Honors, Awards & Scholarships

Denison offers various scholarships to recognize talented incoming first-year students who have a passion for the arts, including studio art. Awards range from $5,000 up to half tuition, and are renewable for four years—regardless of whether the student decides to major in studio art.

Applicants wishing to be considered for an Arts Scholarship must submit a portfolio by their chosen application deadline. Please visit the Arts Applicants page for details.

Competitive Scholarship

Studio Art majors with a 3.0 GPA, are eligible for the prestigious VAIL Scholarship in the Fine Arts. This is a competitive scholarship amongst practicing art students in the Fine Arts division - Art, Cinema, Dance, Music, and Theatre.

There are two rounds for this scholarship. The first round is within our department and the second round is amongst all the other eligible Fine Art students. From the first round, three Vail candidates are selected by the Department and nominated to move on to the second round with the other Fine Art students. The second round involves putting up a show of your work. There are ten students selected from the entire pool of Fine Art nominations.

Outstanding Creative Achievement

The Mary K Campbell/Caroline Woodrow Deckman Scholarship in the Fine Arts was established in 1968. This scholarship is awarded to a student or students who show outstanding creative achievement in Studio Art.

Who was Mary K Campbell?

Lecturer Emerita of Art Mary K Campbell was born in 1914 in Pittsburgh, PA to Edward and Caroline Deckman. Her interest in higher education and art led her to attend Denison University and The National Academy of Design in NYC where she met her husband Kenneth Campbell. Mary K was a student at Denison from 1932 to 1934, after which she studied at the National Academy of Design and the Pratt Graphic Arts Center, both in New York City. In 1956, Mary K’s love for art led her back to Denison where she taught in the art department for 22 years. Mary K developed a graphics program at Denison and was well known for her teaching of print making and design. She had a great influence on her students, who have gone into architecture, illustration, design, and other allied fields, as well as teaching and curatorships.

“I had Mary K Campbell for several studio courses while at Denison during the 1960’s, and I remember well her upswept hair and huge, brilliant, nearly constant smile….. such enthusiasm!” - Carol Kubie

Mary K Campbell, 93, departed this life peacefully on July 26th, 2008.  She was a generous friend, an inspirational teacher, and a devoted mother. A memorial celebrating the life of Mary K Campbell was held at The First Baptist Church of Granville, OH on Saturday, September 27, 2008. 

Donations may be given to:

Mary K Campbell and Caroline Woodrow Deckman Studio Art Scholarship
Denison University
100 West College Street
Granville, OH 43023-0716

The Fine Arts scholarship is based first on a nomination from the student’s major department and then on a presentation to the Fine Arts scholarship committee.

This endowment has been made possible through the generosity of Dr. William N. Osborne, honoring the memory of his parents, who spent many of their last years in Granville. William Osborne came to Denison in 1961 as a faculty member in the Department of Music. Later, he was named Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts, the position he held when he retired in 2003.

Paid Intern Position

The Columbus Museum of Art and University offer one paid intern position for ten weeks during the summer in one of the following museum departments – Exhibitions, Marketing, Curatorial, or Education. Freshman, Sophomore and Junior Studio Art majors with a GPA of 3.0 within the major are eligible to apply. The student must have a car or other means of transportation to and from Columbus. The internship provides a stipend of $3,100 and $300 toward housing on campus. The recipient is required to submit a brief report at the end of the internship that describes what he/she did during the internship and how he/she benefited from the experience.