Two College of the Arts faculty members were recognized by Kent State University with the 2022-2023 President's Faculty Excellence Award. Dr. Jay Dorfman, School of Music, and Linda Öhrn-McDaniel, School of Fashion, received the award based on their exceptional achievements as faculty members.
Jay Dorfman Ph.D.
Jay Dorfman is professor and coordinator of music education in the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent State University. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Music Education from the University of Miami (FL) and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Northwestern University (IL). Prior appointments include an assistant professorship in music education at Boston University and assistant and associate professorships in music education at Kent State University. Dr. Dorfman was a high school instrumental and technology-based music teacher in Broward County, Florida.
Dr. Dorfman is the past-president of the Technology Institute for Music Educators and has relationships as an ambassador for several music technology companies. He is an Executive Board member and Communications Chair for the Society for Music Teacher Education.
Dr. Dorfman’s research interests include music education technology, music teacher education, popular and vernacular music education, and curriculum development in music. His research has been published in The Journal of Research in Music Education, The Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, The Journal of Music Teacher Education, Visions of Research in Music Education, and in several state music education publications. He is the author of “Theory and Practice of Technology-based Music Instruction “(Oxford University Press, 2022, 2nd edition), a contributor to several handbooks in music education research, and co-editor of “Music Education Research in the 21st Century: Theories, Questions, Problems, and Methodological Pluralism” (Springer, 2018). Dr. Dorfman is also a frequent presenter at state and national music education conferences.
Linda Öhrn-McDaniel
Linda Öhrn-McDaniel received her Bachelor of Education from Uppsala University Sweden, and her Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from the University of North Texas in 2003. She started at Kent State University in 2004. During her time at Kent State University, Linda has grown in her creative practice, teaching and leadership roles. She started her career with a focus on patternmaking, draping and surface design, but has since shifted her focus to primarily explore knit development.
At the core of Linda’s work is the concept of how to play with shape and surface, looking at how both aspects function together to create thoughtful and functional design. Her current focus on knitting has given her opportunities to explore beyond fashion into collaborations with other sectors including architecture, automotive, furniture, nursing and liquid crystals. Linda also works closely with the wider U.S. knit industry. She is dedicated to the success of her students and finds real-world industry connection to be a key aspect of her creative practice and teaching.
Linda’s teaching has focused on Fashion Design Construction, Patternmaking, Draping and Knitting. When the School of Fashion started exploring ways to expand its specialist classes, Linda led the knit specialization initiative. Her work led has to the development of three knitting-focused classes and countless individual investigations with students who wanted to develop their skills in knit development and programming.
About The President's Faculty Excellence Award
The President's Faculty Excellence Award was created to recognize exceptional performance by a faculty member that leads to the achievement of national or international recognition. National or international recognition may be demonstrated in research, teaching and/or service. Tenured and tenure-track faculty members in all disciplines and from all campuses were eligible based on recommendations to department chairs and deans.