William A. and Elaine D. Pruitt Endowed Scholarship in Voice

Scholarship supporting voice students in the School of Music.

Originally established as the William A. Pruitt Endowed Scholarship in Voice, the fund was renamed in 2009 to the William A. and Elaine D. Pruitt Endowed Scholarship in Voice. This fund was made to honor Dr. William Pruitt’s thirty-two years of service to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as a faculty member and Vice Chancellor for Arts and Academic Programs and to honor Mrs. Elaine Doerschuk Pruitt’s thirty-four years of service to UNCSA as a faculty member, as the Dean of General Studies, as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Undergraduate Academic and Graduate Programs, and as the Chief Academic Officer. Dr. William Pruitt (deceased in 2004) and Mrs. Elaine Doerschuk Pruitt have been passionate advocates for UNCSA . His academic background was in French language, history, and culture and hers in music and American history. Dr. Pruitt graduated from Catawba College with degrees in French and History and earned his PhD in French History from the University of Virginia. Mrs. Pruitt majored in music and history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and earned a Master of Arts degree in history, also at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Dr. Pruitt taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before coming to teach at the (univdersity of) North Carolina School of the Arts and Mrs. Pruitt taught at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before coming to teach at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Both earned reputations as demanding, yet supportive, teachers. Dr. Pruitt served UNCSA as its Vice Chancellor for Arts and Academic Programs from 1984-1988 and again from 1990-2002. Mrs. Pruitt served as the Dean of General Studies 2003-2004; as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Academic and Graduate Programs in 2004-2006; and as the Chief Academic Officer from 2006-2009. Both Dr. Pruitt and Mrs. Pruitt have believed strongly in the idea of UNCSA as a state supported conservatory where students in the southeast could receive high-level arts training while also earning degrees. Both have been enthusiastic supporters of all of the arts and as both Dr. Pruitt and Mrs. Pruitt have been particularly fond of vocal music it is appropriate that the recipient of the Pruitt scholarship demonstrate both vocal talent and academic achievement.