WASHINGTON, DC – The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) appointed Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran as the new program director for the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC), effective Oct. 19, 2004. Ver Straten-McSparran holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Bethel University (MN) and a masters of divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Prior to her role with LAFSC, the Rev. Ver Straten-McSparran honed her management skills and cultivated her L.A. network as principal/executive director of Mid-Wilshire Christian School and as founding pastor of TRIBE of Los Angeles church. While she was at Mid-Wilshire, the school’s income grew by nearly 50 percent in just two years. Tribe of Los Angeles is a cutting-edge community composed of and ministering to film-makers, artists, musicians and graduate students. Ver Straten-McSparran also serves on the executive committee of the City of Angels Film Festival and the planning team of Reel Spirituality, providing Hollywood connections that will prove to be an asset to LAFSC.
“Rebecca brings to us a unique combination of commitment to the arts and to effective management,” said Rich Gathro, executive vice president of the CCCU. “She is uniquely positioned by virtue of her experience and relationship to the film industry to take LAFSC to the next level.”
LAFSC is one of 12 student programs made available by the CCCU (BestSemester.com). Along with the American Studies Program, Contemporary Music Center and Summer Institute of Journalism, the Los Angeles Film Studies Center is classified as a “culture-shaping program.” Beyond taking ten credits of courses, students earn six credits serving in internships in Hollywood as support personnel to producers, writers, directors, agents, post-production personnel and others. Internships have been performed at such companies as 20th Century Fox Casting, Atlas Entertainment, Lakeshore Entertainment, Miramax Films and more.
As program director for LAFSC, Ver Straten-McSparran will be the primary administrator, responsible for managing personnel, student development, curriculum, alumni programs, physical facilities, equipment and budget. She will supervise six full-time staff, mentor students and alumni of the program and engage and network with the Hollywood community on behalf of LAFSC.
Michael Smith, LAFSC faculty member and acting program director until Oct. 19, is confident that Ver Straten-McSparran is the right person for the job. “Rebecca brings a lot of good networking skills and has expressed a strong focus on furthering LAFSC connections with the rest of the Hollywood industry,” he said. “Her connection with the City of Angels Film Festival has put her in contact with many film-makers, producers and others who approach media and engage it intensively from a position of faith. That’s one of the hallmarks of LAFSC.”
Outgoing director Doug Briggs is transitioning to direct L.A. Filmworks, an enrichment program of LAFSC designed to create quality entertainment while providing LAFSC students and alumni opportunities for professional-level production experience. Doug and his wife, Fran, were named directors emeriti at the June 2004 CCCU staff conference.
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is an international association of intentionally Christian colleges and universities. The CCCU’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its member institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.
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