Kennesaw State’s Department of Dance announced Thursday, Sept. 20, that it recently received a donation of $336,000 for student scholarships.
Ivan Pulinkala, interim dean of the College of the Arts and previous chair of the Department of Dance, said that this gift will be used to support both the academic and artistic endeavors of the dancers in the program.
Pulinkala said that the funds will be used for student scholarships, as well as annual guest artist residencies that will enhance the educational experience of the students.
“Providing financial support to students through the development of more scholarships is one of the main focuses of President Whitten,” Pulinkala said. “We have to continue to lessen the financial cost and burden of higher education for students to enable them to succeed.”
The scholarship recipients will be selected by the Dance Scholarship Committee that is comprised of dance faculty and staff, and the gift will be awarded annually based on need and excellence, Pulinkala said.
“This gift is going to be impactful for dance majors at KSU, as it will provide substantial support to its recipients for generations to come,” Pulinkala said. “Through this endowment, KSU will be able to attract and retain some of the top dance talent in Georgia.”
According to KSU’s website, the substantial gift, called the Promare-Conner Memorial Endowed Fund for Dance, was given by Jay and Debra Yunek, and it is meant to honor their late uncle Glenn Conner and his partner and dance choreographer Eleo Pomare.
According to KSU’s website, the fund is meant to encourage the study and performance of Promare’s work in the field of dance, preserving his memory.
“The legacy that my uncle, Glenn Conner, would want is that his contribution ensures educational opportunities for KSU dance students who are economically challenged and are interested in advancing the social concerns reflected in the works of his life partner, Eleo Pomare,” Yunek said.
Since its start in 2005, the KSU dance program has collaborated with the region’s premiere art organizations and has grown to become the largest collegiate dance program in Georgia.
Coming up on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13, KSU Dance will present the internationally acclaimed Spellbound Contemporary Ballet from Rome, Italy, in the KSU Dance Theatre on the Marietta Campus.
“We are thrilled that KSU was selected to be the recipient of the Pomare-Conner fund, and we are so thankful for the support of our Department of Dance by the Yunek family,” President Pamela Whitten said during her first donor ceremony since becoming KSU’s president this past summer.