UNews - Ohio

Blake finds balance in burgeoning musical career

trevor.kenney — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:01:38 +0000

Ask Pronghorns men's basketball guard Terrence Blake who he looks to emulate and Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo won't be on the list. No, Blake is more likely to drop names such as Lil Wayne, Drake and Akon, because as much as basketball is his game, music is his passion.

"Music started for me when I was in junior high," says Blake, who just recently hit the urban rap charts with his first single, Ima Get Paid. "I've always written, done poetry, and I started turning it into music in high school. From there it's just been a passion I've had and continued on with – it'll probably never stop."

Terrence Blake and Evrlove are making waves in the rap industry

In fact this could just be the start for Blake, who literally came out of nowhere to stun the rap world. Working with his team, Evrlove Music (Corey F and Artafacts), he'd had a number of singles mixed and produced locally. But if the fourth-year marketing major has learned anything during his studies in the Faculty of Management, it's how to promote himself.

"I've been blessed in a way," he says. "Through networking and just talking to people I got my demos out and really I was just looking for feedback. As an artist, I just wanted to learn about the business but within 24 hours of getting my music into the hands of the right person, I was flown out to Los Angeles and started in the studio."

Working with Larry Dee Entertainment (www.larrydeeentertainment.biz) and Grammy Award winning producer Bob Horn (Brandy, Akon), they put Ima Get Paid into the mainstream and it hit big.

"It's still getting a lot of rotation on record stations down in the States," says Blake, who's single is available on iTunes. "The first few weeks it got a lot of buzz and ended up on the Rickett's chart based out of New Jersey. I actually was the only non-signed artist to a major label who made the chart."

He says he draws his inspiration from everywhere, and by simply observing people.

"You could say I'm inspired by Lil Wayne, I admire his talent and most of all how he built something from nothing. He is not only an artist but a businessman as well," says Blake.

Ima Get Paid can be taken literally as a song about making money and Blake says that's fine if people connect with it that way, but to him, it's so much more.

"My intention on this song was the idea that in life we all chase dreams and have aspirations," he says. "This song was more like an anthem stating that I will get my goal, I will make it, I will live the way I want to, Ima get paid."

Blake in action with the Horns. Known as a lock-down defender, he is a valuable role player and veteran presence. PHOTO by Paula Gorman.

An Edmonton native, Blake was highly recruited out of high school and spent two seasons at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary before suffering a devastating ankle injury. After recuperating, he looked south to the U of L, joining the Horns this past fall when good friend Dominyc Coward moved across the river from the Lethbridge College program.

"The atmosphere around here is great, there's a ton of support, I've noticed it's a pretty tight knit community and I've enjoyed it a lot," he says, admitting there was a phase of culture shock moving to a smaller city.

"It's been a positive adjustment though because I've found more time for myself. There's less things to distract you around here so you kind of focus a little more. I think it's definitely helped me with my schooling."

Blake is considered a valuable role player with the club, and played an integral role in the team achieving its best regular season in 12 years. He's earned the respect of his teammates and his coach.

"He's a guy that's mature and had a lot of things that have happened in his life to bring him to this point," says Horns head coach Dave Adams. "The thing I love about Terrence is that he always has a perspective and always brings something into the program that's good for everybody."

As far as his off-court activities, Adams pleads ignorance.

"As a 54-year-old white guy who lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, (the non-demographic for his music) I really have no comment on his music," he laughs. "I have no idea whether it's good or bad but they tell me it's very good."

How good remains to be seen – and heard. Blake will likely see some touring opportunities this summer, opening for bigger acts in California, Ohio and the southern U.S.

"I want to just keep creating buzz and following my passion, and maybe it'll lead to a co-sign or a sign with a label, just a chance to keep doing what I'm doing."

After that, he intends to get back on the court and help the Horns return to the Canada West playoffs. Whether his future is in music or business, he's confident he's setting himself up well either way.

"If I'm not signed by the time I graduate, I'm looking to do some public relations work or some direct marketing, maybe point of sales," says Blake. "I love marketing, really all aspects of business. I love to talk in front of people, so hopefully if I'm not in front of the microphone, I'm in front of a crowd doing something with that."

This story first appeared in the April 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the entire issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Hunt ready for Registrar's role

trevor.kenney — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:12:14 +0000

Don Hunt is no stranger to change, in fact he has embraced it his entire life. So, as Hunt takes over the role of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Registrar with an eye on moving the office forward, don't be surprised if a little bit of change is in the forecast.

"This is a young institution, everything is changing right now, there's a lot of turnover in some relatively senior positions so for me, this is the perfect opportunity to come in," says Hunt.

Most recently from Cleveland, Ohio, Hunt is from here, there and everywhere. Born in East St. Louis, Ill., he's lived in nine different U.S. states, a host of foreign countries and now Canada. Part of his wanderlust can be attributed to his eight-year career in the U.S. military but the majority is Hunt's innate desire to experience life and seek out new challenges.

Don Hunt is excited about the opportunities he sees as the new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Registrar.

"Mostly it was just exploring, getting my feet wet and enjoying life," he says. "It's one of the reasons I was not afraid to jump the border and try something new by coming to Canada."

Hunt joined the military directly out of high school, seeking a means to get to college. He began a bachelor's degree in business administration while still serving, with a future goal of becoming an accountant. It became a lesson in patience and perseverance for Hunt as he continued to try and satisfy his degree requirements while taking classes at various colleges related to where he was stationed.

"It took me 18 years to get my first degree," says Hunt, who worked in the accounting field long before he had his accreditation. "Eventually I had gotten too far in the industry to go back and do a CPA program because I would have had to start again as an intern – and that just didn't make sense."

After transitioning to the technology side of the accounting business, Hunt started working for a tech company that designed software for accounting purposes. One arm of the business was to install and then service systems in higher educational settings, and after completing a master's degree in technology, Hunt jumped at the opportunity to work in higher education. His first look at the work of a registrar was an interim appointment at Cleveland State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Less than a year later he found a permanent home as deputy registrar at another Cleveland school, Case Western Reserve, and another career path was born.

"It was great to see what life was like on the other side of the fence," says Hunt. "I had always thought it would be nice to see a project through, rather than go in, implement a system and then move on to the next client. This time I actually had the opportunity to implement something and stay to see it through."

After four-plus years at Case Western, Hunt sought a head registrar's role and put no limits on his search parameters.

"In our industry, registrars are generally a terminal position. Because of what you need to be responsible for, the academic records of the institution, having that historical knowledge lends itself to people staying in that role," says Hunt. "Opportunities pop up and they won't be there for another 10 to 15 years so you really have to be ready to take on the opportunity wherever it presents itself. I didn't limit myself."

The U of L was one opportunity that emerged, along with positions in the UK and Australia.

"What sold me was the vision for the institution as both (Vice-President, Academic) Andy Hakin and (President) Mike Mahon laid it out," says Hunt. "The idea of where the institution wants to go as a whole, moving to a very customer-centred, destination university – all those things I could get behind."

He sees the Registrar's Office as an excellent opportunity for advancing those ideals.

"When you look at this operation, it's really in its infancy," says Hunt. "We are still manually driven where there is technology available that we already own. Let's put this technology in place and see how we can increase our self-service portfolio. Let's put in the tools to minimize the workload, not only for my staff, but also for faculty and students. Let's clear all the hoops they have to go through."

Hunt knows all too well what it's like to jump through hoops, and he's determined to use that experience to minimize that process for everyone else.

GET THE FACTS

· Hunt's highest rank in the military was corporal. He served in Germany, the U.S. and during both the Grenada and Honduras conflicts.

· A tennis enthusiast, Hunt is also looking to play squash and racquetball this winter and adds, "I'll even give curling a go, why not?"

· In addition to his bachelor's degree in business administration, he also has a master's degree in technology, both from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Maryland ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ College.

· One of his first orders of business will be to reduce student traffic to the Registrar's Office. "That front counter gets way too much traffic, realistically, for today's times. Students expect self service 24/7, and so why not make it as available to them as possible?"

Hunt announced as new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Registrar

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:54:49 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Donald E. Hunt as the new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Registrar. Hunt follows Leslie Lavers, who retired from the U of L after a 31-year career as Registrar and Associate Vice-President Student Services.

"With an extensive business background in finance and accounting, decorated military service in the United States Army and information technology experience implementing complex institutional data systems, Don brings a wide variety of skills to his new position," says Vice-President (Academic) and Provost, Dr. Andy Hakin. "We look forward to having him on our team, and welcoming him into the U of L and broader community."

Hunt was most recently the deputy registrar at Case Western Reserve ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, a 10,000 student, private university in Cleveland, Ohio. He also served as the interim director of Registrar Operations at the 16,000 student Cleveland State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Prior to joining the academic community, Hunt was a consultant and advisor to universities and colleges at Datatel Corp., an international supplier of high-volume databases and records management software.

He has worked as a quality assurance advisor to software development companies, and served in the United States Army as a finance and accounting specialist, where he received a Soldier of the Year Award and was posted to a number of locations worldwide.

Hunt holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration and a master of science degree in technology management from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Maryland, and continues to be active as a member of several professional development organizations focused on student recruitment, retention, registration and enrolment management.

Langager sparks a Choral celebration

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:18:39 +0000

It's not often Lethbridge experiences a collaboration of our community's strongest choirs in one concert, but on Mar. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Southminster United Church, Vox Musica, LCI Chamber Choir and the U of L Singers join together for Awake My Soul and Sing: A Choral Celebration.

The concert caps off an intensive week of workshops and rehearsals with guest conductor, Dr. Graeme Langager, director of choral activities at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia School of Music. The weeklong workshops, co-ordinated by the Vox Musica Choral Society, provide an opportunity for the choirs to share expertise.

"Our mandate is to promote choral music in southern Alberta and we believe providing opportunity for these activities outside our fixed rehearsal schedule benefits our choir, as well as the other choirs participating in the workshops," says Carolyn Speakman, Vox Musica Choral Society president.

Langager's visit includes spending 4-5 hours with each choir during their regular rehearsals.

"Dr. Langager was a student at LCI and sang with Frank Gnandt's choir in high school," says Speakman. "After spending several years in the United States, he's returned to Canada and is now part of the Canadian choral scene."

Langager received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from California State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Long Beach. He has taught throughout the United States, including stops in California, Ohio, North Carolina and Arkansas, and at the high school, college and university levels. A sought after clinician and guest conductor, he is also an active composer and arranger.

Langager's choirs have performed throughout Europe and the United States including such prestigious venues as St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Stefansdom in Vienna, Notre Dame in Paris, St. Nicholas in Prague and St. Stephen's in Budapest.

"The concert promises a varied program that showcases the strengths and talents of each choir," says Speakman.

Tickets to this rare evening of choral masterpieces are available at Long and McQuade (323 – 8th St. S.) for $15 regular and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets are also available at the door on the night of the concert.

For look at the February issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Sauvé sees Convocation from the other side

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:42:09 +0000

She's played a part in Convocation since her first semester on campus. Fittingly, when Julie Sauvé (BMus/BEd '09) was eligible to walk the stage herself, her role in Spring 2009 Convocation was an integral one.

Sauvé, the invocation reader for Ceremony III, had always respected the position as she witnessed graduation ceremonies over the years, performing at Convocation as a member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Wind Orchestra. Earning the opportunity to read this spring completed a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ career that saw the Cold Lake, Alta. native make the very most of her U of L experience.

"I value the many opportunities I was presented with during my stay at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," she says. "The music program at the U of L provided many performance opportunities, both inside and outside of the country, and also gave me the opportunity to work as a clinician.

"My most memorable experience at the U of L would have to be the music tours organized and directed by professors, Adam Mason and Dr. Tom Staples. Each tour enabled us to work with internationally known artists/clinicians and even provided the opportunity to perform and compete in Columbus, Ohio, and Austin, Texas."

Now a proud alumnus, Sauvé originally came to the U of L thanks to recommendations from other ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ alums, a pair of former high school teachers in Cold Lake.

"When I decided I wanted to be a teacher, I looked to see where some of my favourite teachers did their post-secondary education," says Sauvé. "They told me all about this university and why Lethbridge's education program was superior. After a few meetings, and a couple of prayers, I knew this was where I was supposed to spend the next few years."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ lived up to its advance billing, and then some.

"Everything I have experienced at the U of L has far surpassed any and all of my expectations," she says. "The small class sizes, the professors' dedication and passion for their work, along with all the opportunities they provided for their students on a daily basis, were astounding. I am proud to be an alumnus because I know I was taught by dedicated and passionate professors who ensured that I got the quality of education I needed in order to succeed after convocation."

Sauvé was especially impressed with the one-on-one relationships she was able to develop with professors, and specifically Mason.

"Adam was the first to show me how to successfully build a program, sustain it and balance out the rest of life's curveballs without burning out," she says. "He has travelled to many countries to learn new musical styles and their relation to culture and every day life. Over the past five years, Adam truly has equipped me with the skills to succeed. His love for music and passion to learn inspired me to work harder and go that extra mile. I am very fortunate to have worked with such an amazing individual."

GET THE FACTS

• Sauvé played in both the U of L Wind Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble

• She first heard the Wind Orchestra while a high school student at Cold Lake. Taking part in Alberta Honour Band in Edmonton, she and a friend stayed an extra day to see the U of L perform, after which she met Dr. Tom Staples, who encouraged her to come to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ upon graduation

• She is currently working as a substitute teacher in northern Alberta and will marry another
U of L alumnus in July

• Along with her new husband, Sauvé plans to move to Japan as part of the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program in late July. While there, she expects to join a Taiko drum group and build on the knowledge she gained working with Adam Mason

UNews - Ohio

Blake finds balance in burgeoning musical career

Related Topics

Hunt ready for Registrar's role

Related Topics

Hunt announced as new ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ Registrar

Related Topics

Langager sparks a Choral celebration

Related Topics

Sauvé sees Convocation from the other side

Related Topics

Hunt announced as new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Registrar