Nov. 24, 2008

Faculty member writes article and works on film

Michael “Tug” Buse, assistant professor of mass communications at Morningside College, has written an article for the next issue of Small Boats magazine, and he is working on a film he plans to submit to the Sundance Film Festival and other major film festivals.

In his article for Small Boats, an annual newsstand publication that comes out in December, Buse talks about his project to build a 14-foot wooden sailboat from scratch. Buse was born and raised in Warm Beach, Wash., along the coast of Puget Sound. He practically grew up on his parents’ small wooden tugboat, which was named “Maggie B” after his mother. Buse always wanted to build a little sister for Maggie B, a boat that was in every way his own. He started building “Adventure” 4.5 years ago, and he put her in the water for the first time in July 2007.

“She’s still not quite finished,” he said. “I need to make some improvements to her sleeping arrangements, as well as some adjustments to the rigging. Still, I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Sitting in the boat that I created – there’s nothing like that feeling.”

Buse also is working on a film called “In Search of Adventure.” The film will be structured in two parts and will be about 90 minutes long when complete. The first part, which is almost finished, is about the building of Adventure. The second part is going to be about a great cruise to Maine, which hasn’t happened yet. Morningside College has allowed Buse to use faculty development funds to work on his film project.

Michael “Tug” Buse, assistant professor of mass communications at Morningside College, takes “Adventure” out for a sail on Lake Washington in Seattle. Buse built the 14-foot wooden sailboat from scratch. Photo by Cameron Kane.

Buse joined the faculty at Morningside College in 2004, where he teaches classes in television and digital media and is faculty advisor to MCTV, the student-run television station. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and a master of fine arts degree from Chapman University in Orange, Calif. He was one of only three recipients of the 2005 Walker Faculty Excellence Awards for teaching excellence, effective advising, scholarship and service to Morningside College.

Small Boats is available for purchase locally at bookstores, online at www.woodenboat.com or by calling 1-800-273-7447. It is published by WoodenBoat Publications in Maine. This company also publishes WoodenBoat magazine, which has a circulation of about 100,000. Small Boats is a special publication for small boat lovers, and it is circulated worldwide.

Those who would like to see Buse’s boat might keep an eye out for him when it’s warmer. He likes to go sailing in Yankton, S.D., and on Lake Okoboji.