In 2015, the young Cinema Studies Program celebrated its first major endowment, the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Professor and Filmmaker Fund in Cinema Studies. Harlan (PhD ’74, Political Science) and his wife, Rima, decided to make Cinema Studies the recipient of a generous gift that will bring filmmakers to campus annually, both successful industry veterans and emerging talents, to interact closely with our students.
The fund will provide the resources for a filmmaker to engage each year in a two-week university residency, during which the filmmaker will be involved in a variety of campus activities including teaching workshops, mentoring students, screening films, and participating in public conversations. “This wonderful gift will provide life-changing opportunities for our students to spend quality time with the best and the brightest from across the industry. Harlan and Rima truly understand how important experiences like this are for students who want to pursue a career in film,” says Associate Professor Michael Aronson, Cinema Studies program director.
The Strausses wanted their gift to make an immediate impact, and the program expects to bring its first visiting filmmaker to campus in Spring 2016. Cinema Studies extends its heartfelt thanks to Harlan and Rima for allowing Oregon students this unique and potentially transformative opportunity to engage with highly successful practicing filmmakers as well as helping to raise the visibility of the Cinema Studies Program on campus and around the country.