- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA – After nine years of teaching, rehearsing and reciting Lincoln University’s alma mater, an essential part of the University family, Dr. William B. Garcia has retired and established the Dr. William B. Garcia Endowed Scholarship in the amount of $30,000.
The Dr. William B. Garcia Endowed Scholarship Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement is to be given during the Spring to an African American male student who entered Lincoln University as a freshman with minimum placement scores and high school preparation. The student must achieve a 4.0 semester grade point average for at least five consecutive semesters, after seven consecutive semesters of matriculation at Lincoln University. The scholarship award will be an unrestricted cash award of $1,000, which will increase to $1,500 after ten years of existence. The award is intended to promote a high level of academic achievement at the University.
Dr. Garcia, a professor of Music (Voice, Choral Music, and African American Music), was appointed to the Lincoln University faculty in August 2001. He served as chair of the Department of Music and subsequently the Department of Visual and Performing Arts until 2006. A tenured faculty member (June 2003), he was the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Lincoln University Concert Choir from August 2001 through October 2007. During 2009-2010, Dr. Garcia taught Voice, Music Theory Fundamentals, and Music Appreciation.
He retired from Lincoln University on May 2, 2010.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Dr. Garcia earned the Bachelor of Music in voice and choral music, and the Master of Music Education in choral music from the University of North Texas, in 1962 and 1965, respectively. He earned the Doctor of Philosophy in Choral Conducting and Choral Literature, and solo singing from the University of Iowa in 1973.
Dr. Garcia completed the College Management Program at Carnegie Mellon University in 1984, and was a National Endowment for the Humanities post-doctoral fellow in African American Culture and Music in residence at Howard University.
His current research centers on the choral arrangement of the African American spiritual and original classical vocal and choral compositions by African American composers. In addition, Dr. Garcia is in the initial stages of research on the current state of music major enrollments at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
With a teaching career of over 41 years, Dr. Garcia brought experience and enthusiasm to his musical training. His entire career has been spent at African American colleges and universities. Beginning with appointments as instructor of Music at Philander Smith College (1963-64), and as assistant professor of Music at Langston University (1965-69), Dr. Garcia taught Voice and Choral Music and served as department chair at Miles College (1974-77). Talladega College is where he also served as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs (1983-84). He was also employed at Selma University, Lane College, Langston University, and Fort Valley State University.
Between the years of 2001-2007, he conducted the Lincoln University Concert Choir. His mission at Lincoln was to restore the musical integrity and legacy of excellence in choral singing. Under his direction, the Concert Choir presented concert performances at churches and schools in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Virginia, and Maryland. In 2004, the Concert Choir performed for two of Governor Ed Rendell’s inauguration events, including one at the Governor’s mansion. During his tenure, they performed for every formal convocation, Founder’s Day Banquet and Commencement Ceremony.
Since 1968, Dr. Garcia has been a life member of the American Choral Directors Association. He is also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
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Lincoln University – founded in 1854 as the nation’s first Historically Black University – combines the best elements of a liberal arts and sciences-based undergraduate core curriculum and selected graduate programs to meet the needs of those living in a highly technological and global society. The University enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
Internationally recognized for preparing learners and producing world-class leaders in their fields, Lincoln has created five academic Centers of Excellence-programs of distinctions. They are: Lincoln-Barnes Visual Arts, Grand Research Educational Awareness and Training (GREAT) for Minority Health, Mass Communications, Teacher Education and Urban Pedagogy and Business and Information Technology.