College of Fine & Applied Arts

Illinois Planning Equity and Inclusion Scholarship

Drew and Jen Awsumb are fully aware of the advantages their education provided them in their careers. They wanted to help others get that same advantage by providing financial support to students interested in Urban Planning at Illinois, so they established the Illinois Planning Equity and Inclusion Scholarship Fund. This fund supports scholarships for students that contribute to the diversity of the student body as well as first-generation college students. Drew and Jen believe that a person’s career aspirations should not be stymied by race or socioeconomic status, so they took action to help break down these barriers. Read more.

Japan House Ogura/Sato Annex

The roots of Japan House go back to 1964, when Shozo Sato, then artist-in-residence at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and now professor emeritus of the School of Art and Design, began a series of courses focusing on the art and culture of Japan. Over the past 21 years, Japan House has continued to grow and welcomes students and the general public to academic courses, workshops, public and private tea ceremonies, ikebana classes, shodo (calligraphy) classes, and a vast number of events centering on Japanese Arts and Culture. Thanks to Dr. George Ogura and other generous donors, Japan House will be adding on an annex to accommodate the growing interest in the community. Read more.

Honoring the Legacy of Celebrated Professor and Gifted Architect Jack Baker

School of Architecture alum, Bill Tucker (BS Arch ’78, M.Arch ’81) committed to a generous five-year pledge donation to the Jack S. Baker Memorial Fund in support of the Erlanger House. This gift will allow the School of Architecture to renovate and maintain this piece of University of Illinois history that has hosted numerous arts professionals and scholars.

Erlanger House was designed by former Illinois School of Architecture professor Jack Baker in 1964 for Professor Margaret Erlanger. Margaret bequeathed the Erlanger House to the University of Illinois following her death in 1975 to be used as a space for visiting artists and scholars to stay. Read more.

Graduating 50 Years After She Started, Rita Bass is Paving the Way for Other Non-Traditional Students

The Rita F. Bass Scholarship for Non-Traditional Students was established to support students who either went directly into the work force out of high school and later decided to pursue a higher education degree, or students who started college and had to drop out before completing their degree program. Rita Bass returned to the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois more than 50 years after initially beginning her education. Now she’s paving the way for other non-traditional students with the establishment of this new scholarship in her name. Read more.

Krannert Center Lyric Theatre Student Excellence Fund

Lyric Theatre at Illinois and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts established the Krannert Center Lyric Theatre Student Excellence Fund. This joint fundraising initiative provides unrestricted support for student scholarships enabling Lyric Theatre to recruit and retain the most talented students. Scholarships allow Lyric Theatre at Illinois to recruit a diverse cast of performers and maintain a competitive advantage over other programs. The fund also helps the center maintain the highest level of production value to ensure that our students, faculty, and staff have continued access to the most advanced media technology and facilities.