From Deseret News archives:
USU gets $3 million to back arts education
The gift funds the Interdisciplinary Arts and Education program, which provides for an endowed chair in elementary arts education as well as research and development programs to help integrate music, dance, theater and visual arts with core subjects for elementary school teachers' training at USU.
"We believe this university can become a national leader in developing research-based teaching methods that deliver high-quality arts education to elementary school children," said James Lee Sorenson, a trustee for the Sorenson Legacy Foundation.
Sorenson's mother, Beverley, has worked for the past 13 years to make the arts a fundamental part of every Utah child's elementary school curriculum, while budget constraints often threaten to cut arts programs completely from schools. The endowed chair will be named for her, to honor her efforts.
Art Works for Kids of Utah, a program developed by Beverley Taylor Sorenson, has been implemented at schools throughout the state and has demonstrated that "teaching the arts in elementary schools fosters a child's social and emotional growth and measurably aids their comprehension of mathematics, science, reading and writing, according to the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, which backs the program.
"With this gift from the Sorenson Foundation, the university is wellpositioned to advance arts education in Utah, and the children of our state will benefit for generations to come," USU President Stan L. Albrecht said, adding that the arts are at the core of the human experience.
Half of the donation will fund the endowed chair position for a qualified teaching artist, which will be shared by the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. The other $1.5 million will fund research to develop best practices for art integration.
In June, the Sorenson Legacy Foundation provided $4.5 million to Brigham Young University for similar programs and in August, a $12 million gift was made to the University of Utah for the same purpose. The foundation focuses on promoting charitable, religious, educational, literary and scientific endeavors, including encouraging incorporation of the arts in core curricula at Utah schools.
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com
