Syracuse University Creates a Scholarship to Honor a Former Performing Arts Scholar

The College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University in New York has announced the establishment of a new scholarship fund in memory of a faculty member who dedicated himself to teaching excellence and developing successful theater artists and designers.

The Felix E. Cochren Jr. Memorial Scholarship intends to promote a more diverse student body in the drama department by providing scholarship and financial assistance to current students who are underrepresented in the program. Dr. Cochren was a beloved associate professor of theater design and technology in the department from 2002 to 2019, when he passed away at age 68.

“Diversity and inclusion in the student population is a cornerstone value not only within the drama department but throughout the greater Syracuse University community as a whole,” says Ricky Pak, an assistant professor of acting. “However, a unique challenge for drama is that if we do not have a diverse population of students, it directly impacts our day-to-day curriculum. We lose the ability to tell stories that are not traditionally told to the rest of the greater Syracuse community because we don’t have the appropriate student population from which to cast. The University has a richly diverse history that traces all the way back to its founding — a history that our project seeks to highlight while also creating opportunities for underrepresented students to be able to tell those stories on our stages one day.”

The fund, which will begin awarding scholarships to students in Fall 2021, was established with a gift from the Gerald & Daphna Cramer Foundation.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Three African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Posts in Higher Education

Terrence Mitchell was appointed executive director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. Faye Belgrave has been named vice president and chief diversity officer at Virginia Commonwealth University and Tammy Bennett is the inaugural vice president for inclusive excellence in philanthropy at the University of Cincinnati Foundation.

Federal Government Calls on States to End Funding Disparities at Black Land-Grant Universities

The federal government sent letters to 16 governors emphasizing the over $12 billion disparity in funding between land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their non-HBCU land-grant peers in their states. Unequitable appropriated funding of the 1890 institutions in the states ranges from $172 million to $2.1 billion.

A Trio of Black Scholars in New Faculty Roles at Universities

The City College of New York has appointed Jervette R. Ward as director of the Black Studies Program. Scotti Branton is a new assistant professor of communication at the University of Arkansas, and professor Danille Taylor was appointed director of the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum.

Shaw University to Expand Its Presence to Research Triangle Park

The collaboration will secure Shaw University a dedicated office space within Frontier RTP innovation campus, located in the heart of the city's new vibrant downtown area. The space will include private offices and an administrative area dedicated to Shaw University, as well as classroom space.

Featured Jobs