POTSDAM -- Gerald Lee Ratliff, SUNY Potsdam’s associate vice president for academic affairs, was the invited keynote speaker at the 2014 International Humanities, Literature, Cultures and Arts Global Conference on Dec. 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C.

The international conference featured academic scholars and professional practitioners who shared best practices in curriculum design and development in a series of academic papers and workshop sessions.

Ratliff’s keynote address was titled “Visualizing Literary Texts: Selected Classroom Activities to ‘Enact’ Character Intention and Motivation.”

Ratliff is an internationally known scholar who has published 21 books in literary criticism and performance studies. He’s also written more than 100 articles in playscript analysis and interpretation and presented more than 300 juried conference papers and workshops on literary analysis, dramatic criticism, children’s theatre, performance studies, administration and leadership principles and integrative learning styles. He is a former Fulbright Scholar to China and was a cultural delegate member of the 1992 Kennedy Center of the Arts delegation to Russia. He has also served as national president of the Eastern Communication Association, Association for Communication Administration, International Arts Association and Theta Alpha Phi, the national theatre fraternity.

He is now working on a book project titled “Basic Communication Strategies for Administrators: A Handbook of Practical Principles and Procedures” and a collection of critical essays titled “All About Eve: An Examination of David Mamet’s Portrait of ‘Modern’ Women.”