From Westminster to the World of Warcraft by Kevin Dayhoff

May 2, 2012

From Westminster to the World of Warcraft

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last Monday, Greg Street, a 1991 McDaniel College graduate and the lead systems designer of World of Warcraft, shared his reality of how he journeyed from Texas to Westminster, and then South Carolina to California and Northrend, the crescent-shaped continent in northern Azeroth, in the virtual reality world of gamers.

For Dr. Street, it has been a long, strange, and wonderful trip from Westminster to the Mists of Pandaria.

The audience that gathered at Decker Center Forum on the Westminster college campus was an eclectic combination and – yes, one-third of the audience were hard-core gamers – who know Dr. Street by his screen name “Ghostcrawler” on gamer message boards, where he is a constant presence in search of feedback on the World of Warcraft.

The World of Warcraft was first released in 1994 as “Warcraft: Orcs and Humans.” The popular computer game currently enjoys a worldwide audience of 10.2 million subscribers as of December 2011… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5077

Related - - McDaniel College – Greg Street SmartTALK links and notes:

Labels: Colleges McDaniel Casey Roger, Colleges McDaniel SmartTALK, People Street Greg, Technology, Technology games gamers, Technology games World of Warcraft

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 From Westminster to the World of Warcraft Kevin E. Dayhoff: Last Monday, Greg Street, a 1991 McDaniel College graduate and the lead systems designer of World of Warcraft, shared his reality of how he journeyed from Texas to Westminster, and then South Carolina to California and Northrend, the crescent-shaped continent in northern Azeroth, in the virtual reality world of gamers… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5077

Monday, April 30, 2012:  Earlier in eve #McDaniel Pres Casey & World of Warcraft designer G Street spoke - http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/04/earlier-in-eve-mcdaniel-pres-casey.html

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/04/greg-street-designer-world-of-warcraft.html Greg Street designer World of Warcraft answered qs hour after his talk #McDaniel - - Labels: Babylon Mrs Owl, Colleges McDaniel Casey Roger, Colleges McDaniel SmartTALK, People Street Greg, Technology, Technology games gamers, Technology games World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/ or http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/4639549

World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/game/mists-of-pandaria/

BlizzCon 2011 Trailer: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/game/mists-of-pandaria/media/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3ZX_S3STTQ The media duo of Judy Woodruff, of the PBS NewsHour, and her husband Al Hunt, of Bloomberg News, also visited McDaniel College for a program entitled “Conversation with Washington Insiders,” on April 15.

Blizzard Entertainment: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/

McDaniel College: http://www.mcdaniel.edu/index.shtml

SmartTALK at McDaniel College: http://www.mcdaniel.edu/11204.htm: More information about Bernard Franklin...; Gerald Winegrad; Michelle Shearer; Eric Schwaab; Tom Armbruster; Wendy Ruderman

McDaniel College website - World of Warcraft video-game designer to speak April 30: http://www.mcdaniel.edu/12074.htm “World of Warcraft video-game designer to speak April 30” Monday, April 16, 2012 - -

“World of Warcraft master systems designer Greg Street, class of 1991, talks about how his liberal arts education at McDaniel helped him become a video game designer at 7 p.m. April 30 during SmartTALK with president Roger Casey in Decker Center Forum.

“Street currently works as a master systems designer at Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, Calif. He graduated from McDaniel with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Philosophy in 1991 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked as a marine biologist before moving into the game design field.

“The hour-long event, which is free and open to the public, includes questions and answers from the audience.

“McDaniel College’s SmartTALK brings notable alumni back to campus for an on-stage conversation with president Roger Casey on their subject of expertise. Past SmartTALK presenters have included Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wendy Ruderman, career foreign-service diplomat Tom Armbruster, National Marine Fisheries Service director Eric Schwaab, National Teacher of the Year Michelle Shearer, champion of the environment Gerald W. Winegrad, and, senior vice-president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Bernard Franklin.”

Greg Street on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/greg-street/7/644/b35

Inside Mac Games - Interview: Ensemble's Greg Street November 20, 2006 | Michael Phillips http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=488&Page=1: “Games don't just appear out of thin air. Games are created by teams of designers and programers toiling in small underground vaults, unaware of the world above. At least, that's the information to which I'm privy. At any rate, games do require designers and Age of Empires III is no exception. Recently, I had the chance to chat with Greg Street, leader of the design team at Ensemble Studios that created Age of Empires III, about his role at Ensemble, what gamers can expect from this latest generation of the Age of Empires series and other industry related topics of interest. This is a good read, trust me…”

Florida's New Video-Game Magnet School Now Accepting Applications - By Susan Jones April 30, 2012 http://cnsnews.com/news/article/floridas-new-video-game-magnet-school-now-accepting-applications

From the Miami Herald: Miami-Dade Public Schools will open its first video-game-themed magnet program this fall, with the goal of teaching students how to design and program video games, the Miami Herald reported on Monday.

The iTech Academy at Miami Springs Senior High School has 125 spots for the freshman class.

“We’re going to be a school that produces not only games, but apps. It’s part of my vision,” Principal Anna Rodriguez was quoted as saying. “I can see our students building holograms. I can really see it.”

According to the newspaper, the focus on design and coding reflects state and national efforts to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Proponents of video-game programs say they prepare students for jobs in the 21st century.

In 2010-11, Florida had about 3,300 students enrolled in game, simulation and animation courses, the Herald reported… http://cnsnews.com/news/article/floridas-new-video-game-magnet-school-now-accepting-applications

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Reception held for McDaniel president-elect

Reception held for McDaniel president-elect
Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/10y4as or here: http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/366595341/reception-held-for-mcdaniel-president-elect
January 27, 2010 by Kevin Dayhoff

Last Wednesday, Westminster community leaders had an opportunity to meet and welcome McDaniel president-elect Dr. Roger N. Casey and his wife, Ms. Robyn Allers at a reception held at the Carroll Arts Council.

Casey, 48, was selected by the McDaniel board of trustees to serve as the 142-year-old college’s ninth president on December 17 to succeed President Joan Develin Coley as of July 1, 2010.

An article published in Explore Carroll on April 22, 2009 noted, “Coley announced her retirement at an executive session of the April 18 board of trustees meeting at the college. Coley has served as McDaniel’s president for 10 years and her retirement will start June 30, 2010…

“Coley has spent her life in higher education, accumulating 40 years of experience in the classroom and in administration. Prior to her serving as McDaniel president, she served as provost for six years. She joined the college faculty in 1973 as director of the Graduate Reading Program and was later promoted to serve as dean of Graduate Affairs and chair of the Department of Education…

‘It has been my great fortune to spend almost all of my working life on this [McDaniel] college campus, a place I love and believe in with unreasonable passion,’ she said in a news release issued today by the college.”

Casey currently serves as the vice president of academic affairs and provost of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He was chosen to lead the college during a national search conducted by a presidential search committee, led by Mary Lynn Durham, a 1970 graduate of the college, who serves as the vice chair of the board of trustees, eight trustees, three elected faculty members, one administrator and one student.

“During the search interviews and campus visits, Dr. Casey distinguished himself as a visionary leader who understands McDaniel’s steadfast commitment to academic excellence through collaborative learning and deliberate faculty mentoring of students,”, said Martin K. P. Hill, chairman of McDaniel’s board of trustees, according to the McDaniel College web site.

“We are absolutely confident that Roger will respect our traditions and realize our aspirations through focusing the College’s vision, advancing its mission and implementing its strategic plan.”

“With labor and love, I will do my best to live up to the expectations of those who have given me the chance to be the organizational leader of a community that champions the tradition of liberal arts education. … Great things lie ahead for McDaniel,” said Casey, in a letter addressed to the McDaniel community posted on the college’s web site.

“The sense of community that undergirds it, is what first drew me to ‘the Hill,’” continued Casey in his letter. “Building on the exceptional work of President Coley and her predecessors, my job is now clear: to make sure everyone hears the fullest understanding of what that tradition and its present manifestation means at McDaniel.

“I believe that message is important to our existing community, to future students, to this region, to donors and other supporters, to American higher education, and to the world. The message is that McDaniel makes a difference.”

Casey is a South Carolina native who “graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Furman University in 1983 and went on to earn both an M.A. degree and a Ph.D. in English from Florida State University,” according to the McDaniel College web site.

Allers was in her element at the arts council reception. She currently serves “as the interim director of Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins,” said the web article introducing the president-elect last December.

“Prior to Rollins, Casey served Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama as an associate dean and professor from 1991-2000.”

At the reception, Casey, who has studied and traveled in more than 60 countries, noted that he was also right at home in the Tevis Gallery at the Arts Council. Behind him, as he shared brief remarks, was the art of a number of artists who grew-up in other parts of the world, but now make Maryland their home.

Casey said in his letter to the McDaniel community last December, when it was announced that he was appointed, that he and his wife were traveling in Laos.

Hill noted the international flair of the reception in his introductory remarks; noting that the “current exhibit, ‘Ubuntu,’ is a collection of international artists… It serves as a perfect back drop” for the reception. “Dr. Roger Casey is himself an advocate for the transformational nature of global study and travel.”

“In 1994, Casey was named a Fellow of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation that supported his travel to 16 countries over a four-year period to examine the role of vision in the creation of community, a transformational experience that has instilled a strong sense of global and local responsibility,” according to McDaniel College.

“His current scholarly passions,” according to information from McDaniel, “include exploring the organizational behaviors of Generation X and The Millennials, examining literary and film depictions of teachers and students, and studying the impact of social media on higher education. His expertise in these areas earns him frequent invitations to present at both national academic conferences and in corporate settings.”

It was also noted that, “He has been a theatrical producer, director, and actor, most recently in 2006 as F. Scott Fitzgerald in a Winter Park production of ‘Devotedly, With Dearest Love: The Letters of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.’”

Hill also noted at the reception, “Each of the eight previous presidents at McDaniel have found it easy to feel at home in Westminster. I am certain this will be the first of many opportunities to meet and get to know Roger and Robyn.”

Allers shared in a conversation with several folks who had gathered around her, including Marcus Lee Primm, Dave Bollinger, and Corynne Courpas, that she and Casey had quietly visited Westminster and the college one day last fall.

She remarked that she and her husband were impressed with the sense of community and history, and the friendliness of the students and the Westminster community.

“How delighted we are, Robyn and I, to meet you… We are looking forward to calling Westminster our home,” said Casey in his remarks at the reception. “It is an honor to follow in Joan’s (Coley’s) footsteps…”

Commissioners Mike Zimmer and Dean Minnich joined with county chief of staff, Steve Powell to meet the new president. Minnich, who had noted that Allers is also a writer, expressed that he was eager to get to know the president-elect and his wife.

Also, present were Westminster mayor Kevin Utz, along with council members Damian Halstad, Tony Chiavacci, Dr. Robert Wack, and Greg Pecoraro. Halstad, also a writer, nodded in approval as Audrey Cimino, the executive director of the Community Foundation of Carroll County, and also an actress, singer and fan of the theatre, looked on.

“We’ve always had a great relationship with the college and we’re looking forward to continuing that relationship with Dr. Casey,” said Halstad.

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[20100127 McD Casey recept (2)dsm RC Cimino] http://twitpic.com/10y4as

Reception held for McDaniel College president-elect Dr. Roger N. Casey http://tinyurl.com/yla3jha http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/366595341/reception-held-for-mcdaniel-president-elect

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/reception-held-for-mcdaniel-president.html http://twitpic.com/10y4as

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