SUNY Thayer Fellowship 2025
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If you have any questions about this form, please contact Sara.Saplin@suny.edu.
The Thayer Fellowship and the Patricia Kerr Ross Award are given each year to out standing candidates for graduation from The State University of New York, funded through endowments established in honor of Jeanne C. Thayer, Trustee of SUNY from 1974-1984, and Patricia Kerr Ross, former Artistic Director of the Thayer Fellowship.
The purpose of these awards is to serve as a bridge between study at The State University of New York and first-time entry into a professional career in the creative or performing arts: namely music, theatre, dance, film and video, creative writing, and the visual arts.
The Thayer Fellowship includes TWO $7000 Fellowships, each of which can be given to one or two individuals. The Fellowship selection is based on talent, achievement, and potential as a professional artist.
The Ross Award of $1,000 is given to an individual or divided among two exceptional applicants. The basis for this award is excellence, originality, and promise.
The awards are available to seniors and graduate students in the arts who are about to graduate from the University and make a career in the arts. They are not intended for students going on to graduate school.
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The Thayer Fellowships were established for The State University of New York by Walter N. Thayer, in honor of his wife Jeanne C. Thayer, who was a trustee of SUNY from 1974 to 1984. During that time, she was the liaison trustee to the University-wide Committee on the Arts and helped plan and implement many projects in the visual and performing arts. She was a leader in New York City’s museum and gallery world and was active as well in historic preservation.
The Ross Award is administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts, which serves individual artists, promotes their freedom to develop and create, and provides the broader public with opportunities to experience and understand their work. NYFA accomplishes this by offering financial and informational assistance to artists and arts organizations by supporting arts programming in the schools and local communities, and by building collaborative relationships with others who advocate for the arts in New York State and throughout the country.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled as candidates for associates, baccalaureate and/or advanced degree programs in the arts in The State University of New York. The degree must be completed in SUNY. Application must be made in the academic year of graduation. Students who have returned to the University for advanced study after establishing professional careers in their field are not eligible; the fellowship is intended for those entering a career in the arts for the first time.
Selection of Thayer Fellows and Ross Awardees
Applications will be reviewed by a panel composed of non-SUNY professionals in the applicant’s field. Final decisions will be made through audition and interview with the Thayer/Ross Panel. The Fellowship and Award will be made in the spring.
To apply you must sign the downloadable Legal Agreement and Permission Form and fill out the following Submittable application.