Pictured right: Pat Bullard, Rachel Ellis Dickinson, George Bullard
Belmont University announces today the installation of The Patricia Taylor Bullard Endowed Scholarship Fund. The $250,000 scholarship includes tuition and cost of books and is awarded annually to a student who dances with Nashville Ballet who wants to pursue a minor in dance and major in one of more than 70 disciplines at Belmont on a part-time basis.
The career span of a professional ballet dancer begins directly after high school and typically concludes within 10 years with little or no training in any other field. This unique scholarship allows a member of the Nashville Ballet to attend Belmont part time while continuing a full-time career as a dancer.
“This is a great opportunity to celebrate the importance of the arts and education,” Belmont President Dr. Robert Fisher said. “We are excited to be able to provide this mutually beneficial opportunity to Nashville Ballet and Belmont thanks to the creativity and generosity of George and Pat Bullard.”
Rachel Ellis Dickinson, a nursing major, is the first recipient of the Bullard Endowed Scholarship. This is her sixth season with Nashville Ballet. Dickinson is also a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont.
“It means a great deal to me to be the first recipient of the Bullard Scholarship,” Dickinson said. “The Bullards’ gift has made it possible for me to continue dancing while preparing for a future career in nursing.”
Once a dancer herself, Bullard intends for this new scholarship to attract accomplished dancers to Nashville, benefiting both the Nashville Ballet and Belmont.
“I am delighted that Mrs. Bullard and the administration at Belmont had the vision to endow this scholarship and make it accessible to the very particular needs and schedule of a practicing dancer/artist of Nashville Ballet,” Paul Vasterling, artistic director of Nashville Ballet, said. “Through the existence of this scholarship, our dancers can continue giving their art to the community of Nashville for a longer period of time. It is a unique award, and I am very appreciative that it benefits Nashville Ballet.”
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“Belmont and Nashville Ballet team up for new scholarship” – The Tennessean, November 14, 2006
