Team: Thad Smith (Little Rock, Ark.), Izehi Oriaghan (Lagos, Nigeria), Salina Adolph (Little Rock, Ark.), John Jackson (Little Rock, Ark.)
Supervisor: Paul Leopoulos
The scope of this project is to design and implement a research project gathering specific information about student scholarship winners who have won arts-related scholarships from 2003 through the present. The goal is to gauge how many received college degrees, in what field, and how long it took to attain them. Where are these individuals now and in what field are they working or studying? This primary data collection should be supplemented by the years of research that shows students who grow up with interest and participation in the arts, are more likely to graduate from college, be better in math, join social organizations, and other positive attributes.
Mission Statement: Thea Foundation’s mission is to advocate the importance of the arts in the development of Arkansas’s youth. Our programs are designed to help youth find confidence through creative expression, during and after school. Thea Foundation has awarded $2.25 million in scholarships to Arkansas high school seniors, distributed more than $1.5 million in art supplies to underfunded schools and implemented many programs that provide creative experiences for Arkansas’s youth.
“I’m extremely excited about working with the Clinton School of Public Service students on a project that is important for the mission and vision of the Thea Foundation. The research the students will design and implement will be an important study of the impact of the arts on Arkansas‘s youth. They will be contacting our scholarship winners back to 2002 to gather important information of their progress through college and life, and that will be related to years of research on the impact on students who participate in creative activities K through 12. I expect this information to validate the concepts of creativity and so many aspects of the human condition.” – Paul Leopoulos, Executive Director
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