Congratulations to Haley Nagy, first-year student enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts MFA program who was recently selected to receive the 2010-2011 Critical Encounters Graduate Fellowship from Columbia College Chicago. Haley was awarded this year-long fellowship, which includes a generous stipend, from among the graduate students at the College.

As a Critical Encounter Graduate Fellow, Haley will work with Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin, the Critical Encounters Faculty Fellow for 2010-2011 and Dia Penning, Associate Director of Civic Engagement at the Center for Teaching Excellence, developing the Student Critical Encounters Café Society monthly student salons, and working with student groups to publicize Critical Encounters classes and events.

Critical Encounters is a college-wide initiative intended to synchronize conversations between the school and the community in an ongoing dialogue around a central, socially and culturally relevant issue, each academic year. In 2010-2011, the Critical Encounters focus: Image & Implication examines how images – visual, verbal and virtual – shape public perception and influence events and policy. Image & Implication challenges students to examine the impact of what they see, hear and read; produce arts and media that reflect and encourage civic engagement; and take action on issues of social importance. Congratulations once again to Haley!