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Susan Bland named communications manager for the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech

   

Headshot of Susan Bland Susan Bland

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 15, 2011 – Susan Bland has been named communications manager of the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.

She previously served as public relations practitioner at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and communications coordinator for the university’s Office of International Research, Education, and Development. She has worked at Virginia Tech since 2001.

In her new position, Bland will contribute to the planning, execution, and evaluation of the center’s comprehensive communication program and be responsible for generating interest in and awareness of the center’s programs and the research activities of the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, which is administered through the center.

“Susan’s success at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute promoting Kids' Tech University, which is a program created to spark schoolchildren’s interest and excitement about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, makes her uniquely positioned to promote the activities of the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. The institute will conduct and apply trans-disciplinary, collaborative research to enhance learning in PK-12 and higher education environments,” said Heather Ducote, director of marketing and communications for the Center for the Arts. “Susan will also manage media relations for our performing and visual arts programming.”   

At the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Bland was responsible for much of the institute’s communications efforts, including promoting research activities and awards, as well as education and outreach programs; developing marketing materials for its core services; and handling media relations activities. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she worked in the marketing department of a private healthcare company and served as a news and features editor for a group of local newspapers.

Bland received a master’s degree in communication from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in media studies from Radford University.

Through a comprehensive arts initiative, Virginia Tech has made a strong commitment to the arts on campus and in the surrounding communities. The cornerstone of the initiative is the $94 million Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. Opening in late 2013, the Center for the Arts will include a 1,260-seat, state-of-the-art performance hall for music, theatre, and dance performance and visual arts galleries for traditional, digital, and new media exhibitions. It also will house the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, an applied research environment wherein researchers from multiple disciplines, artists, and educators collaborate to develop new processes and tools to enhance teaching and learning in PK-12 and higher education environments with an emphasis on math, science, social studies, and language arts.