FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                             
 
CONTACT:
Marina Gomberg
Associate Director of Communications + Marketing
University of Utah College of Fine Arts
 
The U. Issues its 100,000th Arts Pass Ticket
Arts at the U. continue to shine while university arts program hits major milestone
 
Salt Lake City, UT – Feb. 13, 2017 – In a world often focused on STEM education, the University of Utah is proud to celebrate something of a more right-brained nature and a milestone for its creative offerings: having issued the institution’s 100,000th Arts Pass ticket. 
 
The U’s Arts Pass program, which allows students to use their student ID to get free or nearly-free tickets to the hundreds of arts experiences on campus each year, is a unique program that began during the 2011/2012 academic year. It is one of – if not the most robust arts programs for students among our peer institutions because it provides free or affordable access to more arts experiences each year than similar programs at other universities.
 
“We are weaving the effort to provide abundant and diverse creative experiences for students into the very fabric of the University,” said Raymond Tymas-Jones, associate vice president for the arts and dean of the College of Fine Arts. “These experiences are sating a curiosity in our students that is leading to new interdisciplinary explorations, new knowledge, a greater collective empathy, heightened social tolerance, and more community building.”
 
All matriculated U students can use their Ucard to get free or significantly discounted tickets to experiences hosted by the University’s three professional arts organizations: UtahPresents, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and Pioneer Theatre Company, in addition to all the exhibits, concerts, plays, screenings, and performances by the five academic units in the College of Fine Arts.
 
“The arts at the University of Utah are as plentiful as they are impactful,” said University of Utah President David Pershing. “If athletics feed our competitive nature and academics feed our intellect, the arts feed our desire to see the world more broadly. We are so pleased to see students using these opportunities to become global citizens through the diverse lenses and voices the arts bring to our campus.”
 
The U’s noteworthy appreciation for the arts is one shared by the broader community. A recent survey conducted by the National Endowment for the Artsshowed Utahns attend arts events more than any other state in the nation.
 
As of Dec. 31, 2016, the University of Utah had issued 102,764 Arts Pass tickets over the course of the program’s life, and in celebration of this significant milestone, students can participate in a contest on Instagram beginning Monday, February 13 for a chance to win tools that inspire creativity including an iPad mini, Beats headphones and the Pencil by Fiftythree.
 
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ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH:
The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City in the foothills of the Wasatch Range, is the flagship institution of higher learning in Utah.  Founded in 1850, it serves more than 32,000 students from across the United States and the world.  With more that 100 major subjects at the undergraduate level and more than 90 major fields of study at the graduate level, including law and medicine, the university prepares students to live complete in the global workplace.  Learn more about all the U has to offer online at utah.edu
 
 
Marina Gomberg
Associate Director of Communications + Marketing
The University of Utah College of Fine Arts
375 S. 1530 E. Rm 250  
Salt Lake City, UT 84112