The 2023-24 Madison Scholar Award goes to Casey Cangelosi, an associate professor in the School of Music. The award recognizes the exceptional scholarly and creative achievements of a CVPA faculty member who displays outstanding scholarship/creative work through publication, exhibition, performance and beyond.

Serving as the director of percussion studies at JMU since 2015, Cangelosi has earned widespread acclaim as an educator, percussionist, performer and composer, participating in workshops and masterclasses worldwide, and his compositions have been performed nationally and internationally. His podcast, @Percussion, and his YouTube channel serve to educate and connect musicians all over the world. 

Under his mentorship, the JMU percussion ensemble has regularly secured 1st place in percussion at the National Brass Band Association competition, and his students have found success in performance, teaching and further education at prestigious graduate schools. 

Collaborating closely with fellow JMU faculty members in the School of Music and the School of Art and Design and Art History, Cangelosi continuously explores interdisciplinary creativity like his collaboration with SADAH professor Mark Rooker’s “Biopoiesis” art show, for which he created the soundscape. https://www.caseycangelosi.com/

The CVPA Distinguished Teacher Award Associate Professor of Composition Eric Guinivan received the 2023-24 CVPA Distinguished Teacher Award, which highlights an exemplary commitment inspiring and encouraging students.  

Guinivan strives build a genuine connection with his students, a cornerstone of his teaching philosophy, from classroom courses to individual composition lessons. Guinivan serves as the faculty mentor for both the JMU Composition Club and the newly established ECHO Ensemble, providing a supportive environment for students to feel empowered to explore their creative potential. He has contributed significantly to the evolution of the composition program by revising the aural skills curriculum and designing a course that focuses on early 20th century music.

One of the key aspects of JMU’s composition program is the opportunity to have student work performed by a large ensemble of their peers. Guinivan has expanded upon this by establishing a Large Ensemble Composition Competition, in which students compete for a chance to have their piece performed by the JMU Wind Symphony, JMU Symphony Orchestra, Madison Singers, and Percussion Ensemble. https://www.ericguinivan.com/

Dr. Sarah Brooks, professor of art history, received the 2023-24 CVPA Distinguished Service Award, given to a faculty member who demonstrates exceptional professional service at the university, local, regional, and national levels. 

Since her arrival at JMU, Dr. Brooks has embodied a spirit of enthusiastic service, contributing to the university’s Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education Working Group, leading the JMU COACHE Recommendations Team (2019-2020), and serving on the Provost’s ChangeMaker Mindset Implementation Taskforce (2021-2023). She currently represents SADAH on the CVPA Inclusive Excellence Committee. She has taken various leadership roles within SADAH, including co-chairing the SADAH DEI committee, serving as assessment coordinator, chairing the Personnel Advisory Committee multiple terms, and currently serving as Faculty Senator.

Beyond the university, Brooks volunteers in Harrisonburg’s Northeast Neighborhood Association as NENA’s Museum Studies Consultant and Grant Writer since 2018. NENA typically submits 3-6 grant requests per year as it works to renovate the Historic Dallard-Newman House to be Harrisonburg’s African American History and Culture Museum. This past spring her grant-writing efforts earned a $300,000 congressional award in the FY2024 Government Funding Bill. 
 
Prior to coming to JMU, Brooks worked at the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, serving as the full-time curatorial research associate for the 2004 Exhibition, Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557). She joined the JMU School of Art, Design, and Art History faculty in 2008 and has developed nine courses in Museum Studies, Art History, Honors, and General Education. In January 2024 she co-led the “Future of Museums” CGE domestic study program in Washington, D.C., hosted by the JMU Washington Center.