Detroit - Dean Sharon L. Vasquez and the Board of Visitors of Wayne State University's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts (CFPCA) present the 31st annual Ovation Awards, 6pm to 9pm, Wednesday, April 16, at the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn. Outstanding alumni and long-time friends of Wayne State University will be recognized for their dedication to the arts and communication, for achievements in their respective fields or for service to the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. The cost is $150 to attend. The evening includes a reception and silent auction at 6pm, dinner at 7pm and the awards program at 8pm. Visit CFPCA for further details about the honorees and event RSVP information.

Ovation Awards honorees:

Distinguished Alumni Award in the Department of Art and Art History
Ed Fraga, Artist (bachelors in art, 1980)

Distinguished Alumni Award in the Department of Theatre
Thorsten Kaye, Actor and Poet (master of fine arts in theatre, 1994)

Career Achievement Award in the Field of Dance
Rose Marie Floyd, Dancer and Choreographer (bachelors in family and consumer resources, 1953)

Career Achievement Award in the Field of Music
George Shirley, Tenor and the Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor of Voice at the University of Michigan (bachelors in education, 1956)

Distinguished Alumni Award in the Department of Communication AND Career Achievement Award in the Field of Communication
David E. Salzman, Executive Producer, MADtv (masters in radio and television, 1969)

Distinguished Community Service Award
Susan Mosey, President, University Cultural Center Association (bachelors in political science, 1983)

Wayne State University's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts is educating the next generation of visual artists, musicians, communication professionals and professional actors and dancers. The college offers 16 undergraduate and 12 graduate programs through its five departments of Art and Art History, Communication, Dance, Music and Theatre, with students benefiting from expert faculty and state of the art resources. Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 34,000 students. Wayne State has the Carnegie classification RU/VH, the nation's highest rating for research universities.