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September 10, 2009
MMC to Honor Professor J. William Bordeau
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CONTACTS:
Mary Fleischer, Ph.D., Chair of the Division of Fine and Performing Arts, Marymount Manhattan College, (212) 774-0761 / mfleischer@mmm.edu
Jean Wilhelm, B.A., Campaign Director, Office of Institutional Advancement, (212) 517-0460 / jwilhelm@mmm.edu.
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Professor J. William Bordeau
| (New York, NY) – On Sunday, October 4, 2009, faculty, students, alumni, family and members of the theatre and dance communities will pay tribute to beloved mentor and devoted educator Professor Emeritus J. William Bordeau, who passed away on July 25. The memorial celebration is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Theresa Lang Theatre at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC), 221 East 71st Street, in New York City.
MMC Theatre Arts and Dance alumni who are pursuing professional careers will perform, and family, friends and alumni will offer remembrances. Since Professor Bordeau taught and influenced thousands of students over forty years of teaching, The Celebration of the Life of Professor Emeritus J. William Bordeau will be available on a live web cast at www.mmm.edu. Gatherings in selected cities have been organized so that alumni and friends from across the country can be connected to the event via the web cast. A reception will follow from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in The Great Hall at the College.
Professor Bordeau’s dedication, artistic vision and vibrant personality built a strong foundation for the success of Marymount Manhattan’s Theatre Arts and Dance programs. In his 30 years of teaching, Professor Bordeau was a much loved mentor and educator, who went to great lengths to nurture and challenge his students.
Professor Bordeau received his B.A. in Theatre and English at Northern Michigan University and his M.A. in Theatre from the University of Michigan; additional graduate work in theatre and dance was completed at Columbia University. Bill began college teaching in 1961 at Suffolk Community College where he created the first Telecommunications program of its kind in New York State, and served as the design consultant for the construction of its theatre and arts complex.
When Professor Bordeau arrived at MMC in 1968, he focused on teaching acting, directing and communication arts. As Chairperson of Communication Arts in the 1970’s, he was central to establishing the B.F.A. programs in Acting and in Dance. He served as the design consultant for the Theresa Lang Theatre, which was originally dedicated in 1975 as the Marymount Manhattan Theatre. For that occasion Bill directed the Theatre’s inaugural production of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
The Theatre then served both as classroom and Off-Broadway venue for professional music, dance and theatre; Professor Bordeau was especially proud of the five-year residency of the Phoenix Theatre Company at the College, when students could observe the premieres of the early works of Marsha Norman, Christopher Durang and Wendy Wasserstein.
Professor Bordeau was a guest director for Fordham, SUNY Stony Brook and Columbia University and worked professionally in opera, television and film. A board member for several institutions including the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Circum-Arts Foundation and the Neurological Research Foundation of NYC, Professor Bordeau also served as the U.S. consultant to the Drama Studio (London) where he directed and taught master classes. From the mid-1980’s until his retirement, Professor Bordeau served as our first Director of Recruitment for Theatre Arts, taking particular care in mentoring students through the admissions process and, in collaboration with colleagues, substantially increasing the program in size and quality.
In recognition of Professor Bordeau’s many accomplishments, MMC’s Board of Trustees named him Professor Emeritus of Theatre Arts upon his retirement in 1999. Since then Professor Bordeau had regularly attended events at the College and generously lent his expertise and energy to fund raising projects, such as the 30th Anniversary Benefit for the Theresa Lang Theatre, and the annual Dance Gala.
To honor his commitment to the mission of Marymount Manhattan, a group of alumni, colleagues and friends established the Professor J. William Bordeau Scholarship in 1999 and several Theatre Arts majors have benefited from the Bordeau Scholarship in their studies. The scholarship, which is one of the special initiatives of This is the Day, the Campaign for Marymount Manhattan, is awarded to full-time Theatre Arts students in need of financial support and who maintain a G.P.A of 3.5 or above.
Marymount Manhattan’s programs in Theatre Arts and Dance continue to thrive, auditioning and interviewing more than 1,500 prospective students from across the country each year to maintain quality programs. MMC Theatre Arts and Dance alumni have gone on to work and perform on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theatre and national tours and with major dance companies, and to pursue many other professions including education, law, arts management, business and medicine.
Contributions to the Professor J. William Bordeau Scholarship can be sent to the Office of Institutional Advancement at Marymount Manhattan College, 221 E. 71st Street, New York, NY 10021. All pledges received by March 31, 2010 will also help MMC meet a challenge from The Kresge Foundation that will result in a $1.5 million grant to the College. Multi-year pledges are also encouraged, and payments do not need to be completed until June 30, 2015.
For more information about the Professor J. William Bordeau Scholarship, contact Jean Wilhelm, Campaign Director, (212) 517-0460 / jwilhelm@mmm.edu.
Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, independent, liberal arts college. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse population by fostering intellectual achievement and personal growth and by providing opportunities for career development.
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