Jill Erickson ‘95, Robin Koozer ‘76 and George Lundeen ‘71 be inducted into the Hastings College Fine Arts Hall of Fame on Sunday, September 19, on campus. The trio is the second class to be inducted following the establishment of the Fine Arts Hall of Fame in 2019.
A celebratory brunch to honor the recipients begins at 11:30 a.m. in Scott Studio Theatre (806 N. Turner Ave.). An induction ceremony will follow at 12:30, also in the theatre. Tickets for the event, which is the Sunday of Homecoming Weekend at the College, are $12 per person and may be purchased at hastings.edu/homecoming or by contacting the Hastings College alumni office at 402.461.7363 or alumni@hastings.edu.
The Fine Arts Hall of Fame honors individuals in Music, Theatre and Art who are making an impact in their communities through the arts. A committee of college officials and community members selects inductees.
Erickson, of Chicago, Illinois, is co-founder of Beast Woman Production, Inc., and is being inducted for Theatre.
Koozer of Hastings, Nebraska, is being inducted for Music. He served in the College’s music department from 1988 until January 2017 when he stepped down to work with the Hastings College Foundation.
Lundeen of Loveland, Colorado, is being inducted for Art. He is a nationally known sculptor of realistic figures who established his sculpting studio in Loveland in the mid-1970s.
Biographies of the 2021 inductees
Jill Erickson ‘95 is co-founder of Beast Women Production, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois, an all-female performance variety revue founded in 2007 that serves as a platform to showcase the best female talent in Chicago. Erickson works as a co-producer, co-director and performer alongside fellow Hastings College alumna Michelle Power ‘97 and does a large amount of solo performance work and marketing for the company. Erickson has had a role in at least 300 shows over the last 14 years, including office parties, block parties, weddings and birthdays, just to name a few venues.
Robin Koozer ‘76 is emeritus professor of music and chair of the music department at Hastings College. He served in the music department from 1988 until January 2017 when he stepped down to work with the Hastings College Foundation as associate vice president of development. During Koozer’s tenure with the music department, he was named Outstanding Advisor and twice selected by students and faculty to deliver the Invited Faculty Lecture. He was appointed to serve two terms on the Nebraska Arts Council and is also a consultant and evaluator for accreditation with the National Associate of Schools of Music. Koozer’s passion for music has expanded from campus into the community through his involvement with the Hastings Symphony Orchestra, Hastings Community Theatre and First Presbyterian Church, where he has served in the music ministry for more than three decades as a chancel choir member and director, director of youth choirs, accompanist, soloist, director of the bell choir and music coordinator.
George Lundeen ‘71, a native of Holdrege, Nebraska, is a nationally known sculptor of realistic figures. A Fulbright-Hayes Scholar studying in Florence, Italy, Lundeen established his sculpting studio in Loveland, Colorado, in the mid-1970s and has been commissioned to sculpt portraits and interpretive works for universities, municipalities, foundations and corporations over nearly the last half century, including a number of his works on the Hastings College campus and medallions presented to Pro Rege Society members, as well as the president’s medallion worn at all ceremonial college events. He has achieved the status of full Academician of the National Academy of Design in New York, the highest professional recognition bestowed on visual arts in America, and is also a member of the National Academy of Design and the National Sculpture Society.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Hastings’ student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad and a two-week study away experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.
