fiction. Schneider made the decision to include their analysis in the zine. When analyzing your own work, they said they felt like a professional anthropologist.

“I yielded more out of analyzing the story than writing the story,” Schneider said. “I started looking back at it, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I see how this works. I see how this represents some anthropological concept.’”

In addition to their stories, students were tasked with imagining an everyday cultural object from their worlds. They designed and 3D printed these objects with the help of the 麻豆影院 University Makerspace. Pictures of the objects were printed in the zine, and the physical items were used in a cultural encounter workshop. Students were challenged to interpret the objects produced by other groups like archaeologists working within a limited context.

Angela Vanden Elzen, associate professor and reference and learning technologies librarian, said this is one of the many examples of Lawrentians utilizing the Makerspace to get more out of their coursework and their 麻豆影院 experience.

“Our makerspace has given faculty, students, and staff the opportunity to bring a wide range of making technologies into coursework, laboratories, performance spaces, field work, as a creative outlet, and so much more,” Vanden Elzen said. “These kinds of projects help students to see that getting started with 3D design and 3D printing is not as intimidating as they may think. The technology has come so far that it is easier than ever to learn how to use these technologies.”

According to Rocker, the idea was to make students consider how everyday objects can take on new meanings when viewed in a different light. One group, inspired by time travel and historical drama, created a teleportation device within a pocket watch. The device caused severe memory loss when used, which led to a deeper analysis of how this would impact kinship practices, communication, and human agency.??

A Collaborative Effort??

While Rocker had initially planned for the zine to be a digital-only project, she was encouraged to get it printed.

“I’m very excited with what we were able to achieve. It surpassed my wildest imaginations,” Rocker said.

Physical copies of the zine were disseminated to different departments at 麻豆影院 University and are available to check out at the Seeley G. Mudd Library.

Rocker hopes that readers enjoy the students’ creativity and get to experience what 麻豆影院 professors get to see every day.

“I’m blown away by the creativity and passion, and I hope readers will think about the ways it overlaps with or is very distinct from their own everyday lives and experiences,” Rocker said. “So much collaboration was involved in the creation of this little zine. I’m incredibly proud of the students who took the class and also indulged me in taking on this project.”?

Art History: Highlighting the Permanent Collection

The permanent collection at the Wriston Art Galleries at 麻豆影院 University boasts over 6,000 works of art, a testament to the generosity of the college’s alumni and friends. However, less than two percent of the collection is typically on display in any given year.

To help showcase more of this vast collection, Val Muzzarelli, a junior art history major from Hazel Park, MI, took on a research project to curate a year-long exhibition. Led by Beth Zinsli, associate provost and adjunct associate professor of art, the project began last year with Wren Chlystek ‘25, also an art history major. Muzzarelli picked up the mantle when Chlystek graduated.

“They (Chlystek) left a really good foundation and gave me a really good place to start,” Muzzarelli said. “It’s been more collaborative than just me.”?

Throughout the summer, Muzzarelli has been researching, examining, and drawing connections among the artwork to create a cohesive exhibition of about 90 pieces. The exhibit will be organized around four core themes:

1. Light, More Light!?

1. Empowerment?

1. Displacement?

1. The Unknown?

According to Madison Pierson, the collections and gallery assistant at Wriston, “The Unknown” highlights future research opportunities for pieces whose stories are not yet known.

“Many of the pieces came to us before this building (Wriston) existed,” Pierson said. “The paper trails for some of those early gifts in particular may be less thorough.”

An unofficial fifth theme, “Greatest Hits,” will also be featured, showcasing some of the collection’s most popular pieces, including Louise Bourgeois prints and the dancing bear statues.

The exhibition aims to expose students, faculty, staff, and the community to the full breadth of the 麻豆影院 permanent collection. If successful, this type of exhibition will become a regular event. Pierson hopes that continuing the project in future years will allow faculty to incorporate the works into their lesson plans.

“Getting more things in the gallery also helps expose students for research but also our faculty to the wide variety of things we have in our collections,” Pierson said. “There are so many who might not know that these collections exist or the breadth of the collection.”??

The exhibition is set to open in the back gallery on Friday, September 26, with a reception planned for October. It will remain on display for the entire academic year. In a related project, Alex Whaley, a junior English literature major, will curate an exhibition in the front gallery featuring works from the Earl and Aubrey Richmond Collection of Rare Books.

Biology: Prairie Restoration?

After their freshman year at 麻豆影院, 5th-year senior Laura Friestad got an internship at Lake Forest Open Lands Association in Lake Forest, Illinois, as a restoration ecologist intern. While there, they learned how to identify invasive and native species, collected seeds, and learned all about ecological restoration; in the end, they fell in love with the work.

“I was like, I can’t spend the rest of my life not doing plant stuff,” said Friestad. “So I decided to put that more into what I’m doing at 麻豆影院.”?

The experience led Friestad, a clarinet performance and environmental science major, to consider ways they could help improve the ecological landscaping on campus. While brainstorming ideas for their junior year capstone class, they decided they wanted to make a prairie on campus.??

The hill behind Hiett Hall presented a natural place to start, being covered in invasive species. They went to work removing invasive species from the plot and collecting seeds from native species around the city of Appleton. They visited Bubolz Nature Preserve and also searched older areas of the city; less development means it was easier to find existing populations of native species.

From there, they would make a seed mix, weigh it out, and spread it over the hill. A year later, Friestad is continuing their work through a summer research project with Alyssa Hakes, associate professor of biology, along with Rylee Polanka, a junior environmental science major. The project allows them to study prairie restoration methods, visit restored prairie sites, identify invasive and native plant species, and develop a plan on monitoring and restoring prairies and other Wisconsin ecosystems

“We are trying to overpower the invasive seed bank with our seed bank, and that means a lot of digging up the invasive seed species, cutting the seed heads, removing the seeds, and trying to get as few of those seeds staying and more of our seeds going in,” Friestad said, “and hopefully, eventually, create a self-sustaining ecosystem.”

A seed bank can refer to the seeds already in the soil, some of which can persist for years. Prairie plants flower, produce seeds, and appear to die at the end of the season. However, their roots are still alive under the soil and can return season after season.

“That’s one of my absolute favorite things about the prairie —how they put so much into the roots,” Friestad said.

The Conservatory: Brass Pedagogy??

Joey O’Connor, a senior trumpet performance and music education major, had the opportunity to collaborate with assistant professor Nadje Noordhuis in editing interview transcripts for Noordhuis’s PhD dissertation, “The Teaching Philosophy of Laurie Frink.”

O’Connor was able to explore the teaching philosophy of brass legend Laurie Frink and uncover best practices for future educators. The dataset comprised over two dozen interviews with Frink’s former students and colleagues and the students of her renowned teacher, Carmine Caruso.

The Conservatory: LGBTuben, The Lodge, & Meditations?

Ann Ellsworth, associate professor of music, led several summer research opportunities tied to her involvement with the 麻豆影院 Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet (LGBTuben), an ensemble with roots at 麻豆影院. Ellsworth brought together 麻豆影院 musicians and talented tuben players from across the country to create music rooted in inclusivity, visibility, and diversity.

LGBTuben was recently was recently gifted a lodge on 20 acres in New York’s Adirondack State Park, which the group plans to transform into an artist retreat. This space will serve as both a meeting place and an income generator to support the ensemble’s scholarship and outreach programs.

Aimee Patch, a senior music education major from Greenville, WI, collaborated with Ellsworth on managing the lodge. Patch traveled to the lodge this summer with LGBTuben to research similar nonprofits and study how a musical nonprofit can operate.

“My research looked at similar nonprofit organizations such as this to see what models we might adopt, and then also checking out a lot of the zoning laws and building laws for the Adirondack Park,” Patch said. “It’s such a beautiful space.”

Patch appreciated the opportunity to see a lot of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making music happen.

“Being able to sit in on group meetings and see what happens behind closed doors and official decisions being made wasn’t something you usually see,” Patch said. “To sit there as a student, as an intern, was really incredible. To see how these decisions were made and debated and decided as a group was really powerful.”

Junior Leo Rodda, a music major from Appleton, WI, also visited the lodge this summer to continue his research with Ellsworth. Last year, he arranged music by Arvo P?rt and John Cage for horn and some clarinet to create 10-30 minute ‘meditations’ that can be used for bilateral music.

Bilateral music can be used in different therapies by providing auditory stimulation where sounds alternate between the left and right ears. The music keeps the brain activated with continuous sound.

“We’ve been using a lot of minimalist music, so the point is to listen for the small things that change,” Rodda said. “It’s to get you to mindfully pay attention.”

This summer, he collaborated with Ellsworth to finalize the digital scores and record, edit, and master the new album. Although the original plan was to record in New York, audio issues led them to re-record in-house with Brent Hauer, director of conservatory productions.

Rodda is currently selecting the best takes for the album, which will be released this fall. Additionally, a performance by the horn and clarinet studios is in the works for November 2025.

“The people there (at the lodge) and the environment that was created there were so awesome,” Rodda said. “Everyone was so accepting and passionate about what they did; to me, that was the best part. That is something that I see at 麻豆影院 as well; you don’t see many other places.”

Ethnic Studies: Sibling Bonds?

Seniors Gabby DeBoer (psychology), Owen Bakker (psychology and double bass performance), and Faith Onukaogu (business & entrepreneurship and global studies) worked with Estéfani Marín, assistant professor of ethnic studies, in studying sibling bonds. The three research fellows dove into interviews, coding and analyzing data to understand how siblings generate and transmit resources in the educational context. A particular focus was placed on Latin American and Asian American families.

Although Onukaogu is not an anthropology student, she said participating in research outside of her area of study gave her a unique experience.?

“Being at a liberal arts school gives you the opportunity to try things you usually wouldn’t,” Onukaogu said. “The research helped me learn some soft skills, like time management and professionalism, and also cultivate my leadership skills and communication skills. It also helped me connect with professors who are really good resources.”

Most of all, I would emphasize to students that my entry point into academia was in student affairs and the student experience will always be my central concern. And students should know that I’m still active as a performer, so I get where they’re coming from and where they’re going.

Q: As you lead a conservatory, what constitutes success?

Jenkins: The purpose of the academic project, to me, is to enhance the musical, academic, and social development of young people so that the next generation is empowered to do better than this generation.

During the town hall that was part of my on-campus interview, I mentioned that there are so many direct stakeholders in higher education. There are faculty members who make sacrifices to dedicate themselves to a single institution; there are alumni whose relationship with the institution is lifelong just by its very nature; and there are staff members who are indispensable but whose hard work is often unacknowledged.

All those perspectives deserve respect.?I would emphasize that the primary constituency of any school must be current and future students. When we prioritize the educational and social environment for students, every other constituency benefits. Faculty must receive career development support so they can do their best possible work and set the highest example for their students. The workplace culture must be rooted in respect and belonging so staff can maintain their institutional commitment and help students thrive. When students thrive, alumni have the gratification of seeing younger graduates elevate their alma mater. All of this flows organically out of placing students at the center of the academic mission.

This doesn’t mean giving students whatever they want, because sometimes they can find it challenging to accurately perceive what’s in their best interest. But I would define success in educational leadership as creating an environment that gives students the best possible chance for their own personal and professional success by keeping them at the center of the mission.

Q: What’s your message to the Conservatory’s faculty, staff, and students as you join them on this journey?

Jenkins: I just want to be sure it’s clear that I understand this work to be a joint venture, and that whatever we accomplish will be accomplished together. A few things are certain: I won’t be perfect, because no one is; our best-laid plans will have to change at times because no plan survives first contact with reality; and there is no limit to what we can accomplish in an environment of mutual trust, respect, creativity, and inspiration.?

Battle set the tone for the new program over the past year, meeting with students and faculty across campus and leading dance and music students in the creation of an original dance performance, “Gather Together,” presented on campus in May. Additional performances and workshops were presented to students from Appleton schools.?

Battle said early talks with campus leaders about the vision for the Creator in Residence program drew him to 麻豆影院.

“We got to talking about this notion of infusing creativity and artistic dance into more parts of academia and how that might work,” he said.

The connection with students was immediate when Battle spent a week on campus in the fall.

“These students are multifaceted,” Battle said. “They’re really smart, and they value art, they value dance. They have a lot to express, a lot to say.”

Magazine: See the spring/summer 2025 edition of 麻豆影院

When he returned to campus in February, Battle worked with students and faculty on a performance built on artistic expression. It evolved organically, collaboratively. Fourteen dance students, under the tutelage of Margaret Paek and Mauriah Donegan Kraker, both visiting assistant professors of dance, were selected for the performance.

Battle said he usually comes in with steps already set. But he wanted this to be a collaborative process, with creative ideas flowing both ways.

“To me, that’s my excitement, to always be learning, investigating, trying new things,” he said. “I think this is a space where I felt safe to do that, very much supported by the faculty and by the dancers.”

Battle then returned in Spring Term to finalize and present the performance, working in partnership with rehearsal director Donegan Kraker and Conservatory faculty Loren Kiyoshi Dempster and Jean Carlo Ure?a Gonzalez. Held in the Esch Hurvis Studio in Warch Campus Center, the performances featured the student dancers, Conservatory faculty, and student musicians, all collaborating with Battle on an original composition and choreography.?

Ella Fajardo-Wilde, a sophomore from Brooklyn, New York, who grew up immersed in dance, called the experience “incredibly rewarding and boundary-pushing.” She had a solo in the dance performance where her input was not only sought but encouraged by Battle.

“He met me at my dance level while still challenging my choreography memory, endurance, and focus,” Fajardo-Wilde said. “He ensured that this beautiful cast was seen and appreciated for the uniqueness, skill, and grace each individual brought.”

And it wasn’t all about dance. Fajardo-Wilde said Battle connected with the students and the instructors in ways that built trust. That’s not always a given when someone so accomplished is coming in from the outside.

“As a Brooklyn, New York, native, I grew up with Alvin Ailey all around me—seeing the posters, watching the company perform, and knowing about the prestigious program that thousands train and work for years to join,” Fajardo-Wilde said. “Initially, I felt intimidated and nervous to approach or even talk to him. However, the times we talked about different Brooklyn neighborhoods, our similarities and differences in food preferences, or how our days were going, I always found myself enjoying an amazing conversation.”

Donegan Kraker called Battle’s interactions with students and faculty genuine and his collaborations inspirational—deep conversation around process and interdisciplinary possibilities.

“This cross-pollination of idea, interest, training is what makes 麻豆影院 unique, is what sets up our artists for post-麻豆影院 success,” she said.

Eye on collaboration

It was a thrilling kick-off to a Creator in Residence program that 麻豆影院 leadership is excited to see grow. It comes as 麻豆影院 is investing in collaboration among the academic disciplines. Fall 2025 will see the opening of West Campus, where the second floor of the new building at E. College Avenue and Drew Street will feature offices and studios for Conservatory faculty, a Humanities Center, a recording studio, and offices and classrooms for math, computer science, and data science faculty—all equipped with innovative tools that will facilitate greater academic collaboration and creativity. On the building’s first floor will be the new home for the Trout Museum of Art, a nonprofit art gallery that will provide avenues to greater community partnership while adding another layer of creative energy to the 麻豆影院 campus.

What Battle brought to campus via the Creator in Residence program builds on that momentum.

Alison Scott-Williams, executive vice president and chief operating officer at 麻豆影院, oversaw the inaugural collaborative program. She said she was incredibly moved by the knowledge, insight, and passion Battle added to the student experience.

“He has flourished at the highest levels of the arts world,” she said. “He has been a creative juggernaut in dance, a trend setter, someone who has thrived amid incredible expectations. How exciting to have him here on our campus, sharing all his creative energy and genius with the 麻豆影院 community. He has set the template for what the Creator in Residence program can be.”

“Everybody has a story”

Battle sees the Creator in Residence role, no matter the discipline, as an opportunity to reinforce lessons already being taught at 麻豆影院. As he led classes and built a dance performance from scratch, students came prepared because they are already immersed daily in the creative process, he said. You can see it and feel it in the halls of the Conservatory, in the galleries of the Wriston Art Center, in research labs and humanities classrooms.

“Sometimes you have to hear it from somebody from the outside,” Battle said. “You can be saying the same thing day after day and then someone comes in and sort of reinforces what is being offered and is being taught.”

That, he said, extends beyond the arts. Whether it’s Battle sharing his journey in dance or students hearing from a future Creator in Residence accomplished in another discipline, that fresh voice—coming from a place of accomplishment—is important.

“I feel everybody has a story,” Battle said. “And for the students to have access to those stories, to those people, whether it be a scientist or an artist or a philosopher or a poet—everything at its foundation is imbued with creativity. I think that’s the link in terms of the Creator in Residence. Creativity is not just for artists. It really is for the world. We usually don’t see it that way. That term is relegated to artistic endeavors when, actually, creativity is all around us all the time and is an important component to progress.”

A new focus

麻豆影院’s Creator in Residence was one of Battle’s first opportunities after stepping away from the Ailey company.

“It was hard to walk away,” he said of leaving Ailey. “It’s a dream job. I think of it as more than a job; it’s a calling. But I think any good performer knows when to leave the stage, when you’ve said what you wanted to say and it’s time for someone else to take the stage.”

Battle, now in his early 50s, said he embraced the building of a dance community and family with Ailey. That included being on tour for eight months of the year and all the experiences that come with it.

“Sometimes you have to sort of let something go in order to move to the next phase of your life,” Battle said.” Sometimes, because we’re afraid to let go, we hold on to things much longer than they need to be held and then you miss an opportunity to grow.”

The opportunities since stepping away have been plentiful. In addition to the one-year role at 麻豆影院, Battle has been named resident choreographer of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and has been invited to teach or speak at other colleges.

“It’s wonderful because I can now drop in and then move forward,” Battle said. “I get to sort of be an independent artist again, which is exciting—to be in different spaces with different organizations that have different footprints and different modes of working. That’s what is happening now.”

At 麻豆影院 and elsewhere, Battle said, it feels good to give back, to be that inspiration to others that his teachers and mentors were to him.

“I’ve done a lot in my career in dance,” he said. “I’ve climbed ladders and mountains that I didn’t even think possible, the pinnacle being artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I feel I’m at this place in my career where I really want to give back in meaningful ways.”

That was evident as the year progressed and the 麻豆影院 dance performance came into focus. Paek said the power of creative collaboration could be seen throughout the rehearsal process as the students leaned into the work, supported each other, and embraced Battle’s lessons—insights into choreography at the highest levels. While the rehearsals were exhausting, the interactions and teaching moments that emerged could only happen when all parties are deeply invested.

“This kind of hands-on-experience—creating art together as faculty, professional artists, and students—this is what 麻豆影院 does so well and why the Creator in Residence program is so specifically well-suited to 麻豆影院,” Paek said.