Kalamazoo College today awarded one faculty member and one staff member with two of the highest awards the College bestows on its employees.
Professor of Theatre Arts Lanny Potts was named the recipient of the 2024–25 Lucasse Fellowship for Excellence in Scholarship, honoring his contributions in creative work, research and publication. Kelly Killen Ross, office coordinator for Campus Safety and Religious and Spiritual Life, was granted the W. Haydn Ambrose Prize, recognizing her outstanding service to the College community.
Potts is a professional designer and consultant. His work includes international lighting and production design; national tour designs for opera and dance; regional designs for opera, modern dance, ballet, drama and corporate events; concert work for Willow Creek International and the Indigo Girls; work in architectural lighting and consulting; TV studio production design and consulting; and consultant planning for performance venues and events including the 1996 Olympics.
In addition to such work, Potts has sustained a 25-year teaching career within higher education while also providing guest masterclass design instruction at various venues, and providing professional presentations on lighting design, design communication, and leadership and creativity within the arts at professional conferences and workshops. He has presented portfolio examples of his work at regional conferences, worked at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and has received numerous professional awards including a Michigan Governor’s Commendation and Atlanta Critic’s Choice awards for his design work, which included the Atlanta premier of A Few Good Men.
In recent years, Potts has earned five Wilde Awards—distributed through EncoreMichigan.com—for his lighting-design work in Farmers Alley Theatre productions such as Bright Star, Bridges of Madison County and The Light in the Piazza; and a National Lighting Design Award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College production of Fun Home. He’s also served K as an associate provost of academic affairs..
A ceremony to confer the Lucasse Fellowship traditionally occurs in the spring term, where the honored faculty member speaks regarding their work.
Killen Ross received five nominations for the Ambrose Prize, with nominators saying she’s humble, kind and always putting others first. They credited her for organizing chili lunches for struggling first-year students, breakfast for custodians during the pandemic, and transportation to the train station or airport for those in need.
The Ambrose Prize is named after W. Haydn Ambrose, who served K for more than 20 years in a variety of roles, including assistant to the president for church relations, dean of admission and financial aid, and vice president for development. Ambrose was known for being thoughtful in the projects he addressed and treating people with respect.
In addition to a financial award, Killen Ross has earned a crystal award to commemorate the achievement and an invitation to sit on the Prize’s selection committee for two years.
Congratulations to the honorees.
