Catherine McNeela, professor of performing arts and coordinator of ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ's music theatre program, has been named the university's William S. Long Professor, an honor named for the institution's first president. McNeela's appointment was made by President Leo M. Lambert in recognition of her 20 years of outstanding teaching, scholarship and leadership in developing ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s nationally recognized Music Theatre program.
“Professor McNeela is a beloved mentor for hundreds of students who have developed their talents on stage at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ and gone on to successful performing careers, many of them in Broadway production companies,” Lambert said. “Catherine, along with her talented colleagues, has built an academic program of national stature. Her passion for her students and her boundless spirit and energy have captivated all of us. As ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s William S. Long Professor, she will continue to make invaluable contributions to the life of our community.”
McNeela joined the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ faculty in 1990 after teaching voice and music theatre at the University of Arkansas, Illinois Wesleyan University and Allegheny College. She has performed as a professional actor and singer in more than 100 plays and musicals. Additionally, as an opera and chamber music vocalist she has performed in over 100 performances in the United States and abroad. She has also been involved in film and video productions for PBS, Canadian Television and 20th Century Fox.
McNeela has been stage director for 59 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ productions and has provided special direction for scores of major campus events and convocations. She created the annual Collage performance, the Grand Night for Singing musical revue and élan, a vocal jazz ensemble. Drawing on her considerable professional connections, McNeela has coordinated numerous visits by nationally renowned composers, performers, casting directors and talent agents who have spent time working one-on-one with ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ students. These efforts have most recently culminated in the establishment of “Building for Success – the Music Theatre Master Class Series.”
In addition to her service as chair of the performing arts department from 1994 to 2006, she created the bachelor of fine arts program in music theatre and helped create bachelor’s programs in theatre studies, acting, dance, and design/technology.
McNeela received ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1996, and the Catherine H. McNeela Endowed Scholarship in Performing Arts was named in her honor in 2007 following an anonymous gift given to ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ in her honor.
As part of her professorship, McNeela will receive a $5,000 professional development fund along with a course release that will allow her to have additional time to mentor students in music theatre. The William S. Long Professorship was first awarded in 1968 to Robert Blake, an English faculty member who held the position until his retirement from the full-time faculty in 2008.