These prestigious awards are given to a select number of new graduate students in each academic unit in the College. Funding for up to 32 fellowships over the next eight years has been allocated by the Hixson-Lied Advisory Board. Applications undergo rigorous evaluation by members of the graduate faculty, who look for evidence of outstanding past achievement and the potential for excellence in scholarship and creative activity at the highest level.

• Awards range from $3,500 to $4,500 in addition to the graduate assistant stipends already provided by the University, creating nationally competitive stipends in the range of approximately $12,000 to $14,000.
• Individual academic units set additional threshold admissions criteria beyond those that are normally required for graduate assistantships.
• Awards continue for a maximum of three successive years, renewable annually based on performance and fulfillment of assigned duties. Chairs/Director recommend renewal based on rigorous assessment of the student's performance by the faculty.
• Students must be pursuing one of the terminal degrees offered by the College, or, in the case of Music Education, the doctoral degree offered in conjunction with College of Education and Human Sciences.

For information about other fellowships (Departmental and University-wide), contact the respective department within the college and the Office of Graduate Studies.

• 2011-2014
• 2010-2013
• 2009-2012

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
	Matthew Rightmire Matt Rightmire is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in stage design-technical production in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. He hails from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he completed a comprehensive Bachelor of Arts in Theatre as a Blugold Fellow and has spent the past two years as UWEC's Scenic Studio Supervisor. His accomplishments there include several grants and scholarships, as well as an award for "Best Actor in Theatre for Young Audiences." He has also worked as marketing coordinator for the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center and as an administrative assistant and designer for the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild. He enjoys spending his free time practicing the art of magic, juggling, and enjoying the outdoors on biking and hiking trips.
	Clay Van Winkle Clay Van Winkle is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in lighting design in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Clay received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in performance from Baylor University. His lighting design experience includes "Dani Girl" at Greyman Theatre Company and "Carniopolis," "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "Thom Pain (based on nothing)," "Life of Galileo" and "Macbeth" at Baylor Workshop and Baylor University. He has also served as master electrician for "Almost Maine" and "The Seagull" at Baylor and "The Unseen" for American Actor's Company. He also has experience in set construction, sound design and programming.
	Joshua Waterstone Joshua Waterstone is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in directing in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. He will also serve as the artistic director for Theatrix, a student-run theatre company in the Carson School. Joshua is a director, actor and teaching artist, who has worked in the Georgia and North Carolina theatre scenes. He has worked with The Alliance Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory, Georgia Shakespeare, Push-Push Theatre, Georgia Ensemble, Carrboro Art Center, The Georgia Aquarium, Blank Stage, O.T.C. Improv, Fly-By, Serenbe Playhouse, Horizon and Essential Theater. Joshua is also a certified classical yoga teacher.

School of Music

David Kamran David Kamran is pursuing his Doctoral of Musical Arts degree from the School of Music in clarinet performance. David received his Bachelor of Music in clarinet from Indiana University under James Campbell and his Master of Music in clarinet performance from Miami University under Michele Gingras. An avid performer of solo and chamber music, David has performed concerts throughout the United States from Seattle to New York City. He has also collaborated with many different musicians including members of the Grammy Award Winning Parker Quartet. In the summer of 2011, David was selected as a fellow in the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival and formed the Morse Quintet.

Department of Art and Art History
	Sam Berner Samuel is pursing his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics at UNL. He was born in Indianapolis, Ind., but grew up in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In high school he found his love for ceramic sculpture. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in ceramics from the Pennsylvania State University in 2009. He focuses on creating large ceramic sculpture. He is interested in incorporating his sculpture into staged performances and creating art communities in the future.
	Sean Larson Sean is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics in the Department of Art and Art History. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. In 2010, he participated in the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) national juried student exhibition in Philadelphia. His work has also been exhibited in national juried shows at Bradley University Galleries in Peoria, Ill., and at Terra Incognito Studios and Galleries in La Grange, Ill. His work was also exhibited at the First Annual National Cup Show at the Lux Center for the Arts in Lincoln in 2009.
	Regina O’Rear Regina is pursuing her Master of Arts in Art History in the Department of Art and Art History, where her areas of specialization are modern and contemporary art. Regina will serve as a Hixson-Lied Fellow at the Sheldon Museu of Art. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she was the gallery preparator for Wesleyan’s Elder Gallery from 2008-2010 and a gallery assistant from 2003-2005. She has also served as an Americorps Volunteer at the F Street Community Center in Lincoln.

School of Music
	Susan Cogdill Susan is pursuing her Ph.D. in Music Education in the School of Music, where she also received her Master of Music Education in 2003. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wyoming in 1996. Susan taught choral music from 2003-2010 at Laramie Junior High School in Laramie, Wyo., where she also directed several musicals and produced school-wide variety shows. Susan was also the choral director for the University of Wyoming Civic Chorale from 2007-2009.
	Andrew Last Andrew is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting in the School of Music, where he will conduct the Big Red Singers. He received his Master of Music from Northern Arizona University, and he received his Bachelor of Arts in music education from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He was Director of Choral Activities at Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from 2004-2010. He served as Director of Music at St. Stephens Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from 2006-2010. From 1997-2002, he was Director of Choral Activities at Tipton High School in Tipton, Iowa. In 2010, he served as a guest conductor for the Iowa Choral Directors Association Honor Choir Festival.
	Richard Viglucci Richard is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the School of Music in clarinet performance. He received his Master of Music in instrumental conducting from Northern Arizona University, Master of Music in clarinet performance from Northwestern University and his Bachelor of Music in clarinet performance from the Crane School of Music. Richard has served as principal clarinetist with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and Minot Symphony Orchestra and second clarinetist with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. He has also taught at Minot State University as the Director of Bands and Woodwinds and Northland Preparatory Academy of Flagstaff, Ariz., serving as the Director of Bands and Instructional Guitar.

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
	Julie Douglass Julie is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in costume design in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from UNL in 1984. Julie served as costume designer for Belvoir Terrace in Lenox, Mass., during the summers of 2009 and 2010, where she designed costumes for dozens of productions. She has worked as a seamstress for more than three years at Fringe & Tassel Costumes in Lincoln. She has worked on the costume crew, as a set dresser and stage manager for productions at Lincoln Northeast High School, Pinewood Bowl and the Lincoln Community Playhouse. She has also been a piano teacher at Blue Raven Music Studios in Lincoln.
	Bethany Skinner Beth is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in costume design from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Originally from Savannah, Ga., she received her Bachelor of Science in drama with an emphasis in costume design from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. After college, Beth completed an 8-month internship with Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, Calif. Since September 2009, Beth has been working as costume designer for the Shorewood High School drama department in Shorewood, Wis., considered to be one of the best high school drama programs in the U.S. She also did freelance work for several other area schools.

Department of Art and Art History
	Jamie Fritz Jamie is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture at UNL. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in art from the University of Wyoming in 2009. Her recent solo exhibitions include "Precarious Refuge" at the ASUW Gallery in Laramie, Wyo., and "Dichotomy of Self" at the UP Gallery in Laramie. Her recent group exhibitions have included the 34th Annual Juried Student Exhibition at the University of Wyoming Art Museum, where she received the David Reif Sculpture Award and the National Advisory Board Award, and the 2nd Annual BFA/BA Juried Exhibition at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
	Lauren Mabry Lauren is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in ceramics at UNL. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute and completed post-baccalaureate studies in pottery at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She studied abroad at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemet, Hungary. Her recent exhibitions in 2009 include "Vase Invitational," "Nine Month Residents: New Work," and "Cream and Sugar Invitational" at the Carbondale Clay Center (Colo.), where she was an artist-in-residence, as well as "Kansas City Art Institute Alumni Exhibition" at Red Star Studios (Mo.) and "Mad Hatter's Tea Party" at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Fla.
	Kimberly Minor Kimberly is pursuing her Master of Arts in Art History at UNL. She received her Bachelor of Arts in art history and religious studies from Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga., in 2009. She was an intern at Hay House Museum in Macon from 2007-2009, where she was a weekly docent and researcher for the traveling exhibitions. Kimberly will serve as a Hixson-Lied Fellow at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden at UNL, where she will promote exhibitions and facilitate relationships between students, faculty and the Sheldon's collection and staff.

School of Music
	Beth Deutmeyer Beth is pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at UNL. She received her Master of Music here in 2009, and she received her Bachelor of Music from Iowa State in 2006. She was a regional finalist in 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She was a regional winner in 2008 and a district winner in 2007 at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competitions, West-Central region and Nebraska district. She has performed as "Helena" in the 2008 UNL Opera A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten; "Arminy" in Carousel! by Rodgers and Hammerstein at UNL in 2008; and as "Sister Catherine" in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking for UNL Opera in 2008.
	Golden Lund Golden is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UNL in tuba performance. He received his Master of Music in tuba performance from Indiana University in 2009 and his Bachelor of Arts in tuba performance from the University of Utah in 2006. Golden was the principal tubist for the Louisiana Philharmonic in 2006-2007. He has also performed with the Utah Symphony, Orchestra at Temple Square, Utah Premiere Brass and the Indiana University Graduate Quintet. He participated in the Aspen Music Festival in 2006 and 2009.
	Steven Soebbing Steven is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in vocal performance at UNL. He received his Master of Music in 2009 from UNL and his Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance and English from the University of Notre Dame in 2007. He has performed in the UNL Opera productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors (King Melchior), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Peter Quince), Dead Man Walking (Prison Garden #1) and Cosi fan tutte (Guglilmo). He also performed as "Bartolo" in Le Nozze di Figaro at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy in July 2008. He also performed in Notre Dame opera productions, as well as with the Notre Dame Chorale.