Ken Bell and fellow alumni gathered for the first School of Theatre and Dance reunion in 2010. The group has gathered about five times since then, most recently in October 2024. Photo provided by Bell.
Alumni who choose to provide scholarship support have often been scholarship recipients themselves. Ken Bell, BFA, 1980, has first-hand experience with the financial obstacles that can arise in higher education and is now graciously giving back to our students.
After catching the theatre “bug” in high school, Bell studied at a community college before transferring to study theatre at West Virginia University.
“Nobody in my extended family had ever earned a bachelor's degree,” Bell said. “My two older sisters married early, and my parents wanted me to get the degree. Mind you they were not offering to pay for anything; I would have to take out college loans.”
Originally from rural Pennsylvania, Bell chose WVU, in part, because of the then-newly constructed Creative Arts Center. Shortly after arriving in Morgantown, he found out about an unusual opportunity.
“My hope is that the scholarship will unlock opportunities for students who might otherwise be unable to complete their studies for financial reasons. I suspect there are many good young students every year that shy away from school because they do not want the yoke of loans and cannot otherwise afford to go to college," Bell said. "Hopefully, this will encourage some of them to take advantage of the opportunity and expose them to all the wonders that I experienced as a first-time college student at WVU. The opportunities for learning are endless, and if they are anything like me, they will appreciate some of it long after they leave WVU.”
Bell has generously agreed to support the Jerry McGonigle Curtain Call Challenge during the 2025 WVU Day of Giving on March 26. McGonigle, who is retiring in June after 35 years with the WVU School of Theatre and Dance, has been a beloved theatre professor to generations of students. In honor of McGonigle and to support future generations of theatre students, donations on Day of Giving to the Curtain Call Challenge will unlock additional theatre scholarship funding from Bell.
“WVU is, like many schools, facing mounting pressures due to declining enrollment and a rapidly changing world,” Bell said. “By encouraging more donations, I hope that more people will make a WVU education available to people who would otherwise be unable to attend.”
Just like Bell’s story and McGonigle’s legacy, many of us can recall moments throughout our college experiences when support – financial or otherwise – provided much-needed peace of mind. Please consider paying it forward by giving to one of our fundraising priorities and participating in the challenges on Day of Giving. With your help, we can provide numerous opportunities to our students, faculty and community. For more information, please visit dayofgiving.wvu.edu/ccam.
Gifts are made through WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.