Metropolitan areas throughout the world are centers for the arts in which humanity discovers and develops its soul. In electing to name the performing arts as central to its mission, Southwest Missouri State University recognizes the historical impact and future potential of the performing arts in the region in which it is located and which the university has historically served.
SMSU understands the essentially public nature of the performing arts and the ramifications of such a nature: that performing artists, as vehicles of human expression, must actively participate in the community and not be isolated from it; that the performing arts fulfill a variety of needs which range from enlightenment to entertainment to economic development; that the performing arts are inextricably linked to the visual and language arts; and that the performing arts must consistently seek to develop breadth of expression in deference to the diversity of the public they serve. Inasmuch as the performing arts are of, by, about and for the people, the university's commitment to the performing arts is a statement of oneness with its community.
In this spirit of unity, the university dedicates itself to a collaborative partnership with all performing arts venues, and with all organizations and initiatives which impact the performing arts within SMSU's unique metropolitan region. This commitment necessitates, as a point of departure, assessments both of performing arts community needs and of present and potential collaborative arrangements with that community. Specifically, such cooperation will be intended to meet the immediate and long-range needs of the performing arts community, to prepare university students for potential careers in the performing arts, to enrich the lives of all SMSU students through exposure to the performing arts, to create a foundation of life-long appreciation of aesthetic values, and to educate and entertain, both formally and informally, the populace of the area served by the institution.
In entering a partnership with the performing arts community, the university commits itself to share with and learn from that community. Such an approach will result in joint ownership of the performing arts with the public and will, therefore, help to ensure that no barriers separate the university from the metropolitan community it serves.
Assets to support the performing arts theme
- When students apply for admission into performance programs, acceptance is based on quality and potential.
- Increased standards for admission to teacher education degree programs and a strong commitment to high standards of performance by education majors will ensure that performing arts education graduates possess the intellectual and artistic acumen to be effective advocates of the performing arts in their careers in the classroom.
- The departments of music and theatre and dance faculty, students and graduates have garnered national and international acclaim.
- SMSU has a strong history of outreach to public schools, special performance opportunities for students and community performers, and broad public support for performances of all kinds.
- Another asset is SMSU's state-of-the-art Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.
- The university boasts strengths in the related departments of communication, communication sciences and disorders, and technology, and the colleges of Arts and Letters, Business Administration, and Education work together in partnership with the performing arts community to achieve mutual goals by: taking inventory of and increasing internship opportunities for SMSU students; creating workshops, seminars, and short courses in conjunction with Continuing Education for the benefit of the performing arts communities and for the promotion of lifelong learning; and designing degrees, many of them interdisciplinary in nature, which target specific performing arts needs within our region.
- The region's rich assets include such institutions as Springfield Little Theatre, Springfield Regional Opera, Springfield Ballet, and Springfield Symphony and the region's burgeoning entertainment industry, centering national attention on Branson.
- Special programs include the Band Program, Hawthorne Trio, cooperative musical/opera ventures between the departments of music and theatre and dance, graduate-level Shakespeare Seminar.
- Summer camps for band, choir, chamber music, and piano support the performing arts theme.
- SMSU has a high success rate in placing graduates in the performing arts.
- The outstanding compact disc collection in Music Library (Ellis Hall) is another asset.
- Coger Theatre, home for spoken drama, adds to the opportunities.
- SMSU is known nationally for its Summer Tent Theatre.
- In-School Players, a performance group, visits every Springfield elementary school and some outside Springfield each year.
- The newly-created Student Multimedia Center, jointly operated by the departments of art and design, communication, and music, is a major technological asset to the performing arts theme.
- College of Business is already working with entertainment businesses through existing outreach programs.
- Professional performances presented by Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, such as world-class orchestras and internationally-renowned music, dance, theatre and opera companies, enrich the arts community.
- The Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts presents collaborative performances in conjunction with the Springfield Ballet, Springfield Little Theatre, Springfield Regional Opera, Lakes Country Rehabilitation Center, and the Developmental Center of the Ozarks.
- Artist residencies, master classes, lecture/demonstrations, and informal gatherings of professional artists with SMSU students at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts all support the performing arts theme.