Release Date: March 26, 2008
New dance major approved for Kennesaw State
Writer: Aixa M. Pascual, 678−797−2549 or apascual@kennesaw.edu
Contact: Cheryl Anderson Brown, Assistant Director of Public Relations, 770-499-
3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu;
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Kennesaw State alumna of the dance minor program, Lauren Tatum. Photo by Jaime Bullins |
KENNESAW, Ga.—Kennesaw State will enhance its undergraduate offerings by offering a Bachelor of Arts with a major in dance‚ becoming one of a handful of schools in the University System of Georgia to offer the program. The dance major was approved at a recent meeting of Georgia's Board of Regents. The new major strengthens the College of the Arts’ offerings‚ which now include theatre and performance studies‚ music and visual arts.
The dance major evolved from a minor that proved popular when introduced almost three years ago. The dance program now has 143 dance minors‚ five adjunct faculty‚ a 30−member strong pre−professional dance company and an array of dance course offerings that include technique classes in modern‚ ballet‚ jazz‚ tap‚ African and ballroom dance‚ said Ivan Pulinkala‚ director of dance in the College of the Arts.
The new dance major helps fill the void for college dance programs in the state. Many students studying dance in high school or in dance studios end up leaving Georgia to pursue an undergraduate degree in dance at other universities‚ due to the state’s lack of programs‚ Pulinkala explained.
“The dance program at Kennesaw State University has grown very quickly‚ not just in numbers but in national recognition‚” said Joseph D. Meeks‚ dean of the College of the Arts. “After the dance minor was launched in 2005‚ it soon became clear that our students and our community were hungry for a collegiate−level dance program. By creating a major in dance‚ we are adding another vibrant and significant discipline to our stellar arts programs.”
The KSU Dance Company recently won the regional American College Dance Festival‚ triumphing over 33 other dance programs in the southeast region. It has been invited to perform at the National College Dance Festival in New York City in June 2008.
KSU currently offers 45 undergraduate majors. The College of the Arts will start accepting applications for the new dance major next fall.
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Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population exceeding 20,000 from 132 countries. The third largest state university out of 35 institutions in the University System of Georgia, KSU offers more than 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts programs.