KSU hosts Benefit Gala and announces plans for new performance facility
The School of the Arts at Kennesaw State University hosted its third annual benefit gala in the…
Georgia (Mar 22, 2004) — KSU hosts Benefit Gala and announces plans for new performance facility
Cheryl Brown
Abstract
Contact: Cheryl Anderson Brown‚ 770−499−3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
The School of the Arts at Kennesaw State University hosted its third annual benefit
gala in the Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theatre on Saturday‚ March 20. A sold−out
crowd of 420 attended.
The evening‚ billed as‚ “A Black and White Masked Ball‚” will benefit scholarships
and student−learning initiatives in the School of the Arts. The event opened with
a silent auction‚ organized by the Atlanta Women’s Commerce Club. More than 150 items‚
ranging from jewelry and fine art to holidays in Nantucket and Scotland‚ were included
in the auction. The evening also included dinner catered by Tony Conway of A Legendary
Event and dance music by the KSU Jazz Ensemble.
For nearly a year‚ Joseph Meeks‚ dean of the School of the Arts‚ and a team of community
volunteers have been planning the event. “The School of the Arts’ ball has become
an important event on the social calendar‚” says Cheryl Moultrie‚ who chaired the
2004 benefit gala with her husband‚ Robert. “As more and more people discover how
talented the students and faculty are at Kennesaw State‚ they want to become more
involved.”
That growing recognition and excitement helped this year’s committee garner a dramatic
increase in the gala’s fundraising success. Pre−event estimates anticipate that the
2004 Benefit Gala will raise $250‚000‚ a figure equal to the combined totals from
the last two years.
At the gala‚ KSU President Dr. Betty L. Siegel and Meeks announced plans to construct
a new multi−purpose‚ on−campus facility to house‚ among other things‚ a music rehearsal
hall and a 750−seat performance hall. The university will fund the $6.5 million project
with a combination of public and private funds.
"We are currently in the process of identifying a major sponsor to name the building‚"
Meeks says. "But many foundations‚ individuals and companies already have contributed
to the project."
The new building is intended to meet the academic needs of Kennesaw State's growing
department of music and the School of the Arts. According to Meeks‚ this facility
is being designed with long−term academic interests in mind‚ and would not affect
the university's affiliation with the proposed arts complex at the Cobb Galleria.
"Because the primary purpose of this new facility is to provide necessary facilities
for daily use by our music program‚ it will have no impact on any of the collaborative
projects being discussed by the university and the Galleria‚" Dean Meeks says.
The music department‚ which is nationally accredited by the National Association of
Schools of Music‚ is home to more than 160 undergraduate music and music education
majors‚ and also serves more than 1‚500 non−majors through the general education and
music ensemble programs.
The architects for the project are Stevenson & Wilkinson Stang & Newdow‚ who also
designed Kennesaw State's Ann & John Clendenin Computer Science Building and the recently
opened Anne Frank in the World exhibit at the university. Acoustic design for the
building is being provided by Acoustic Dimensions‚ a company renowned for its work
on Ryman Auditorium in Nashville‚ the Peabody Conservatory in Maryland and the Royal
Shakespeare Theatre in Shakespeare's hometown‚ Stratford−upon−Avon in England.
Construction is slated to begin this summer.
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Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing
student population exceeding 17‚400 from 127 countries. The third largest state university
out of 34 institutions in the University System of Georgia‚ KSU offers more than 55
undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
