News

Dr. Cameron F. LaBarr, assistant professor of music at Lee University and conductor of Choral Union, has recently been awarded a fellowship to attend and participate in the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Leaders II. This global forum, a part of the Salzburg Global Seminar of Austria, is designed to encourage an international exchange of ideas comprised of cultural leaders from countries across the world.

The award was presented to him by the Appalachian College Association for his domestic and international work in music and the arts. According to the seminar’s website, this forum will provide a unique learning opportunity for the most promising of the “next generation,” having included cultural leaders from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe in past years. Its goal is to help young practitioners improve their leadership skills to enable them and their organizations to thrive in a field characterized by rapid change, uncertainty, and limited resources.

LaBarr was selected as one of 50 attendees from a pool of candidates from around the world.

Beginning with Session 1 in 1947, the Salzburg Global Seminar has convened scholars and decision-makers committed to making a difference in the world, all with the hope of inspiring innovative thinking and to pioneer strategies for change.

According to Newsweek magazine, “There are hundreds of seminars in the prestige-conscious firmament of academe, but few can rival the eminence of the Salzburg program.”

“It is certainly an honor to be selected as a Salzburg Fellow for this particular forum regarding our society’s culture on an international level,” said LaBarr. “Arts and culture strengthen who we are as people, and it is important for us to realize that even in difficult times, art is essential. This Salzburg Seminar will foster healthy discussion regarding where our culture currently stands, where we are headed, and what we might need to do to improve our culture’s direction for the future.”

Other members of Lee’s faculty who have attended recent Salzburg Seminars include Drs. Karen Mundy Judkins, Matthew Melton, Eric Moyen, Gary Riggins, Stephen Swindle, and Jayson VanHook.