Weber State University Announces $3 Million Gift from Sorenson Legacy Foundation for Elementary Arts Education

• Gift Will Establish Endowed Chair and Perpetuate Arts Education in Music, Dance, Drama, and Visual Art
• Experienced Arts Educator Tamara Goldbogen Chosen as University's Endowed Chair
• Goldbogen to Partner with USOE and other University Chairs to Develop Arts-Integrated Curriculum, Prepare Arts and Elementary Education Majors for Arts-Based Classroom Instruction

OGDEN, Utah, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Weber State University (www.weber.edu) today announced that the Sorenson Legacy Foundation has given a $3 million donation to the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities at the university to create an endowed arts program to perpetuate arts-integrated learning, as well as an endowed chair to oversee the program. As part of the endowment, the university has selected Tamara Goldbogen to serve as the school's Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Chair for Arts Learning.

Funds from the grant will be used for the research and development of best practices for arts-integration to support the state-funded Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Program), and for improving the teaching skills of art educators in Utah. As endowed chair, Goldbogen will support implementation of the BTS Program by bringing together faculty and students from the Lindquist College and the Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education to offer professional development opportunities and to work with superintendents, principals, and teachers at elementary schools in the five districts served by WSU: Ogden, Weber, Davis, Morgan, and Box Elder.

"We have been deeply committed to the support and growth of high-quality arts education programs throughout the state of Utah, and Weber State University is no exception," said Ann Crocker, president of the Sorenson Legacy Foundation. "The endowed chair and arts program at Weber State University will stand as a fitting tribute to my mother's vision and lasting legacy of maintaining arts education to benefit elementary students, teachers and the surrounding community." 

In her new position, Goldbogen will also partner with the Utah State Office of Education and other university chairs to perpetuate arts-integrated learning across the state, especially in teaching university students how to incorporate music, dance, drama and visual arts into the core curriculum.

"The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Chair for Arts Learning is an excellent addition to the university, as it will develop and encourage important arts integration practices among aspiring arts educators, benefitting the children they teach for years to come," said Madonne Miner, dean of the Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities at Weber State University. "We are deeply grateful to the Sorenson Legacy Foundation for the gift to create this endowed chair, and we are excited to have someone as capable and accomplished as Tamara on board."

Goldbogen brings 15 years of artistic and educational leadership experience to the position, including teaching arts integration at the college-level, educational programming at the Tony Award-winning Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis; founding a nonprofit for young writers; six seasons with Spoleto Festival USA; and directing a community engagement program at the University of Pittsburgh. Goldbogen has also presented workshops and papers in Korea, Australia, and Sweden as part of the International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network and the International Association of Theater for Children and Young People's (ASSITEJ). In addition, she leads a study abroad program that follows the ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival around the world. Goldbogen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theater at the College of Charleston, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from the University of Texas at Austin.

"Weber State University has acclaimed university and community outreach programs in the visual, performing and literary arts, as well as advanced arts education facilities," Goldbogen said. "As such, the university is well-positioned to prepare teachers and serve the children of Northern Utah through music, dance, dramatic and visual arts, and I'm thrilled to be involved in this wonderful program."

About Weber State University

Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, offers more than 225 undergraduate and graduate degrees. It's an open-enrollment university that features small class sizes and personalized attention. The 25,000+ students at the university can earn professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. The university is also recognized for its extraordinary service to the community. Learn more at weber.edu.

About the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities

The Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities teaches students to excel as they seek, understand, question and express complexities critical to the experience of being human. The Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities offers five degree programs in the following areas: Communication, English, Foreign Language, Performing Arts and Visual Arts. Master's degrees also are offered in Communication and English. The college serves nearly 2,000 undergraduate majors and 200 graduate students. The Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities is the Western region's foremost institution for student-centered teaching and research that investigates the human experience and aims to educate global citizens who are responsible, creative and critical artists, performers and communicators. For more information please visit (www.weber.edu/cah) or online at (www.facebook.com/WSUartsandhumanities).

Press Contacts
Jacob Moon
Sorenson Legacy Foundation Public Relations
801.461.9797
[email protected]

Christie Denniston, APR
Director of Marketing & PR
Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities
Weber State University
Office: 801-626-6431
Mobile: 303-827-5164
[email protected]
Website: (www.weber.edu/cah)

SOURCE Weber State University, Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities