New endowment creates journalism scholarships\nThe Seattle-based Howard Charitable Foundation recently contributed a $500,000 grant to the IU School of Journalism. The endowment will grant scholarships to IU freshmen "who plan to pursue a degree in journalism." The scholarship honors the career of J.M. Druck, former owner of The Pharos-Tribune and The Logansport Press in Logansport, Ind. \nDruck never attended IU, but he has been a guest lecturer and has made several presentations over the years. The accomplishments of IU alumni in the Logansport newsroom is what drove Druck to give the grant to the University, according to the IU news information Web site.\n"I wanted to give the grant to IU because the newspaper has a history of hiring well-trained graduates from IU," Druck said. He designated the Howard Foundation's grant for journalism scholarships, which he hopes will enhance the training of future journalists. "The school is fortunate that the creative business acumen of Robert S. Howard has made all of this possible," Druck added.
IU endowment returns soar above national average\nCompared with a national average of 14.7 percent, the IU endowment's returns average 20.9 percent, according to the Commonfund Benchmarks Study, conducted by the Commonfund Institute.\nThe study, which examined 707 public and private colleges and universities, found that only 42 percent of institutions had increased numbers of gifts during the 2003-2004 year. IU gift amounts increased from $108.1 million to $121.4 million.\n"The bottom line," said Curt Simic, president of the IU Foundation, "is that donors can have confidence that their gifts for IU are being invested wisely by the foundation and its board of directors."
Dance company to hold auditions for African dance styles\nThe African American Dance Company exhibits the spirit of dance styles of the African Diaspora. The Dance Company is holding its audition at 7 p.m. today at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, Room A217.The ensemble's choreography is based on a fusion of modern, jazz, African American, Latin American and African diaspora dance styles.
Composer returns to IU campus, first time since 1996\nWilliam Bolcom, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, returns to the IU Opera Theatre in February for the first collegiate production of "A View from the Bridge," which is an opera adapted from the Arthur Miller tragedy. This is not the first time IU's School of Music will have the honor of being the first to produce one of Bolcom's works. In 1996, the composer's "McTeague" was another first for the University. \n"A View from the Bridge" will feature original sets designed by Robert O'Hearn, professor emeritus of music and scenic design, because of Bolcom's return to the IU Opera Theater. O'Hearn is familiar with the work because he assisted Boris Aronson, a Tony Award-winning designer, on the original one-act play.
