Associates of The University of North Carolina School of the Arts Records

The Associates of the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA) is a volunteer organization with the mission of fostering relationships between the school, the city of Winston-Salem, and the greater Triad community; promoting and building audiences for student performances and activities; and increasing the volunteer capacity of the school. The Associates are also sometimes referred to informally as the "Friends of the School". Records show that the concept came from Elizabeth Suderburg, wife of Chancellor Robert Suderburg, in 1977. A Chancellor’s Volunteer Committee formed to promote the school and develop community involvement, with the first meeting held September 28, 1977. The early committee included Lou Bahnson, Chessie Dunn, Joan Hanes, Lynn Hill, Patti Hoffman, John Gates, and Catherine Huber, and worked closely with NCSA Director of Community Services Nancy Dawson. This committee focused on audience development and enlisted volunteers to host gatherings in their home before attending a NCSA production. During dinner, volunteers would promote the school using talking points prepared by NCSA staff. These events continued to grow, and audiences grew gradually with them.

The Host Family Program was developed in the late 1970s to provide social connection and support to high school students away from home for the first time. According to Anne White, High School Residence Director, the program was the idea of Ron and Betty Yost. Families might provide shopping trips, birthday parties, transportation, or just a quiet living room in which to study for the evening. Campus tours began in 1983, with Junior League members volunteering as guides trained by the Associates. The tours were very popular, but a series of campus construction projects deemed them too dangerous and tours were halted during the 2000s. In 2015 the board voted to resume campus tours but the response to this vote is not noted.

Before the opening of the Stevens Center in 1983, the Chancellor’s Committee organized separate Hospitality and Audience Development Committees. In the mid-1980s, these three committees merged to form the Associates. Additional committees have formed and dissolved over the years. The Horticulture Committee was established to beautify the grounds of NCSA before the school hired its own crew to do so. The Helpmates assist with office work and other odd jobs – licking stamps, stuffing envelopes, and providing cookies to students during exam periods. The Hospitality Committee hosts well-attended receptions after performances and productions. Annual reports from each of the committees can be found in the folder of Organizational Records for the corresponding year.

In 2008, The Associates introduced Behind-the-Scenes events to introduce the public to otherwise hidden aspects of performances. Salon @ Six also began around this time, where associates hosted short, intimate performances in their homes, provided refreshments, and facilitated conversation with performers. The price of admission to these salons was, and remains in 2019, bringing a guest who is new to the school.

In 2011, an anonymous donation enabled the Associates to establish an endowed scholarship fund of nearly $35,000. The scholarship was awarded for the first time in 2015. At the end of each year, the board of the Associates divided a portion of its income for use as discretionary funding by the deans of each of the schools, the head of Student Affairs, and the high school program. The funds of the Associates are handled through the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Foundation.

The Associates continue to be actively involved at UNCSA.