THE KING CREATIVITY FUND
In 2000, Southwestern University alumnus W. Joseph "Joey" King '93 donated $500,000 to Southwestern University to establish and endow the King Creativity Fund, which annually supports "innovative and visionary projects" of enrolled students.
The fund supports multiple projects every academic year with grant awards ranging from $200 to $2,000.
Creative projects may be carried out on- or off-campus. Previously funded projects may provide some guidance into the range of possible topics, but the purpose of this fund is to encourage students to be creative and to think outside of the box.
Grants are awarded by a committee composed of students, interested faculty, and an administrative advisor. Student members are selected from among those students previously awarded a King Creativity Fund grant.
Committee members base awards on creative merit, the soundness of the proposal, feasibility, potential for educational enhancement, qualifications of the student project directors, and budget projections.
"I saw this as a pilot project in creativity," King explains. "If the students would be self-motivated enough to apply for the grant, it shows they can be self-motivated to teach themselves. This program allows them to have the financial means to select the subject in which they are interested and learn by doing. I call it the 'Gospel of Creativity.'"
King says returning to campus to see the initial results was the best part. "They were so varied. Did I think someone would make a life-sized mold of my hand? No. Did I imagine the fund would help establish an independant film making organization? No. I didn't see any projects that I would have done—and that's exactly the point!"