UK Junior to Study at Cambridge

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 3, 2011) — Elizabeth Greenfield, an arts administration junior at the University of Kentucky, has been awarded one of six English-Speaking Union Scholarships presented by the English-Speaking Union Kentucky Branch. The scholarship will cover Greenfield's expenses to study Shakespeare this summer at the University of Cambridge.

The Kentucky Branch of the English-Speaking Union awards a limited number of scholarships to qualified Kentucky college students for courses offered at institutions in the United Kingdom. Scholarship awards include tuition, lodging and two meals daily for two-week courses at the institutions chosen by the scholarship winners. The award also includes one more week’s lodging in London and a cash allowance.

English-Speaking Union Scholarships are awarded for studies in English literature, history and social sciences at Cambridge, Edinburgh and Oxford University for the summer of 2011. Scholarship winners, selected through an essay and interview process for the program, are expected to become articulate lifelong ambassadors for British/American cultural exchanges. 

"I am so excited for this unparalleled opportunity," says Greenfield. "I have never traveled abroad before. This scholarship not only offers me the chance to travel, but also the chance to study Shakespeare from preeminent Shakespeare scholars at one of the world's top universities."

The daughter of Albert and Josephine Greenfield of Lexington, Elizabeth Greenfield is a 2008 Tates Creek High School graduate. It was her theatre studies in high school that initially piqued the junior's interest in the art form. Greenfield plans to apply her experience studying Shakespeare at Cambridge University this summer to a senior research project, tentatively titled “Producing the Classics in the 21st century."  

Greenfield is pursuing a major in arts administration with a specialization in theatre, merging her interests in both the arts and business arenas.

"I aspire to be a dedicated arts advocate and relish the opportunity to study the intersection of the arts and business," says Greenfield.

She adds, "Approaching the arts from a business perspective ensures a successful future for an arts organization, while interpreting business principles in the context of the arts is challenging and requires creativity!"

During her time at UK, Greenfield has interned as a student marketing and recruiting coordinator with the UK Department of Theatre and served as a Fine Arts Ambassador at the College of Fine Arts. She is also working on a minor in communication.

Outside of UK, Greenfield worked last summer as the assistant volunteer coordinator at the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park.

After graduation, Greenfield plans to pursue graduate study in arts administration or cultural policy.

In addition to Greenfield's scholarship, senior Ashleigh Lovelace was selected as this year's alternate for the English-Speaking Union Scholarship. An English, arts administration and art history student at UK, she is also pursuing a minor in art studio and is a member of the Honors Program. Lovelace is a native of Catlettsburg, Ky.

The English-Speaking Union (ESU) of the United States is a non-profit, non-political, educational service organization whose mission is to promote scholarship and the advancement of knowledge through the effective use of English in an expanding global community. Headquartered in New York City, the organization implements programs through a network of 70 Branches throughout the United States. The Kentucky Branch of the ESU was chartered in 1923 by local business and civic leaders. Since 1960, more than 450 Kentucky teachers and college students have been awarded scholarships by the Kentucky Branch of the ESU.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754 ext. 229, Whitney.Hale@uky.edu