by Alexandra Taylor and Rachel Williams
Michael Greene, University of West Georgia alumnus and former CEO of the Grammys, visited campus on November 21 as a part of the Presidential Leadership Series. Michael graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of West Georgia in 1971 and is now a film producer. At 6 p.m., a screening of his most recent film project was shown in the Kathy Cashen Recital Hall on campus. The film, titled “The Girls in the Band,” is a documentary that tells the stories of African-American female jazz performers and big band instrumentalists during the late ‘30s into the present day.
The screening concluded a full day on campus for the UWG alum. Michael started the day with coffee at 9:30 a.m. in President Marrero’s office, along with Bill Norris, associate director of development for the College of arts and Humanities, and Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities Randy Hendricks. At 10 a.m., Michael was interviewed by UTV13 and a small group of film students, and at 11 a.m., he spoke to a group of music students. He lunched at the Little Hawaiian in downtown Carrollton with Dr. Hendricks, Dr. N. Jane McCandless, dean of the College of Social Sciences, and Dr. Faye McIntyre, dean of the Richards College of Business.
At 2 p.m., Michael participated in a student-led discussion titled, “The Future of Art: Where Do We Go From Here?” He then took a 3:30 p.m. tour of the campus to explore the changes made since his last visit. At 5:30 p.m., he joined the reception before the screening of “The Girls in the Band.”
