Thanks to a donation from the Cain Foundation, students can continue to study where the only other UT campus where you might run into Matthew McConaughey is located: Hollywood.
Earlier this month, the foundation made its second donation in as many years to the Wofford Denius UT-Los Angeles Center for Entertainment and Media Studies, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the radio, television and film industry.
“I hope this program will enable students to discover and pursue their passions and dreams by exposing them to numerous opportunities available in the ever-growing and evolving world of entertainment,” Wofford Denius, chairman of the Cain Foundation, said in a press release.
Denis said he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams to work with music, and he hopes this program will also help students do the same.
“I am confident that the Wofford Denius UTLA Center for Entertainment and Media Students will serve as a landmark initiative to bridge Austin and Hollywood business and create communities,” Moody College Dean Jay Bernhardt said in a press release.
The foundation first made a donation to the program in late 2016.
“I’d like to thank the Cain Foundation and Wofford Denius for their visionary guidance and continued support of our students and programs,” Bernhardt said.
The current UTLA program opened in 2005 and is located near Burbank, California. Students in the program spend a semester or a summer session at the UTLA campus and participate in internships in L.A.
The center was expanded this summer, and students have been using the new facility since the start of this semester.
“(The program enables) Moody College to become a top provider of diverse talent for the entertainment and media industries and creating access for our students to top entertainment jobs,” Bernhardt said.
Students like journalism freshman Katie Bishop are eager about the expansion and the opportunities the new program will provide to students and the opportunities it will lead to.
“It’s good to hear that my college is expanding as a student because it means that more opportunities are being created,” Bishop said. “It makes me hopeful for the future of Moody and all that it has to offer.”
Bernhardt said the donation will help open doors for the students.
“These experiences provide students with the skills and networks to help build careers in the industry,” Bernhardt said in an email. “The Denius Center will make it easier for more students to participate by providing additional merit and need-based scholarships and increasing the number who can participate each semester.”
