Scholarships

The Theatre and Dance department awards several varying scholarships. Typical awards are the equivalent of half in-state tuition. The following list is representative of the scholarships distrubuted by the department:

1. Friends of the Fine Arts Scholarship (1 awarded, full in-state tution)
2. Schulenberg Scholarship (1 awarded, partial)
3. Theatre Department Scholarships (20 awarded, half in-state tuition)
4. Joseph Conger Musical Theatre Scholarship (1 awarded, amount varies)
5. Uptown Arts (tuition supplement)

Corbett Scholarships are usually awarded at full in-state tution amounts, while others are mostly awarded at half in-state tuition amounts.

Incoming Student Scholarship

The theatre department endeavors first and foremost to recruit gifted students into the department. In early December, theatre faculty audition high school seniors and/or transfer students and then rank order them according to four major criteria: talent, academic achievement, growth potential, and likely contributions to the program. Top candidates become available at any time through the following December, the faculty makes awards to alternate list candidate(s) or to qualified students already enrolled at any grade level with an overall 2.75 GPA.

Currently Enrolled Students Scholarships

To be considered for a scholarship, currently enrolled students with an overall 2.75 GPA must maintain good academic standing as detailed below, high visibility in the production program, and consistent contributions to departmental activities. To apply, please forward Mike King a current resume and a one page letter explaining why you want or need a scholarship and how you feel you qualify for one.

Scholarship Responsibilities

1. Maintain full-time status (minimum 12 hours per semester);
2. Maintain a 2.75 GPA
3. Performance student audition for every season production, unless the Chair in consultation with faculty director(s), grant special (and rare) exceptions prior to auditions;
4. Participate responsibly in two productions per semester, either onstate or in technical and/or mangerial capacities;
5. Assist with two regularly sponsored departmental events: December high school acting competitions and February scholarship auditions;
6. Help when requested with occasional non-regularly scheduled departmental endeavors such as registration, tour of the facility, and others; and
7. Give first priority commitment to departmental operations. The Chair must approve all theatre work undertaken outside departmental venues before the job is accepted.

Maintaining Scholarship

Students who fulfill all obligations in a reliable, responsible, and professional manner and who in a variety of ways actively support and contribute to the growth of the academic and production programs are said to demonstrate a high degree of loyalty to the department. The department guarentees continuance of scholarship support for these students until graduation. An exception is the Corbett Scholarship with ends after a period of four years.

Studetns who fail to fulfill all obligations or who do so in what the faculty consider to be a less than reliable, responsible, and professional manner risk loss of scholarships. The first infraction results in a meeting with Professor King to discuss problems and determine remedies. The second infraction results in probation. The third infraction results in immediate revocation of the scholarship. As used here, the term infraction refers to the nine obligations listed above. each of which carries equal weight. For instance, a performance student's failure to audition for a production is the same as missing a strike, not assisting with the acting competition, not maintaining the proper GPA, etc. The term infraction also refers to the performance of a task in a careless or ineffectual way. Standards of professional conduct are purposely high for all scholarship students.

If a student loses a scholarship, s/he must still complete all scholarship obligations remaining in the semester partially or fully funded by the scholarship. Failure to do so results in the faculty's complete review of the student's degree status and eligibility to participate in departmental activities.