Ovation will be held in the Boesel Musical Arts Center on Thursday, May 1. This year’s celebration will see many changes from past years in an effort to attract more participants and make the event bigger that ever
Ovation is Baldwin Wallace University’s celebration of student success and achievement. Held every spring, this event features student projects, presentations, performances and artwork. Ovation brings together students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and prospective students to celebrate the excellent work of students and faculty.
One of the main changes made to this year’s Ovation is that it will be held on a weekday, and classes will be recessed. Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Studies, Dr. Carol Gregory, and her associates decided to move the event to a Thursday so that it would be easier for students and faculty to attend.
“Weekends are not as accessible to everyone. Many students leave on the weekend. By having it on a day we usually have classes, we are making it more accessible to the entire campus,” Gregory said.
This change has been met with mixed feelings.  One of the downsides of canceling classes is that night classes that only meet once a week on Thursday will lose a lot of course time. However, most of the faculty is in support of this change. The administration and faculty Senate have both shown immense support in this decision.
An advantage of having Ovation on a week-day is that it can be used as an outreach to courses.
“Many professors are having students attend for classes, that includes the program of the year which is the Jacket Philanthropy Program,” Gregory said.
The Jacket Philanthropy program consists of five classes that provide direct service to non-profit organizations.  The students in these classes also have the chance to win grants for their organization by presenting their ideas at Ovation.
The location of Ovation has also been changed from previous years. The presentations this year will be held throughout the conservatory instead of the Kleist Center for Art & Drama. There is a lot more room at the Conservatory, and with a growing program, the Ovation team needed to make sure that there was enough room for everything.
“Almost every room will be filled with some kind of presentation.  With 285 participants and growing we needed to make sure we could fit everyone. Having it at the conservatory also allows us to break down boundaries between departments by celebrating all areas in one space.” Gregory explained.
Students and faculty can also expect a lot of fun at the event this year. Drum lessons will be taught during Ovations and prizes will be given all day. Gift cards will be raffled randomly throughout the day. Also, by attending one presentation you will be able to get a ticket that will get you free pizza and ice cream.
“This event is for everybody in every major; it is a great opportunity to see what is possible on campus, and how to enhance your scholarship,” Gregory said.