Our 10th anniversary as a college began with our Convocation, “The Arts at SUU: A Legacy and Vision” on September 23, 2008. We appreciate the warm response to the program and the many kind words we received afterwards. The opportunity to share a bit of the rich history of the arts at SUU and to showcase just a few of our talented students and faculty was equally rewarding for us. The arts offer all of us a wonderful way to celebrate that which binds us together in this world. The expression of the creative spirit shared with an audience offers an experience like no other. It is both thrilling and scary when you bring the audience together for the first time.
For the last 10 years the College of Performing and Visual Arts has produced hundreds of music concerts, theatre and dance productions, operas and has sponsored dozens of exhibitions and presentations that have enriched the lives of thousands of people. Nearly 600 students have graduated during this time and have had countless opportunities for them to grow as artists and teachers. This year we plan to recognize many of these accomplishments and milestones by posting regular updates to our website. About every week or two we will feature a sampling of events from the last 10 years. Please make a point of visiting our website at www.suu.edu/pva to see the latest updates about our 10th anniversary year.
Supporting Students... Supporting the Arts...
In order to ensure a strong future for the arts at SUU your support is appreciated through scholarships and other gifts that assist in delivering quality educational experiences for our students. We just recently offered our community the first of four Bon Appétit Music Scholarship Fundraising concerts at the beautiful home of David and Lori Blackner. It was a wonderful evening of music, dining and fellowship designed to raise scholarship funds for our music students.
The Bon Appétit series, which is the brainchild of Professor Carol Ann Modesitt, has raised over $16,000 in scholarship support in little over a year. While this is an outstanding accomplishment, our longer range goal is to endow a scholarship fund for our talented music students. Twelve full scholarships would require an endowment fund of $1,000,000 in order for us to reach our goal of $40,000 in annual scholarship support for our students. To achieve this goal, the generous support of several donors can be combined to endow the music scholarship fund. For example, twenty donors each supporting a scholarship fund at $10,000 per year for five years would generate a $1,000,000 gift that will go on to give support to students in perpetuity.
While I am specifically featuring the impact of support for music scholarships, the same idea of a scholarship endowment fund may be applied to our talented students in our Art and Design, Theatre Arts and Dance programs. Speaking personally, the ability of education to transform lives is one of the most rewarding parts of being a part of a university. As someone who was a first generation college student, I can attest to the fact that a university education can change your life. When I talk to our students receiving scholarship support I am always moved by their heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation. The opportunity for you to make a difference is available now. Please contact me at 435-865-8554 to talk about how you can become part of the arts at SUU by supporting students and supporting the arts.
Thank you for your time and enjoy this issue of SUU Arts News. We appreciate your continued support of the work of our faculty and students. I look forward to seeing you at our events this year. Best wishes.
Bill Byrnes, Dean
This issue contains a wealth of information about the wide range of accomplishments and activities enhancing the educational expreience of our faculty, staff, students and alumni.
Music's Opera program is performing The Magic Flute in two different languages and faculty are performing and conducting in and outside of Cedar City. The Art and Design department is busy publishing their work in museums, galleries, books and multi-media venues. The Theatre Arts and Dance Department has introduced new technology into the Adams and Black Box Theatres. Lastly, we must not forget the educational success of the Braithwaite Fine Art Gallery's collaboration with the Utah Shakespearean Festival to add a fine art competition with a shakespearean theme to the annual High School Shakespeare Competition.
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