Admissions / Scholarships

scholarships available to students in the department of visual arts

sophomore review policy

The studio art, art education, and art history majors are designed to challenge you, and to begin relating your Christian belief to your areas of study. You will study the best art of the past and the present in both art history and studio art courses. You will learn to make connections between what you are studying in your major and in your liberal arts courses and you will develop the ideas and the skills necessary for mature work as an artist, educator, or historian. In studio art there are eight areas to concentrate in: ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and textiles. In the senior year of the studio major, you will produce and exhibit a body of work in your area(s) of concentration and prepare a portfolio and resum? for further study or entry level career positions.

scholarships available to students the visual arts

DANIEL VOLLMER SCHOLARSHIP
The Daniel Vollmer Scholarship is for outstanding students in the visual arts. This scholarship is awarded to new incoming first year students. The scholarships recognize students who have shown talent and promise in the visual arts during their high school years. The 60% annual tuition scholarships are awarded on the basis of artistic and/or scholastic achievement in the visual arts and a student’s written statement. One-half of the annual scholarship amount is applied to each semester of the year of award. Vollmer scholarships are renewable for each of the three years after the initial year of award as long as the recipient exhibits satisfactory progress in their area of study. A portfolio review or review of your research in art history may be done at the end of each year to determine satisfactory progress. You must remain enrolled in one of our majors and maintain a 3.0 grade average in the major.

STUDIO ART OR ART EDUCATION APPLICANTS:
PORTFOLIO:
1. Applicants in either studio art or art education must submit a portfolio consisting of 10-12 images of work done during their high school years, either in slide or CD format. Please limit your images to 12 pieces of artwork – additional images will not be viewed – so choose your 12 best works!
   -If using a CD, please send your images in ‘JPEG’ format only and write your name on the CD.
   -If using slides, each one should be identified with your name, the title of the artwork, and an arrow indicating the top of the slide. Labels for slides are easily made using return address labels (Avery #5267).
2. Images may be of any 2-D or 3-D media. These projects may have been made to complete a school assignment or maybe something done on your own initiative.
3. If you are showing 3-D work you may include 2 views of that work to count as one work.
4. Slides and CD must be accompanied by a list (hard copy) that includes the following information:
   - Title of each work as they are ordered on the CD or by slides,
   - Date that the piece was created,
   - Media - the materials used to make the work,
   - Size (H, W, D), and
   - The assignment (if applicable).

WRITTEN STATEMENT:
1. Applicants must also submit a 250-400 word written statement. Please be clear and to the point.
2. The statement should examine one of the following:
   -What well-known artist, designer, or architect has inspired you and what is or was their role in society? Why has this influenced you and your work? Please do not write about local artists teachers or friends.
   -What makes an effective artist, designer, or architect and what are your own goals in the art world?
3. On a seperate sheet entitled Background Summary, please list the following:
   - The course work you have taken in high school related to the visual arts,
   - Any additional course work you have taken or private lessons,
   - Any exhibits of your work,
   - Any honors you have won in the visual arts, and
   - Any additional special projects related to the visual arts.

ART HISTORY APPLICANTS:
1. Applicants for the Vollmer Scholarship in art history must submit:
   - A copy of a paper you wrote for a history, world cultures, or art history class, and a letter describing your interest in art history and identify the skills and abilities that are leading you to pursue an education in art history. Please limit this to 250-300 words.

Please Note: Vollmer recipients are not eligible for any other academic scholarships awarded by Messiah College.


DEAN'S SCHOLARSHIP IN THE ARTS
These scholarships are part of a larger institutional program of Dean’s scholarships. They are available to new applicants and transfer students in studio art, art education, and art history. Applicants must exhibit good stewardship of their talents in art and art history, as well as artistic activities in co-curricular, church, and/or community endeavors.

1. To be eligible for consideration, the applicant must exceed the academic requirements for admission to Messiah College as demonstrated by meeting at least one of the following criteria:
   - ACT score of 25 or higher,
   - SAT score of 1140 or higher,
   - high school GPA of 3.5 or higher (on a 4-point scale), or
   - rank in the top 20% of their high school graduating class.
   - Information about activities and involvements during high school is also considered.
2. The application for admission to Messiah College supplies all of the information required for the Dean’s Scholarship, however applicants in the arts must submit the additional requested materials as indicated in the instructions for the Vollmer Scholarship (Portfolio and Written Statement).
3. The amount of a Dean's Scholarship in the Arts can range from $500 to $3,000 per year.
   -One-half of the annual scholarship amount is applied to each semester of the year of award.
   -A Dean’s Scholarship in the Arts is renewable for each of the three years after the initial year of award, as long as the recipient exhibits continuing stewardship of talents at Messiah College and maintains a 2.8 overall grade point average.
   -Each student who receives a Dean’s Scholarship in the Arts is required to submit a statement to the Messiah College Admissions and Financial Aid Committee at the conclusion of each academic year outlining their activities and roles for that year.
   -This Dean’s Scholarship in the Arts may not be combined with any other Dean’s Scholarship or a Trustees’, President’s, or Martin’s Scholarships.
   -To retain the Dean’s Scholarship in the Arts, the student must remain enrolled in one of our three majors: Art Education, Art History, or Studio Art.


HOW TO APPLY FOR THE VISUAL ARTS SCHOLARSHIP:
1. Complete the application in full for admission to Messiah College either online at www.messiah.edu or on paper and mail it to Messiah College, Admissions Office, One College Avenue, Grantham, PA 17027 by February 1st.

2. Submit 10-12 images and written materials along with a self-addressed, stamped return envelope (for return of slides or CD) no later than February 7th.

3. Send to Messiah College, Department of Visual Arts, Attention: Jean McCauslin, One College Avenue, Box 3041, Grantham, PA 17027.

4. One submission will be considered for both scholarships if all eligibility requirements for the individual type are met.

5. Please note that both scholarships are awarded on the basis of meritorious achievement in the arts. However, the award of these scholarships is used by the school to help meet the documented need of a student’s financial package.

NOTIFICATION INFORMATION:
1. Award notifications are usually made around March 15th.

2. Students receiving these awards may attend a day for accepted students of the School of the Arts. At this time you will be able to sign up for conversation about your work with a professor and enjoy hands-on workshops offered by our professors. Further information will be forthcoming. Attendance at Accepted Students Preview Day is not required and will not reflect in anyway in the awarding of these scholarships.

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sophomore review policy:

Rationale: The purpose of the sophomore review is to gain a greater understanding of our program in Studio Arts by reviewing the progress of the work created by our students. Students who are in their fourth semester of the Studio Art major should have gained a level of proficiency in foundation level skills such as drawing, design, and basic art making activities and should be able to present their work and discuss it in a professional manner.
Students who's work does not reach the level of expectation perceived by a panel of art faculty will be urged to reconsider their major. Students who do not maintain a GPA of 2.5 within the major will be asked to leave the major.

Eligibility and Procedures:
- Sophmore review will be held in the spring of each year after spring break.
- Studio Art majors with sophmore status who have taken four or more studio courses (including Visual Literacy or Art Foundations) will need to be reviewed. The review will also include current juniors who were unable to participate last year.
- Transfer students with the equivalent of/or are working on their sixth studio course during the semester of the review are eligible for sophomore review.
- A portfolio of your work will be reviewed, which will include at least one project from each studio class, and several works that you like and that you think exhibis your growth as an artist for a total of about 12 pieces.
- Students will recieve a letter in the early spring reminding them of the review and will be asked to sign up for the review with the department secretary.
- Prior to the review the student will be given a form to fill out concerning questions about the department and their own academic plans.
- The review involves an appointment with the art faculty to review your work and to respond to questions from the faculty. This takes about 10-15 minutes.
- The faculty will then rate your work and abilit to discuss your work. These scores are calculated and the totals are sent to you with comments and suggestions from the faculty. After the review, both you and your advisor will receive a copy of the letter.
- The student then should meet with their advisor to discuss appropriate plans for the students academic career.

Declaring a Concentration:
Students will also have to declare your concentration at the time of the sophmore review. This form will be filed with your advisor. If you choose to change or add a concentration you will need to make this change on the form with your advisor's consent. This information is forwarded to the registrar so that your concentration can be tracked on your transcript. This way both you and your advisor can easily track your concentration.
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Graphics and Technology Equipment Recommendations

If you are a Studio Art or Art Education major thinking about concentrating in Graphics and Technology (or just taking credits in this area) and seriously considering purchasing a computer for college, the Department of Visual Arts would highly recommend that you purchase or lease (or a combination of both) the following equipment and software:
1. Macintosh Computer: (nothing below a G4 Processor) DO NOT BUY A PC BASED COMPUTER! The vast majority of design firms and commercial printers use MACs! Don't waste your money on a computer that will not be used when you are ready to look for a job or internship in the field of graphic design.
2. Printer: There are many great inkjet printers out there. In fact, if you buy a Mac at a Mac store or Apple Online, you may get a printer thrown in for a very good price. It should be an inkjet printer. Epson tends to make a series of very good printers that start for less then $100. Be sure however to buy a Mac compatible printer!
3. Mac compatible software: There are three programs that you will use in most of your Graphic Design and Computer Art classes. (They are also used a great deal, if not exclusively, in the field of graphic design and digital imaging.) We recommend that you start with these three main programs if you decide to purchase a Mac. They are:
     a. Adobe Photoshop
      b. Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand
      c. Adobe InDesign or QuarkExpress
Other software for multimedia design, you will not use as much but it is still great to have if you can find them at reasonable prices. They are:
     a. Macromedia Flash
     b. Macromedia Dreamweaver
      c. Apple's Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express
     d. Adobe After Effects

4. External Drive or Removable Data Storage: If you decide to purchase your own computer system you will need to acquire a simple and easy way of transferring the work you do on your system to the Mac lab in Frey (or anywhere else). Zip disks work well but the internal Zip drives are slowly being phased out of all the new Macintosh computers. We recommend purchasing a small firewire drive that does not require additional external power (it draws its power from the computer it is plugged into). The best option would be an iPod. The iPod is not only a super cool MP3 player, but it can also be used as an external drive. There are many package computer deals on Apple's website which include the iPod. This is a very cost effective way of purchasing an iPod since they can be rather expensive if you buy them individually.

Another possible option for data transfer is what is called a "disk on a key." These are very convenient and very small USB storage devices that are small enough to fit on a key chain but can hold a suprisingly large amount of data. There are many other options for data storage and transfer to fit a wide variety of budgets.

5. Digital Camera: There are several digital cameras available for use from the Visual Arts department (limited to 3 days, tops!). In recent years however, we have seen the student demand for these digital cameras double (mabye even triple) to the point where they are almost always checked out, causing students to be on a waiting list to use them. Nothing beats the convenience and immediacy of digital photography for shooting photos for projects. Digital cameras save you the time and money of developing photos from film cameras. You also have the advantage of discarding images that you don't want. We highly recommend that you consider investing in your own digital camera. They have come down in price and have gone up in quality in recent years.

Hint: Do not buy any digital camera with less than 4 MegaPixels (this affects the quality of your image.)

As a student, you can receive significant educational discounts on any Macintosh computer and software. Check Apple's web sie under "educational" for the latest educational discounts on all their computers, software and accessories. Also check Adobe's and Macromedia's site for their educational prices on software. After you graduate you will have to pay full price so take advantage of educational prices and you will save a great deal of money!

Before you invest in any equipment, like printers or digital cameras, it would be wise to read some reviews of these products before you buy them. We recommend www.cnet.com. They have great reviews of all kinds of electronic prices and you will save a great deal of money!

This equipment is expensive! It is not necessary to buy any or all of this equipment! The school's lab is perfectly capable of faciliatating your education, but investing in your own equipment can really enhance your education and overall work. In addition, after you graduate and start your job search, you will soon see the advantage of having your own equipment when it provides you the means to update your portfolio, resume or promotional materials. Having your own equipment also provides you the opportunity to do freelance work if you choose
(in many cases, design firms prefer to assign freelance work before they hire any full-time staff designers.)

For more information, call or e-mail:
   Graphics and Technology Professors
     1. Kathy Hettinga, Distinguished Professor of Art
       Phone: 717.766.2511, ext. 7027
       E-mail: hettinga@messiah.edu
     2. David Kasparek, Assistant Professor of Art
       Phone: 717.766.2511, ext. 2381
       E-mail: dkaspare@messiah.edu

   Information Technology Services;
     1. Jon Anderson, Desktop Support and Network Services (Mac Support)
       Phone: 717.766.2511, ext. 2500
       E-mail: janderso@messiah.edu
     2. Berte Thompson, Manager of Student Computer Services
       Phone: 717.766.2511, ext. 2560
       E-mail: bthompso@messiah.edu
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