WINSTON-SALEM – The Board of Trustees of the North Carolina School of the Arts has voted unanimously to recommend changing the name of the 43-year-old school to the “University of North Carolina School of the Arts.”

"I believe it's a good idea," said NCSA Chancellor John Mauceri. "This is a great time for our school to move forward and be recognized for what it is: the professional school of the arts for the state of North Carolina and the UNC system."

The resolution will next be considered by the UNC Board of Governors at its May 9 meeting. If approved there, the name change would then be submitted to the N.C. General Assembly for a vote.

In the resolution (TEXT OF RESOLUTION FOLLOWS) adopted on Wednesday, the trustees said that the name change would in no way affect the mission of the School, which is to train talented artists for professional careers in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music.

Ralph H. Womble, a member of the NCSA Board of Trustees and recently retired vice president of Leggett & Platt, Inc., and CEO of Hanes Companies, Inc., in Winston-Salem, said, “I wholeheartedly support the name change as a more accurate reflection of the institution as a whole and am confident that it will only better the school’s efforts in fund-raising and student recruitment by highlighting its membership in the UNC system.”

Eleven of the dozen voting trustees voted for the name change. Though he was unable to be present for the vote, student body president Alan Tyson sent his support for the change by email. “I believe NCSA students want their school to be as well known by the general public as it is in the industry, and this is the first step toward that,” he said.

Reasons for the name change included: NCSA is often confused with an arts magnet school or is seen as high school only, and is not commonly thought of as being part of the UNC system.

All seven of the non-voting honorary trustees who participated in the meeting, including NCSA founder Mary D.B.T. Semans of Durham, also expressed their support for the change.

The North Carolina School of the Arts, located in Winston-Salem (“The City of the Arts”), was the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, NCSA opened in Winston-Salem in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from middle school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. The North Carolina School of the Arts is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. The chancellor, deans, and faculty work with students in a residential setting to create an educational community that is intimate, demanding, and performance-centered. Learning is enriched by access to an academic program responsive to a conservatory curriculum. Founded to be both an educational institution and a resource enhancing the cultural life of the state of North Carolina and the Southeast, NCSA offers numerous public performances, on- and off-campus, as well as community education in the arts.

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RESOLUTION

 WHERAS, the North Carolina School of the Arts (the “School”) was established by the General Assembly of North Carolina in 1963 as the first public conservatory for the performing arts in the United States; and

 WHERAS, the School has established itself as a premier professional school specializing in the training of performing and visual artists; and

 WHERAS, the School became a constituent campus of the consolidated University of North Carolina System (the “UNC System”) in 1972; and

 WHERAS, the Board of Trustees of the School has determined that it is appropriate to consider modifying the School’s name to reflect the School’s longstanding and significant ties to the UNC System;

 Now, therefore be it resolved: 

 1)      The Board of Trustees recommends to the Board of Governors of the UNC System that the name of the School be modified and shall become the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; and

 2)      Such action does not affect the original mission of the School or the vision of the School’s founders including the admission of students based on auditions, interviews and artistic portfolios and the appointment of faculty on the basis of their professional experience; and  

 3)      That the addition of the term “University” is intended solely to better define the School as a constituent campus of the UNC System and shall not affect its unique educational mission or culture or in any way imply a lack of respect or support for its high school component; and

 4)      The Board of Trustees strongly affirms its commitment to maintain the School’s unique culture and mission within the UNC System and the School shall continue as the professional training institution for performing and visual artists in the UNC System.

This resolution is approved as of this 9^th day of April, 2008.

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Michael Pulitzer, Jr., Chairman