Changes in Leadership at Stephens College’s Master of Fine Arts Degree Program in Television and Screenwriting

The master of fine arts degree program in television and screenwriting at Stephens College, a liberal arts educational institution for women in Columbia, Missouri, has made changes to its leadership. Rosanne Welch as the new executive director and Khanisha Foster is the new associate director.

Dr. Welch has served as a faculty member in the M.F.A. program since its start in 2014, creating a set of courses around the history of screenwriting, and teaching courses in one-hour drama. Her television writing credits include “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Picket Fences,” “ABC News Nightline” and “Touched by an Angel.” Dr. Welch was the editor of When Women Wrote Hollywood: Essays on Female Screenwriters in the Early Film Industry (MacFarland, 2018). The book was named runner-up for the Susan Koppelman Award honoring the best anthology, multi-authored or edited book in feminist studies by the Popular Culture Association.

Dr Welch is a graduate of Bowling Green State Univerity in Ohio. She earned a master’s degree in U.S. history from California State University, Northridge and a Ph.D. in U.S. film history from Claremont Graduate University in California.

Foster is a graduate of the Stephens College M.F.A. program. She hosts the podcast “How I Wrote That,” which focuses on women who write for TV and film. In addition to being on faculty at Stephens College, Foster is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts.

The Stephen College program also features 15 faculty mentors and a rotating group of guest lecturers, all working writers, members of the Writers Guild, and successful industry professionals.