LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- John Patrick Mintz of Stanhope, NJ, and Dale Santangelo of Vineland, NJ, have been named 1998 Acting Scholar award winners by the fine arts department of Rider University.

The annual theater scholarship recognizes two high school students with exceptional acting talent and leadership potential. Candidates undergo a rigorous application process and private audition on campus that requires performance of a serious monologue, humorous monologue, and an optional song.

Mintz, a senior at Lenape Valley Regional High School, has appeared in numerous productions at his high school, Growing Stage Theatre, and the County College of Morris, including prominent roles in well-known favorites like Bye Bye Birdie, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, The Emperor's New Clothes, Oliver!, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. A top student who is a member of the National Honor Society and French Honor Society, Mintz is a four-time All-Sussex County and All-North Jersey High School Chorus selection, as well as a Carnegie Hall Honors Chorus member. He is also involved in his high school concert and marching bands and church choir.

Santangelo, a senior at Sacred Heart High School, has performed in numerous productions at his high school, The Media Theatre of Pennsylvania, Cumberland Players Community Theatre, and the Bucks County Playhouse, including Hello, Dolly!, Me and My Girl, Damn Yankees, Crazy for You, Arsenic and Old Lace, Kiss Me Kate, and Carousel. Since 1996, he has been honored with eight awards or nominations from the Papermill Playhouse and Bucks County Playhouse, including a best performance by a leading actor award from the latter for his portrayal of Billy Bigelow in Carousel.

"Both Dale and John went through our general audition, and a week later both were called back for a vigorous second session," said Dr. Pat Chmel, chairperson of Rider's fine arts department. "They both have distinguished themselves at their own high schools and have experience in acting, dance, and singing. They should be strong additions to our expanding program."

The scholarship covers full tuition costs at Rider University for four years in exchange for each recipient's involvement in the fine arts department's three major theater productions each year. Scholarship winners may choose to major in fine arts, or select a major from any of Rider's 58 disciplines and pursue a minor in fine arts. Both students will enroll at Rider in the fall.

For more information on the Acting Scholars program, contact Dr. Chmel at (609) 896-5168.

Rider University is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian institution with a 353-acre main campus in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and a 23-acre campus in Princeton, New Jersey. The University offers 58 undergraduate programs and 17 graduate programs in the Colleges of Business Administration; Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences; Continuing Studies; and Westminster Choir College. Ninety-three percent of the faculty hold doctoral or other appropriate advanced degrees. U.S. News and World Report has again ranked Rider in the top tier of northern universities based on the quality of its programs.