UA Graduate Studying “Down Under” With Prestigious Scholarship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Recent University of Alabama graduate Adam Hill has spent the last few months “down under” in Australia, but not vying for $1 million as one of the “Survivors” seen on national television.

Instead, Hill, who graduated from UA in December 2000 with a master’s degree in music history, has been studying at the University of Tasmania working toward his doctorate in music composition. He was awarded a prestigious Thomas Crawford Memorial Scholarship from the university. The scholarship, which covers up to three years of tuition and includes annual stipend allowances, is open to American doctoral students.

“The Australian seasons are the opposite of those in the United States,” said Hill. “And while they do go to school from late summer to mid-spring like we in America do, that time-span just happens to be from late February to mid-November. So, I haven’t finished my first year yet. I have only been here since February, and I will finish my first semester in mid-June.” .

“The city of Hobart is a lovely city. Being able to see the river and the harbor and the mountains on a daily basis is quite a treat. And the few parts of the rest of Tasmania that I have seen remind me of northeast Alabama, which I really feel is beautiful. I haven’t traveled any on the mainland yet, but hope to do so soon. Australians are really nice people, and the pace of life here is a little less hectic than it can be in the U.S., and this does have its advantages. I look forward to my time here, and I hope to make some new friends, but there is still no place like home.”

Upon receiving his doctorate, Hill plans to return to the United States in order to pursue a career teaching music in a college or university setting. A native of Montgomery, Hill received a Presidential Scholarship at UA in 1988 and earned his bachelor’s of music. His compositions have been performed by the Johnson Symphony Orchestra of The University of Alabama, the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, and various other musicians and ensembles at UA. His works have been read by the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, the Johnson Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago 20th-Century Ensemble.

Hill’s scholarship is not music-specific but is instead a university-wide award. It was created at the University of Tasmania by the late Thomas A Crawford, who was an American citizen who came to Tasmania in the 1960s to study at the University in Hobart. According to the university’s Web site, his bequest to the university provides opportunities for citizens from a variety of nations to study in a diverse range of academic disciplines in Tasmania.

Individuals wishing to apply for the scholarship have until June 30 to do so.