The pillars of Hamilton Hall decorated with pink and purple and green and yellow and blue banners

Generations - April 2024

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Welcome from Parent and Family Council

Dear UArts Families,

Spring has sprung—and it’s an exciting time to be a part of the amazing UArts community! Check out the latest schedule of events open to alumni, families, and friends. There are a variety of ways for families to stay connected. Sign up for Happening@UArts, a newsletter that will keep you up to date on performances, exhibitions, and showcases. Revisit the Parents and  Families homepage to access information and resources that ensure that your student’s time here remains smooth and supportive.

In this edition of Generations, you can learn more about this month’s Student Leadership Awards ceremony and inauguration of the Student Union. Congratulations to all the nominees and a special thank you to everyone who is supporting the event!

Additionally, the Class of 2024 Commencement ceremony is right around the corner on May 16! Learn more about the venue, the ceremony, tickets, and much more. The event will also be live streamed on YouTube. 

All residence halls will close Saturday, May 11, at 1 p.m. View an overview of the 2024 residence hall move-out process. If a resident is participating in Commencement, they will be granted an extension until Friday, May 17, at 3 p.m. Residents participating in Commencement will receive additional move-out instructions in late April.

We thank you for your support this year! In collaboration with the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, the Parent and Family Council wants to hear from you! We’ve created a survey to help guide the future of this newsletter, Generations. Keep an eye out for the invitation to participate. Your input will help us plan content for the upcoming school year ad prioritize topics important to you.

Thank you again for all you do to support UArts’ mission of advancing human creativity!

Sincerely,

Parent and Family Council

 

 

UArts Unleashed Recap

This year’s UArts Unleashed gala was a spectacular evening of student exhibitions and performances, all benefiting scholarship funds. The event raised over $548,473; welcomed UArts’ 15th president and the first woman to lead the university, Dr. Kerry Walk; and honored four incredible women dedicated to the arts in the region—Romona Riscoe Benson, Priscilla M. Luce, Rebecca Segall, and Kate Flannery BFA ’87 (Acting) from NBC’s The Office. The visual and performing arts were both represented via inspiring exhibitions by students in the schools of Art, Film, and Design and phenomenal performances by students in Dance, Music, and Theater.

 

learn more

 

146th Commencement Ceremony

The Class of 2024 Commencement event will be celebrated Thursday, May 16, at 10 a.m. in the Academy of Music, located at 240 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102. 

The event will also be livestreamed, available to anyone on any device that has access to Wi-Fi, and will include the Commencement traditions that make UArts’ graduation unique: Awards will be bestowed on students and faculty; student performances will take place; a valedictory address will be given by a graduating student speaker; exceptional alumni will be honored; and we will confer honorary degrees to illustrious guests who will address our graduates.

 

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Student Leadership Awards

Our annual Student Leadership Awards are scheduled for April 16. We had over 60 students nominated for 12 awards (and some students were nominated for multiple awards!). They were nominated for these awards by faculty, staff, and peers. At the Student Leadership Awards ceremony, we will honor all nominees and announce the winners of each award. It will also include student performances, and we’ll inaugurate our new Student Union! All student nominees have been notified of their nomination via email.

Students were nominated in the following categories.

  • The Collaborator of the Year is presented to a student who exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and has made significant contributions to cross-disciplinary work this year.
  • The Excellence in Peer Mentorship Award recognizes a student who has consistently helped encourage and support students in their leadership development or who has supported students as they have begun their journeys at UArts. 
  • The Excellence in Service and Leadership in Performing Arts: This award goes to a student in a performing arts program that is consistently an exemplary leader and artist in their program. 
  • The Excellence in Service and Leadership in Visual Arts: This award goes to a student in a visual arts program that is an exemplary leader and artist in their program. 
  • The Inclusive Excellence Award is presented to a student who has helped advocate for a more inclusive campus environment and world. The recipient for this award strives to bring matters of equity and social justice to light in their work, both inside and outside UArts.
  • The New Student Leader of the Year Award is presented to a first- or second-year student who shows great potential for leadership. This potential may be evident through volunteering to take on a leadership role and/or demonstrating great initiative in a club or organization.
  • The New Student Organization of the Year Award honors an organization that has registered within the past two academic years. The recipient has taken the initiative to harness student interest and provide new programming opportunities to the UArts community.
  • The Orientation Team Member of the Year is presented to a first-year guide or an orientation coordinator who went above and beyond the expectations of their role and demonstrated exceptional care in all their efforts to welcome and orient new students to the UArts community.
  • The Organization of the Year Award is presented to the club or organization that strives to better the university and provide their peers with opportunities for both education and involvement, and whose members exhibit dedication and commitment to the goals of the group.
  • The Residential Assistant of the Year is presented to a resident assistant who went above and beyond the expectations of their role and demonstrated a high degree of care and dedication in all their efforts to support students living on campus.
  • The Student Employee of the Year is presented to a student employee who exceeds job expectations, goes above and beyond in the day-to-day operations of their department, and is deserving of the Student Employee of the Year recognition based on their performance on the job. 
  • The Student Leader of the Year Award is presented to a student who demonstrates excellence in leadership, makes a positive impact on the university and is truly an inspiration to their peers. The recipient of this award shows vision, initiative and passion for their involvement, in- and outside the classroom.

 

Move-Out Information for Residents


To help you and your student prepare for finishing the semester and moving out of their residence hall, review this webpage for details about the move-out process. 

An overview of the move out process: Moving carts will be available to use to assist with the move-out process, and there will be large dumpsters available at select campus locations to dispose of any extra waste. Parking will be available at Juniper, Spruce and Furness halls from May 5 to 11 for the ease of loading your vehicle with your student’s items. If you and your student do not wish to keep any furniture you brought (such as a table or lamp.), those items may not be disposed of in the dumpsters. Instead, make arrangements to remove them from campus and donate, sell or dispose of them off campus. 

When do the residence halls close? Residence halls close on Saturday, May 11, at 1 p.m. All residents who are not graduating or participating in the graduation ceremony must vacate their residences by that date and time. All student items must be removed from the apartment, and they must clean the space and return their room and mail keys. Students who are participating in Commencement on Thursday, May 16, will be granted an extension to housing and may vacate their residence hall on Friday, May 17, by 3 p.m. Resident assistants will host floor meetings to go over all the important details about moving out of residence halls during the first week of May. 

For more information about closing, your student may reach out to their resident assistant or email reslife@uarts.edu.

learn more

 

 

UArtsCalendar & Happening@UArts


Check out the amazing schedule of events we have coming up on campus: uarts.edu/calendar. 

Sign up for our biweekly newsletter, Happening@UArts, to keep up with UArts’ schedule of performances, exhibitions, and showcases.