The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is partnering with The Posse Foundation, a diversity-focused scholarship organization, on a new initiative to recruit, train and support talented — but underrepresented — students in the arts.
The initiative, called Posse Arts, was conceived in collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the brain behind Hamilton and In the Heights, and was established with support of the Miranda Family Fund.
Sakinah Bennett, a Posse scholarship recipientThrough the partnership, Posse Arts will use its “signature assessment process” and UNCSA will use its “rigorous conservatory admissions criteria” to recruit undergraduate prospects in Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Memphis, Newark, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Selected students will receive full-ride scholarships and will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and retreats with their peers, faculty mentors and Posse trainers.
UNCSA plans to admit 10 students through Posse Arts for Fall 2022, with the hope that each UNCSA conservatory — Dance, Design and Production, Drama, Filmmaking, and Music — will have at least one Posse recruit.
“As a community of artists, UNCSA will reap the rewards of partnering with Posse Arts to create a more diverse student body,” said Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dr. Patrick J. Sims, who is providing leadership for the initiative. “We are storytellers, and we are committed to telling stories that inspire justice. We need to hear the voices of populations that have not been heard. That is vital to the mission of UNCSA and it is vital to all of our students who will lead in creative industries for generations to come.”
