CGU receives $150,000 from The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation to fund scholarships for Arts Management students
Claremont Graduate University (CGU) has received a $150,000 grant from The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation to fund scholarships for students in the Arts Management Program.
The grant will support a full-tuition scholarship for one student and partial scholarships for 5 to 10 others over the next two academic years. The program is launching a national search to find the Parsons Fellow, who will receive the full-tuition scholarship beginning in January 2015.
“As Southern California arts and cultural organizations continue to grow and proliferate, the need for highly-skilled and well-trained leaders in arts and cultural management is becoming more pressing,” said Laura Zucker, director of CGU’s Arts Management program and executive director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. “This support from The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation is advancing our students to higher levels of achievement and preparing them to become the next generation of arts leaders.”
CGU’s Arts Management program addresses a growing demand for professionally trained managers in arts and cultural organizations.
A partnership of CGU’s School of Arts and Humanities and the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, the program blends the curricula of both: study in the arts and humanities with contemporary management skills. The course of study allows graduates to get a leg up in a changing non-profit world that demands backgrounds in both business and the arts.
The ideal candidate for the Parsons Fellowship will have had five to seven years of work experience in any capacity in a nonprofit arts organization, local arts agency, service organization or the philanthropic sector, or has played a role in advancing the field through advocacy, policy or research.
Candidates can have a background in any discipline, including the visual arts, theatre, music, dance, or arts education. Partial fellowships are also available for outstanding candidates.
This is the third gift from The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation to CGU’s Arts Management program. The foundation generously supported the program with two-year, $100,000 grants for fellowships in 2009 and 2011.
Previous recipients have gone on to take jobs with organizations such as Center Theatre Group, LA Opera, LACMA, the Japanese American Museum, the Long Beach Arts Council and the Diavolo dance company.
Students interested in the program can learn more about how to apply for fellowship assistance at www.cgu.edu/am.