Purpose

The Carleton Toni Award in the Arts is given to a Carleton student whose character reflects the values, devotion, and spirit of beloved teacher Antoinette "Toni" Sostek. After a distinguished career in dance, including Broadway and national television, Toni joined her husband in the academic world, and spent 25 years as a dance instructor at Carleton before her passing in 1996.  Through the metaphor of dance, Toni taught many important lessons in life, especially that every moment in every class was a stage in the long--indeed, never ending--learning process.

This photograph of Toni (upper right) exemplifies her devotion to dance beyond technique: love, enthusiasm, and joy. As a teacher she brought her devotion to the classroom, and most importantly, shared her passion for dance with her students, "ugly ducklings" and all. It is that combination of devotion, and willingness to share one's art, that best defines the Carleton Toni Award. All of the Arts are included in this prize: English, theatre and dance, music, cinema and media studies, and art and art history.

Funding

A cash prize is awarded annually (amount is determined by the spendable income generated by the endowed fund). Winners have unrestricted control over the spending of their awards.

Eligibility

• Nomination (unsolicited) by a member of the Carleton faculty or staff;
• Full-time Carleton student;
• Senior or junior standing;
• Nominee embodies Toni's spirit through artistic expression and whose experiences and character best reflect the spirit of Toni Sostek's teachings;
• Nominee need not be an art major or art star, but someone who loves a particular art form, who throws him or herself into it, who lives and breathes it, and who infectiously imparts that enthusiasm to others.
  
• Previous winner ineligible;
• Non-winners may be re-nominated in subsequent years.

Award Process

Any member of the Carleton faculty or staff is invited to submit a name in nomination to Elizabeth Ciner, Director of Student Fellowships and Coordinator of the Toni Award Selection Committee. The Fellowships Office will confirm all nominations by contacting the nominator and the nominee.

If the nominee wishes to pursue the award opportunity, he or she must secure two letters of support: one from the original nominator, and one from a faculty member or artistic mentor other than the nominator. Letters of support should be addressed to the Committee for Studies in the Arts, and emailed or campus-mailed to Karen Moldenhauer, 3-DOC, by Friday, March 9, 2012. (If the second recommender is not a member of the Carleton community, the nominee should supply the recommender's name, physical and email addresses, and phone number.)

The Committee for Studies in the Arts (consisting of Carleton faculty representatives from among the English, theater, dance, music, media studies, and art departments) select up to five (5) award finalists by weighing the letters of nomination and support. The Toni Award Selection Committee will interview the finalists in late March. Students will be notified of the results by mid April.

Deadline for Nomination and Letter of Support

Faculty Adviser

Elizabeth Ciner, Director of Student Fellowships, Laird 132, 507/222-4555.