Rollins Receives $3 Million Grant for New Theater and Dance Facility

Rollins has recently received a $3 million grant from the Florida Charities Foundation toward the College’s new theater and dance complex, which will become the state-of-the-art home for student-run performance at Rollins.

The foundation issued the grant to show support for Rollins’ stewardship of its educational program throughout the current pandemic and its confidence in the College’s liberal arts mission and future.

“Much of America’s young lost a year of intellectual growth due to shuttered in-person classes this year,” says Philip Tiedtke, who serves on the Rollins Board of Trustees and as a trustee of the Florida Charities Foundation. “Select institutions like Rollins College that found a way to give students what they needed should be recognized and rewarded.”

Tiedtke cited Rollins’ ability to adapt to unprecedented challenges while remaining true to its core educational purpose and values by reconfiguring indoor classes, creating outdoor classroom spaces, and, in some cases, utilizing a hybrid approach of virtual and in-person learning. Following guidelines that include social distancing, mandatory mask wearing, and assigned seating, students have been able to continue their studies uninterrupted.

“We are so grateful to the Florida Charities Foundation and to Philip’s visionary leadership,” says Cornwell. “The theater project is critical to the educational excellence and rigor of one of our top-ranked academic programs. Generations of students will benefit from this investment. It is gratifying to be able to move boldly forward with our mission even in the context of the challenges presented by the pandemic.”

Theatre at Rollins

From directing and technical theater to dramaturgy and performance, Rollins’ theater program offers individualized theatrical training in a dynamic liberal arts environment.
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