July 12-13, 2001

ITEM 112-1009-R0701   Professor Emeritus Status for Bill Raoul, Professor of Drama, School of Fine Arts; The University of Montana-Missoula

 

THAT: Bill Raoul, Professor of Drama, in his twenty-seventh year of dedicated service to The University of Montana, has merited the commendation of the Board of Regents of the Montana University System, and has earned the title of Professor of Drama Emeritus.

 

EXPLANATION: Bill Raoul earned his Master of Arts in 1969 from the University of Washington in Seattle. With over five years of professional work preceding the degree, he joined The University of Montana as an Assistant Professor in Drama in the fall of 1969 and taught for three years, leaving in 1972 to teach at California State University-Fullerton and pursue freelance work in the Los Angeles area.

In 1977 he returned to The University of Montana as an Associate Professor and designed the set for When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?, the department's winning entry in the American College Theatre Festival. This production was presented at the Kennedy Center in the spring of 1978. At UM, he designed scenery and costumes for approximately 100 productions, including many for the Montana Repertory Theatre. His designs for the Montana Repertory Theatre have toured coast to coast to audience and critical acclaim.

For ten years he has researched, written and recorded various programs for KUFM radio, including Music for Stage and Screen, The Kurt Weill Centennial, The Schubert Bicentennial, and Opera Showcase.

Professor Raoul has published textbooks used throughout the United States: Flat Frame Construction (1978), Stock Scenery Construction Handbook (1980; second edition, 1990), and The Sound Designer's Handbook, with an expected date of publication in 2002.

The Department of Drama/Dance proudly recommends Professor Bill Raoul for Emeritus status.