The University of North Carolina School of Arts has announced a $5 million gift from Chancellor Emeritus Alex C. Ewing as part of a comprehensive fundraising campaign for its School of the Arts.

One of the largest gifts in the fifty-year history of the arts school comes on the heels of a $1 million gift from Ewing in support of scholarships at the school. In recognition of the gifts, the school's Performance Place performing arts venue, which includes the Gerald Freedman Theatre, the Catawba Theatre, and the Patrons Theatre, will be renamed Alex Ewing Performance Place. The venue is the primary training facility for the Schools of Drama and Design & Production and also hosts performances by students at the School of Music.

Ewing served as UNCSA chancellor from 1990 to 2000. During his tenure, he spearheaded the establishment of the School of Filmmaking, where the three-theatre exhibition complex is named ACE (for Alex C. Ewing) in his honor. He also established the Lucia Chase Endowed Fellowship in Dance, which is named for his mother, a principal dancer and longtime artistic director with the American Ballet Theatre.

"We're profoundly grateful to Alex for his continued support of the School of the Arts," said UNCSA chancellor Lindsay Bierman. "This transformative gift will launch our campaign, which will include support for student scholarships, faculty, endowments, educational programs, and critical upgrades to our facilities."