Article from FIU Newsletter, Fall 2003

Karen Fuller appreciates a well done live performance far more deeply than the average theater- or concert-goer. That's because as a member of the faculty in FIU's School of Music and director of the Performing Arts Production graduate program, Fuller teaches students how to produce live concerts and performing events.

"This is an interdisciplinary degree," explained Fuller. "It involves the Department of Theatre and Dance, the School of Computer Science and the School of Engineering.

"The industry is really yearning for the type of students we're turning out," she continued. "Many students in performing arts specialize in one area. This program, with its wide range of skills development, provides the students with the tools they need to go out and earn a very good living. And that's extremely gratifying to me."

Walt Disney World Entertainment works in collaboration with the graduate program to provide the students with classes and hands-on experience which complement the students' current area of study.

The group travels to Orlando once each month. Fuller's students produce the FIU Music Festival annually, and have been involved in such productions as the Miami Super Bowl halftime show. Contacts made through the program have opened doors to top-flight internships with firms such as Walt Disney World Entertainment, Warner Brothers and Cellar Door Productions.

"My whole goal is to provide my students with academic knowledge and real-world experience and contacts so they can leave FIU with the tools to have a fulfilling career," said Fuller. For more information on the program, contact her at 305-348-3726.

Students at work in P.A.M.