STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS

This award promotes student attendance and participation at the USITT National Conference and Stage Expo. The number and the amount of the awards may vary depending on yearly available funds. This year - 2025 - there will be four awards of $500 to defray the costs of attending. 

Award recipients also receive a one-year student membership to the Ohio Valley Section. (Please note that this is an OVS Section membership only.  National membership will still need to be enrolled or maintained on an individual basis). Applicants who are already members will have their student membership extended for one year. The awards are paid with the intention that the student will use the conference as an educational opportunity to further career goals. 

Additionally, Future Light Inc. offers the option for some recipients to accept an internship*  for the duration of the conference which includes a full-conference pass. (*Internship duties and responsibilities will extend from load-in of the Expo to Load-out and include some daily time on the Expo floor.  Specifics will be discussed prior to acceptance of this optional internship). If an award recipient declines the internship, the internship will be offered to the next student in the ranking.  

Students wishing to apply for the USITT - Ohio Valley Section (OVS) award:

• Must be a registered undergraduate or graduate student  in an institution whose members are active in USITT-Ohio Valley Section.  

• Must be in good standing (G.P.A. 3.0 or better)

• Must have a  faculty sponsor who is a current member of USITT National and the Ohio Valley Section.

• Students granted the award and/or internship agree to act as social media correspondents of OVS for the duration of the conference. The content created will be shared with the membership of both the section and national. The content will highlight specific presentations or activities during the conference, and the student benefits of the activity. Social media assignments will be specified and coordinated by the VC of Communications. 

• Award and internship recipients must attend the OVS meeting during the conference.  

• Award recipients will need to fill out a W9 form for the section treasurer before funds can be disbursed. If they submit receipts to the section treasurer, no subsequent tax declarations need to be made. Otherwise, disbursements, for which there are no receipts, in excess of federal limits are subject to taxes. The receipts are due no later than two weeks after the close of the conference.

Applications will be accepted beginning October 14, 2024 through the deadline of Friday December 13, 2024.

To apply, complete the application form, including file uploads of required materials using PDFs labeled as (YOURNAME_FILE.pdf)):

• APPLICATION FORM

• Cover letter describing your career goals and what you hope to gain through your participation in the conference

• Current resumé 

• Unofficial academic transcript - demonstrating GPA >3.0

• Three work samples with brief descriptions (NB:  NOT your entire portfolio)

  • Work samples must be assembled into a single PDF (media files excepted) .

  • Samples may be an assortment of artwork, documentation, and photos from either class and/or realized work.  

  • Representative prompt book pages or organizational documents (i.e. rehearsal reports, performance reports, fitting schedules, tracking sheets for properties, production schedules) may be included as a work sample. (Be selective, focus on the samples that best demonstrate your effort and ability, not an entire show's paperwork).

  • Sound/Video examples of work may be submitted as web links.  

    • It is HIGHLY recommended that you check the links to work in multiple browsers to ensure compatibility.

  • All work MUST include descriptions. Please limit descriptions to a few paragraphs describing the scope of the work, your practice, and your results.

• Faculty sponsor* letter of recommendation (e-mailed separately and directly by sponsor to Awards Committee Chair).

  • *Sponsor must be a member of USITT and of the Ohio Valley Section

Applications will be reviewed by a panel appointed by the chair of the award committee from the OVS membership at large.  Panel members will be from diverse backgrounds and organizations; no faculty sponsor may review their own student.  The review committee will select recipients no later than Friday, January 12th. Notification will be sent immediately. 

Please direct applications, sponsor letters and questions to:

Scholarship Committee Chair
Ken Clothier M.F.A.
clothier@setonhill.edu

Seton Hill University
Department of Theatre and Dance
1 Seton Hill Dr.
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-552-2942