KU News Release

LAWRENCE — The School of the Arts at the University of Kansas honored six outstanding students with scholarships worth $17,200. The awards recognize achievements in dance, film and media studies, theatre and visual art.

Departmental leaders nominated the students to receive support from School of the Arts scholarship funds. In addition, many students in the school receive departmental scholarships.

“As a new school, we are fortunate to have the resources to reward and encourage our students’ development as artists,” said Liz Kowalchuk, associate dean of the School of the Arts. “I am deeply grateful to our generous alumni and friends for giving us that ability.”

The three scholarships given by the School of the Arts are the Patricia Joyce Ellis Art and Dance Scholarship; the Juanita B. Strait Scholarship in the School of the Arts; and the Bernadette Robinson Scholarship in Fine Arts.

The School of the Arts, housed within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is home to four departments: dance, film and media studies, theatre and visual art. The School of the Arts was created through the reorganization of the former School of Fine Arts.

Funds for the awards and scholarships are managed by KU Endowment, the independent, nonprofit foundation serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

The scholarship recipients are listed below by hometown, level in school, major, parents’ names, previous school attended and award.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Leawood 66209
Amanda Rixey, freshman in dance; daughter of Robert and Mary Rixey; St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park; Patricia Joyce Ellis Art and Dance Scholarship.

From Merriam 66202
Rebecca Basaure-Carrington, junior in film and media studies with history of art minor; daughter of Jorge and Cynthia Basaure; Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park; Juanita B. Strait Scholarship in the School of the Arts.

From Olathe 66061
Isaac Dean, senior in theatre with minor in women’s studies; Turner High School, Kansas City, Kan.; Bernadette Robinson Scholarship in Fine Arts.

MINNESOTA
From Mendota Heights 55120
Maren Gray, freshman in dance; daughter of Daniel and Lisa Gray; Cretin-Derham Hall High School, St. Paul, Minn.; Patricia Joyce Ellis Art and Dance Scholarship.

NEBRASKA
From Lincoln 68512
Molly Jones, freshman in dance; daughter of Donald and Melissa Jones; North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Patricia Joyce Ellis Art and Dance Scholarship.

COSTA RICA
From San Jose
Beatriz Parra, master’s student in visual arts; University of Costa Rica; Patricia Joyce Ellis Art and Dance Scholarship.