Columbia Central

David Talbott Cox Scholarship

for continuing undergraduate students

The David Talbott Cox Scholarship was established to recognize outstanding junior- and senior-level student majoring in Acting, Comedy Writing and Performance, Musical Theatre, Theatre Design and Technology, Theatre, and Musical Theatre Performance.

Deadline to Apply: February 01, 2025

• How to Apply

  Visit Internal Scholarships and click on APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS to access the College-Wide Undergraduate Scholarship Application.  Only complete scholarship applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the scholarship committee. 
  
  Please follow all directions carefully. Students must submit the following materials to make a complete David Talbott Cox Scholarship application. There are three parts to the application:

  PART 1: ESSAY

  In a two- to three-page essay, please address the following:

  • What do you hope to accomplish as a Theatre student in your concentration at Columbia? What your vocational goals?
  • How has your classroom work supported your work on production?
  • How has your production work supported your classroom work?
  • Include any achievements you wish to be considered by the scholarship committee.

  Your essay must be double-spaced, and include your name and MyColumbia ID number in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Please upload your response in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format.

  PART 2: LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

  One letter of recommendation is required from a Columbia faculty member who is familiar with your academic achievement or accomplishment in your major.

  For your convenience, the online application will send an email notification directly to the person you've chosen to complete your recommendation. Please be prepared with the email address of your recommender. 
  
  Note: Remember to contact your recommenders directly before providing their information on the application. Since this application is part of the larger College-Wide Undergraduate Scholarship application, also note the specific scholarship(s) for which they will be recommending you. Be sure to give recommenders as much time as possible to write letters. Requests made at the last minute are often difficult to fulfill by the deadline. 

  PART 3: FAFSA SUBMISSION SUMMARY
  A current FAFSA Submission Summary must be on file. To receive a FAFSA Submission Summary, students must complete a 2025-26 financial aid application (FAFSA) by February 1, 2025.
  
  

  Access online applications through Internal Scholarships.

• About David Talbott Cox
  David Talbott Cox was highly respected for his talent as both actor and director. Born in Hyde Park community of Chicago, Mr Cox began his theater career as a child working in education films for Coronet Films. He established several small theater groups in Chicago during the 1960's, producing and directing several critically acclaimed productions. Among the best known were Rolf Hochuth's "The Deputy"; and Sam Shepard's "Forensic and the Navigators." In the 1970's Mr. Cox was instrumental in launching a play-reading group in the Michigan City area of Indiana which is still thriving.
• Scholarship Terms
  • Application must be submitted by February 1, 2025 (11:59 pm) for review by the committee
  • Amount of this one-year scholarship is up to $6,000, awarded half in Fall and half in Spring
  • Scholarship is applied toward tuition only
  • Students' scholarships that are applied toward tuition may not exceed the amount of their tuition costs
  • Recipients must maintain full-time, undergraduate enrollment during the 2025-26 academic year
  • Recipients who graduate in Fall 2025 may receive the full scholarship amount in Fall 2025
  • Recipients must have submitted all outstanding documents to Columbia Central before the scholarship can be disbursed. Students can review missing documents in the MyColumbia portal under MyFinancials
  • Scholarship may be used toward a study abroad program through one of Columbia's student exchange programs, excluding Summer sessions. Please note: Recipients who enroll in an independent study abroad program will forfeit their scholarship during the semester spent abroad
  • The rules and regulations governing other sources of financial aid (federal, state, institutional and other grants, gifts, or loans) will apply
  • Columbia College Chicago reserves the right to withhold the scholarship in any year in which, at the sole discretion of the scholarship committee, suitable candidates cannot be found among applicants

IMPORTANT DATES