Congratulations to dance majors Gavin Besteman and Joan Swartwood on receiving prestigious awards for their outstanding academic excellence from the College of Arts and Sciences as well the UW Department of Dance for the 2024-2025 school year!
George & Barbara Akers Scholarship
Recipient: Gavin Besteman
The purpose of the George & Barbara Akers Scholarship fund is to provide financial assistance to deserving undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences and students in the School of Law. Both Mr. and Mrs. Akers attended the UW. George Akers received a BA in Business Administration in 1962 and a law degree in 1965. Barbara Akers received her BA in Education in 1965. During Mr. Akers’ law school career, he received several scholarships and was particularly impressed by one donated by a law school alumnus. The letter which accompanied that award requested the recipient to replenish the scholarship funds if he or she was able to do so at some future time.
Evelyn H. Green Endowed Scholarship
Recipient: Gavin Besteman
Evelyn Green joined the University of Washington faculty in 1967 and taught all levels of ballet. She became head of the Division of Dance in 1976, and in the same year won a Distinguished Teaching Award. Professor Green retired in 1981 and passed away in 1993. Among her most famous students are Mark Morris, artistic director of the Mark Morris Dance Company; Harry Groener, an actor who won a Tony award for his performance on Broadway in Cuts; Stanley Perryman, who was a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey and the Dance Theater of Harlem; and Chad Henry, Seattle composer known for his 1980s hit Angry Housewives.
This endowment is funded by Professor Green’s estate as well as memorial gifts from friends and colleagues.
Mary Katherine Mackenzie and Mary Ann Whitmore Endowed Scholarship
Recipient: Joan Swartwood
The Mary Katherine Mackenzie and Mary Ann Whitmore Endowed Scholarships are given to two undergraduate students from each of the four divisions (Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences), for a total of eight awardees per academic year. This award is for excellence in a field of study, and can be used for tuition, fees, books, and/or other educational needs.
UW Department of Dance Scholarship Fund
Recipient: Joan Swartwood
The UW Department of Dance Scholarship Fund is made possible through direct donations from alumni, family, friends, and other supporters of undergraduate dance majors at the University of Washington. Each year the faculty in the UW Department of Dance identify top students who have distinguished themselves by embodying the Department’s mission of promoting and elevating the value of play, creativity, critical thinking, and embodied knowledge for our students and global communities.