Scholarships

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1981 by an anonymous donor in memorial of their mother, Alice Walton Call. The donor was a long admirer of Mr. Willam Christensen and ballet, and they established this scholarship with the intention of continuing the development of fresh talent and excellence in ballet. In making the gift, the donor sought to honor Alice Walton Call, who dearly loved beautiful things (and what is more beautiful than ballet?).

Professor Emeritus Anne Riordan (1934-2011) taught in the Department of Modern Dance from 1972 until 1997. A transformative teacher in both non-major and major classes, Anne took students on a magical, exhilarating journey of discovery and in doing so, deeply impacted their lives. Her course, Dance: A Creative Process, which she taught for many years, was legendary. Students begged to be able to enroll. Working with students from every walk of life (including from most of the athletic teams), Anne demanded honesty, commitment and rigorous, full participation. Anne’s philosophy was that "Dance is for everyone." She once stated, “I wanted to make a difference in people's lives, and it seems they have made a difference in mine. All I did in life was want to share dance; I wanted to share something that was so dear to me.”

A dance major at the University of Utah at the exciting time when Utah’s modern dance companies were just forming, Anne graduated in 1956 with a B.S. in Modern Dance. As a dancer, she studied with Virginia Tanner, Elizabeth Hayes, Shirley Ririe, Joan Woodbury, Martha Graham, Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, and Anna Halprin, among others.

Anne moved to New York to pursue a career in dance. Unfortunately, her career was cut short when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in her mid-20s. She returned to Salt Lake City where she completed a master’s degree in Special Education. Anne then made a career of taking the joy of dance to diverse populations, pioneering methods and practices for people with both mental and physical disabilities and integrating movement exploration into all aspects of learning.

Anne taught dance at the University of Utah for more than thirty-five years to both dance majors and non-majors. She founded two dance companies, Sunrise Dance Company for physically and mentally challenged adults, and Sunrise Wheels for wheelchair bound dancers. With these two companies, Anne choreographed 48 dances, which her companies performed throughout the US. Her groundbreaking work is the subject of six documentary films and several major publications, and her work in special education became a national model.

Anne is the recipient of numerous awards including the National Dance Association Plaudit Award, a Presidential Scholar Award, the Utah Dance Organization’s Lifetime Contribution to the Art of Dance Award, the Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Utah, the Utah Professor of the Year Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and the prestigious Madeleine Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts and Humanities.

Bené Arnold Endowed Scholarship Fund

This scholarship fund was established in 1992 by Enid B. Cosgriff through the Castle Foundation to benefit Ballet BFA majors. Enid established the fund to honor the work of Gordon Paxman, School of Dance Professor Emeritus. The Castle Foundation was created in June 1953 and has funded many worthy civic organizations through Salt Lake City in their endeavors to help the community. The mission statement of the Castle Foundation includes the promotion of education to persons living in the State of Utah.

This endowment is thanks to the tireless efforts of Enid B. Cosgriff who spearheaded an effort to establish multiple endowed scholarships for Ballet BFA majors at the University of Utah.

This scholarship fund for Modern/Contemporary Dance BFA majors was established in 1989 by Cordelia Marvin Quick and John Quick in memory of their daughter, Cordelia Mary Quick. The Quick’s gift intent is to support students who are interested in pursuing K-12 teaching careers.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1983 by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. The scholarship is intended to support the School in remaining competitive in recruiting and retaining truly exceptional ballet students. Dolores Doré Eccles was greatly admired for her genuine interest in helping others. Known affectionately by her family and friends as "Lolie," she was a spirited individual with a wonderful sense of humor. Born and raised in Texas as a "Southern belle," Lolie became a devoted citizen of Utah after her marriage in 1925 to Logan native George S. Eccles, whom she met while both were students at Columbia University in New York.

While George became a leader in the nation's banking industry as CEO of First Security Corp. (now Wells Fargo), Lolie focused her talents and energies as an active board member and community benefactor, assisting many educational institutions and non-profit organizations. For more than 57 years, the couple worked together "to improve the quality of life for their fellow citizens," a charitable vision their Foundation now carries on in their behalf.

This endowment is thanks to the tireless efforts of Enid B. Cosgriff who spearheaded an effort to establish multiple endowed scholarships for Ballet BFA majors at the University of Utah.

This scholarship fund for graduate students was established in 1985 by Elizabeth R. Hayes. Elizabeth’s teaching career at the University of Utah spanned 48 years, most of these years serving as Director/Chair of the former Department of Modern Dance. She founded and built the department, adding the dance major in 1953. She developed a high school certification program for the state and placed dance teachers across the state for many years.

Elizabeth was one of five pioneers, fondly called the "Vintage Ladies", who collaborated to develop modern dance departments throughout the U.S. She twice served as president of the National Dance Association and was a charter member and President of the National Council of Dance Administrators. Elizabeth was also instrumental in the development of the National Association of Schools of Dance, the national accrediting body for the academic discipline of dance. A tremendous lifetime of work and contributions to the field of dance earned her 23 national, state, and university honors and awards.

The Hayes Christensen Theatre in the Marriott Center for Dance is named after Elizabeth to honor her remarkable contributions to dance at the University of Utah.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1980 by gifts from Enid B. Cosgriff and additional donors. In the early 1950’s, Enid Cosgriff founded the Ballet Society which supported the then new Department of Ballet at the University of Utah. This organization resulted in the establishment of the Utah Civic Ballet, now Ballet West. During this time, Enid brough many artists from around the world to help the fledgling Utah company succeed. Enid was known as the “right-hand” of Willam F. Christensen, founder of the San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West, and former Department of Ballet at the University of Utah.

Enid served on the University of Utah Business School Advisory board as well as serving on the University’s National Advisory Board. She was a major benefactor to Ballet West, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, University Hospital, Utah Shakespearean Festival, and other service and arts organizations. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Utah in 1989.

Enid served as president and general manager of the Salt Lake City Bees baseball team. She was recognized as the first woman in professional baseball to assume the responsibilities of general manager. In 1988, she received one of the highest honors bestowed by the Catholic Church when Pope John Paul II created her a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. She was financially and personally involved in many activities for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake.

Starting in 1979, Enid spearheaded an effort to establish multiple endowed scholarships for Ballet BFA majors at the University of Utah. Many of the endowed scholarships currently at the University of Utah were thanks to Enid’s tireless efforts.

The Eskridge Foundation funded two scholarships established in 1979 and 1982 to benefit Modern Dance BFA majors and Ballet BFA majors, respectively. The Eskridge Foundation donated to many organizations including departments at the University of Utah College of Fine Arts (Department of Art & Art History, Department of Theatre, and the School of Dance) and the College of Architecture.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA students was established in 1979 by the Etta Keith Eskridge Trust Fund and Emerson Sturdevant.

This scholarship fund for Modern/Contemporary BFA students was established in 2024 by the School of Dance administrative staff using unrestricted funds given as a legacy gift by Elizabeth Hayes.

This scholarship fund was established in 1983 to benefit Ballet BFA majors.

The Herbert I. and Elsa B. Michael Foundation funded two scholarships established in 1979 and 1983 by the Herbert I. and Elsa B. Michael Foundation to benefit Ballet BFA majors and Modern Dance BFA majors, respectively. The Foundation aims to support the promotion of education, the advancement of health and scientific achievements, and the prevention of cruelty to children. They are especially interested in giving to programs that encourage secondary and higher education as well as cultural programs.

These endowments are thanks to the tireless efforts of Enid B. Cosgriff who spearheaded an effort to establish multiple endowed scholarships for dance majors at the University of Utah.

More information coming soon

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1982 by John Jr. and Daisy Morgan in memory of John Jr.’s father, John H. Morgan. John Jr. and Daisy donated for many years to fund scholarships for Ballet BFA majors. Their final donation was a plot of land in the Tonaquint development in St. George. The sale of this land significantly increased the corpus of the John H. Morgan Memorial Scholarship fund.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1982 in memory of Joseph M. Lebrizzi. Joseph Lebrizzi, who passed away in 1981, was involved in the Biochemistry Lab in Research Park. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1962 with a degree in chemistry and had interest in that area as well as ballet, music, and the arts. With the settlement of his estate, Joseph’s family established endowed scholarships in both the School of Dance and the School of Music.

This scholarship fund for Modern/Contemporary Dance BFA majors was established on behalf and in memory of Joyce Ellsworth Rapp. Throughout her life, Joyce Ellsworth Rapp was dedicated to the rich and contemporary dance culture that the former Department of Modern Dance inspired at both the University of Utah and in the greater Utah dance community.

Joyce developed a love of dance which she pursued at the University of Utah and continued to enjoy and advocate for throughout her life through membership in and service to: WIGS, Five Fools, Sewing Club, Owl and Fork, numerous Bridge Clubs, The Town Cub, The Alta Club, The Country Club, The Cottonwood Club, The Salt Lake Junior League, Women's Legislative Council, League of Women Voters, Planned Parenthood, Ladies Democratic Club, and serving on the board of the Utah Museum of Modern Art.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1983 by Clarence Justheim through the Justheim Petroleum Company. The donation and fundraising efforts were thanks to Clarence’s business partner, John Morgan Jr. who also established the John H. Morgan Memorial endowed scholarship for Ballet BFA majors.

Loabelle Black Mangelson-Clawson Endowed Scholarship Fund

This scholarship fund was established in 1998 in memory of Lynn W. Topovski to benefit Modern/Contemporary Dance BFA majors. The fund was established by Lynn’s siblings, Stephen P. Topovski and Marquita Topovksi, and his life partner Mark O’Neill. Lynn was a company member with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company from 1973-89 and became the Assistant Artistic Director. Lynn received his dance degree from the University of Utah and went on to become a frequent guest artist / faculty member at the University of Utah. From 1989-90, he served as a senior lecturer at the Hong Kong Academy of the Performing Arts, after which he became a guest artist at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln from 1991-93 and then became Assistant Professor of modern dance at Utah State University from 1993-95.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA students was created in 2025 by the family of Professor Emeritus Maggie Wright Tesch to celebrate her life and legacy.

Maggie Wright Tesch first came to Utah as a scholarship student studying ballet at the University of Utah. She was a Ballet West artist for 18 years, spending 12 of those years as Principal Artist. She joined the faculty of the University of Utah Ballet in 2006 where she taught ballet majors for nearly 20 years.

Maggie was particularly passionate about supporting the next generation of dancers. She was an American Ballet Theater Certified Teacher, Director of the Utah Ballet Summer Intensive (UBSI), pioneered the Ballet West/University of Utah joint trainee program, served as Recruitment Director for ballet, developed ballet pedagogy curriculum, and supported opportunities for dancers to perform in historical works. An enduring champion of student success, she knew firsthand the impact of scholarships for dancers from all backgrounds, particularly those who would not pursue higher education without them.

Maggie's legacy will live on through the dancers she so passionately mentored, taught, and supported.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1983 by Olga V. Alexandria Logan. Olga Logan gave generously to multiple organizations, and her philanthropy focused on furthering the education of young women with a desire to study business, law, medicine, ballet, and theatre. She also gave with an emphasis on orphaned young women seeking higher education, or young women whose parents were not able to provide her with the means to obtain such additional education.

Emeritus Professor Phyllis Haskell Tims has a long history at the University of Utah where she was a faculty member from 1987 until 2005. She was a student (MFA in Modern Dance) and later a faculty member at the U, serving as the Chair of the Department of Modern Dance and as Dean of the College of Fine Arts / Associate Vice President for the Arts before retiring to become a river runner with her husband, Douglas Tims.

Professor Haskell’s performed with Ririe Woodbury Dance Company and her professional dance experience, choreography, and teaching career took her to such diverse locations as Europe, Africa, Canada, Mexico, and Asia as well as all 50 states. In addition to her work at the University of Utah, she served as director of dance at the University of Hawaii and on the faculties of Arizona State University and the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts.

Nationally, Haskell Tims served on the Council of Dance Administrators and on the Board of Directors for the International Council of Fine Arts Deans. In 2004, Haskell Tims was awarded the Alma Hawkins Dance Administration Award by the Council of Dance Administrators and in 2005 received the UU College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumnus Award. Upon retirement from the University of Utah, Haskell Tims was honored with emeritus status.

In her own words:

• “Dance has been/is (and likely will always be) a more perilous career choice than many others. Still, it will always attract a passionate following willing to take the risk. The reward is its total physical, mental and emotional involvement. A dancer lives in the most irresistible and profound sense of life in the moment.”

• (From Life as a Modern Dancer. Artist Profile #134: Phyllis Haskell Tims. Available at: https://life-as-a-modern-dancer.com/2016/05/28/artist-profile-133-phyllis-haskell-tims-tucscon-az-and-idaho/, accessed March 30, 2026.)

About the Phyllis A. Haskell Endowed Scholarship, Haskell Tims wrote:

• Not long after arriving as Chair of Modern Dance in 1987, I was surprised to learn that the department had no scholarship funds for recruitment or support of students, despite having been ranked as one of the most prestigious university dance departments in the nation for decades and having alumni dancing with nearly every professional company. The chairs of the other top dance departments were friends and shared information about their generous scholarship support. It was clear that something had to be done to support dance at the U.

• A colleague in another dance program suggested a fund-raising project that was successful at their university. It would require a lot of extra work, but after discussing the idea with the Advancement Office, I decided to initiate a project of selling U branded blankets for our department. After obtaining all the necessary clearances and copyrights through the university, I funded the initial costs on my own. Once the project was presented, it was enthusiastically endorsed by the department and our faculty, staff, and students all became involved in the work. Thus, what had begun as my effort, became a department wide endeavor. I spent weekends and holidays directing and implementing the fundraising, but the efforts put forth by the entire team were what made the project a success. Together we created a significant endowment that the department decided to name for me; however, I believe the credit belongs to the group that believed in what seemed an impossible dream.

This scholarship fund for Modern/Contemporary Dance BFA and MFA students was established in 1989 by Dr. Sherman A. Wengerd and Florence Mather Wengerd in memory of their son, Tim Wengerd. Tim Wengerd graduated magna cum laude with a degree in dance from the University of Utah in 1969. Tim helped form Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) in 1965 and choreographed 10 works before leaving the company in 1973 to dance with the world-famous Martha Graham Dance Company. In 1982 he left the Graham company to pursue an independent career as an artist, teacher and choreographer before his untimely death in 1989.

This scholarship fund for Ballet BFA majors was established in 1980 by Enid B. Cosgriff in the name of Walter E. Cosgriff. Walter Cosgriff graduated from the University of Utah in 1936 and later returned to teach a course in finance. At the time of his death in 1961, Walter was president of the Continental Bank and Trust Company and principal owner of the Salt Lake Bees baseball team. Walter participated in Catholic philanthropic works throughout the Salt Lake diocese. Walter’s wife, Enid Cosgriff, was an influential figure in the Salt Lake ballet community—helping in the creation of both the former Department of Ballet at the University of Utah and Ballet West.

This endowment is thanks to the tireless efforts of Enid B. Cosgriff who spearheaded an effort to establish multiple endowed scholarships for Ballet BFA majors at the University of Utah.