Much of the funds from the donation will go toward the creation and of the Noorda Regional Theatre Center for Children and Youth, a program that will be connected with UVSC’s Department of Theatrical Arts. “The support of this donation will continue to help us move toward becoming a quality university,” said UVSC President William A. Sederburg. “It is a wonderful statement of confidence in our strategy of creating a university based on community engagement.”

Tye Noorda, who made the donation in honor of her late husband, former CEO of Novell Ray Noorda, also has a vision of an engaged community. She hopes those involved at the Theatre Center will work in cooperation with other regional centers for the arts in order to create a place for the community, and particularly children and young people, to participate in the performing arts. Such involvement, she feels, is not only a great way to build self-confidence, but provides simple a certain competence that will carry them through life. “Almost everyone has to get up and speak in front of a group at some point,” she says. “It makes a difference if that person is confident and can stand up and give a speech that’s good enough and organized enough to get their point across. People will listen to them.”

Part of the donation, along with a match pledged by UVSC, will also go toward advancing the College’s theater facilities and in expanding the Department of Theatrical Arts to include new staff positions.

“Tye Noorda is a woman who believes in the power of the arts to transform lives,” said Kathie Debenham, interim dean for the School of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences. “Thanks to her generosity and vision, young people will have the opportunity to experience the magic of theater and will develop the skills and confidence to present themselves to others. Our students will reap tremendous benefits from the engaged teaching and learning that will be at the heart of the Noorda Theatre Center. We express deep gratitude for this gift that truly will make a difference in so many individual lives as well as enrich and enliven our community.”