Cornish College of the Arts honored the upcoming retirement of President Sergei P. Tschernisch on Sunday, August 10 at ACT Theatre, establishing the Sergei P. Tschernisch Endowed Scholarship Fund by raising $181,500.
The Seattle City Council and Mayor Mike McGinn, King County Council and King County Executive Dow Constantine all declared August 10, 2011 “Sergei P. Tschernisch Day.” Washington Governor Christine Gregoire also sent a letter of congratulations.
The evening featured performances by Broadway star Liz Callaway and Cornish alums Diana Huey (TH ’08) and Don Darryl Rivera (TH ’06) backed by Cornish theater students, and tributes by Kurt Beattie and Carlo Scandiuzzi (Artistic Director and Executive Director, ACT Theatre), Cornish Board chair John Gordon Hill, and Richard E.T. White, chair of the Cornish Theater Department.
More than 170 Cornish supporters gathered to celebrate President Tschernisch’s 17 years of leadership; during his presidency, he orchestrated a true Cornish renaissance. His vision has resulted in the growth of the student body, the creation of the new campus in the Denny Triangle neighborhood, and elevated Cornish to national prominence as a premier college of the visual and performing arts. He has set the bar for academic and artistic excellence, and will leave a legacy as the most influential leader of the College since Nellie Cornish founded the school.
Contributions to the Sergei P. Tschernisch Endowed Scholarship Fund may be made online at http://www.cornish.edu/about/advancement, by mail to Office of Institutional Advancement, Cornish College of the Arts, 1000 Lenora Street, Seattle, WA 98121 or by calling 206.726.5064.
The Sergei P. Tschernisch Endowed Scholarship Fund is one of 44 endowed scholarships at Cornish College of the Arts.
Photo: Liz Callaway serenades Sergei Tschernisch. Courtesy of Team Photogenic.
