Paul Bauer
NIU’s School of Music is celebrating continued funding from two external sources: the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts and the local George and Betty Dutton Foundation.
Despite a 50 percent reduction in funding resources and a cutback in the number of institutions receiving support, the Liberace Foundation will provide funding for a ninth consecutive year to support Liberace Scholars at NIU.
The funding of $4,000 likely will support two graduate students; administrators hope to continue the Liberace Jazztet. The group’s third CD, titled “Equity,” will be available by the end of the semester.
“The president of the Liberace Foundation contacted us to explain that based on NIU’s long-standing relationship with the foundation, and the fact that NIU is one of only two institutions receiving support for jazz studies, the foundation wanted to continue to provide some support to NIU,” Paul Bauer, director of the School of Music, wrote in an e-mail. “Since the foundation previously notified us that the economic downturn would eliminate funding, we are thankful for any support.”
The funds will go directly to students to fund junior/senior/graduate student scholarships or GA appointments.
Including the 2009-10 support, NIU will have received $98,000 in support from the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts. Successful renewal of funding is due in part to the detailed work of staff member Lynn Slater, who completes and submits several required reports and packets of information throughout the year to the funding foundation.
Since 1976, the Liberace Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in scholarship grants to more than 2,200 students at more than 110 colleges and universities.
Meanwhile, in response to an invited application, the George and Betty Dutton Foundation will again fund a 10-hour graduate assistantship ($5,000) for 2009-10.
It represents 11 consecutive years for Dutton Foundation funding for the NIU School of Music, totaling $65,754.
“The School of Music is thankful that the Dutton Foundation is able to continue providing support in this challenging fiscal environment,” Bauer wrote in a separate e-mail.
The graduate assistant will serve five hours per week as a music intern in the Sycamore Public Schools and five hours per week in supportive work in the NIU School of Music.