UVU Graduate Raises Funds For Three Arts Scholarships - UVU Blog

March 12, 2012
For Immediate Release

University Marketing & Communications: Mike Rigert (801) 863-6807
Written by: Jim Rayburn (801) 863-8504

Utah Valley University graduate Julie Pierce, who benefited from various scholarships throughout her education, has funded three partial School of the Arts scholarships to assist future students.

Pierce, a mother of six and grandmother of five, graduated last spring with a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design. She recently donated more than $3,000 to UVU that she raised for the scholarships she named STARTS, or Smart Trades for ART Scholarships.

The Smart Trades portion of the scholarship name comes from Pierce?s method of fund raising, which was to generate monies through trading and bartering online. She sold several donated items through online classified ads. She also traded up a pen from Utah artist James Christensen to a bar of silver and eventually 500 pounds of beef.

The overall acronym STARTS represents Pierce?s recognition of the ?start? she received upon returning to college in 2007 and the ?start? others like her might need.

?I was inspired to create STARTS because of the gratitude I felt for the scholarships that I have received while completing my schooling, and those who provided them,? Pierce said. ?Without them, I may never have been able to finish and receive my degree. I could never repay those generous donors, so I attempted to pass on their good will. It is my hope that another student might be inspired by my example and want to create a scholarship of their own.?

Two of Pierce?s scholarships will go specifically to graphic design students. The third will go to a student in arts and visual communications.

?The STARTS scholarship is social design at its best, and deeply personal for Julie and meaningful for?future UVU art students,? said Ray Elder, assistant professor of graphic design at UVU. ?With limited resources and time?Julie executed a successful social media campaign to barter for scholarships funds. Her passion, initiative and independence were truly inspiring.?The STARTS scholarship is a wonderful example of a single student?s determination to do good through design.?

Julie Pierce

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About UVU

Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, and is home to more than 33,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community college, state college and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah?s largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees, with emphasis on undergraduate education.

Source: http://blogs.uvu.edu/newsroom/2012/03/13/uvu-graduate-raises-funds-for-three-arts-scholarships/

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