NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Oct. 6, 2009
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov
DR. W. ROGER WEBB TO RECEIVE
GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARD
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and five organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 20th in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol and is open to the public. Presiding at the ceremony will be Council Chair Kym Koch Thompson and Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Suzanne Tate. A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.
Dr. Webb has made Arts Education the centerpiece of both institutions he has served over the last 31 years. Currently the President of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, and former President of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Dr. Webb’s innovative programming and leadership have helped advance the artistic and cultural climate throughout the state.
At UCO, Webb established the Broadway Tonight program, a series that brings dozens of national touring shows to the state. In 2009 he helped bring the Academy of Contemporary Music to UCO, featuring a curriculum focused on the music industry and is the first of its kind in the country. Other advancements in arts education include the UCO Jazz Lab, which houses the top jazz program in this region. In 2001 Webb opened the new academic College of Arts, Media and Design and also created a School of Music at UCO. After hearing sensational pianist Valery Kuleshov perform in Carnegie Hall, Webb created an artist-in-residence program and hired Kuleshov who now teaches master classes at UCO. While at NSU, Webb established the Galaxy of Stars program, which brought dozens of Broadway shows to perform on campus. He designed and opened the River City Players Music Hall, now in its 25th year.
His leadership in local, state and national organizations is extensive including serving on the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, serving as President/Chairman of Oklahoma Academy for State Goals and on the Executive Committee of Leadership Oklahoma. In 1995 he was named to the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.
A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov. For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, please contact Ann Dee Lee at (405) 521-2931 or at anndee@arts.ok.gov.
ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL
The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.
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