DePauw's eLearning Initiative Now Has a Name: 361°
February 8, 2002
February 8, 2002, Greencastle, Ind. - In March of 2001, Lilly Endowment awarded DePauw a $20 million Grant of Distinction to establish a national technology center and to launch a series of initiatives that will guarantee that DePauw alumni, students, faculty members, and staff are prepared to provide the creativity and leadership required by the digital age. Vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty Neal B. Abraham today announced that DePauw will call these initiatives and related programs 361°.
The announcement coincides with the opening of the third annual Great Lakes College Association (GLCA) Technology Symposium at DePauw, and was the lead story on this morning's Inside Indiana Business report on NPR affiliate WFYI-FM in Indianapolis. (The story, including an interview with Abraham, 
are available here: 
[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Headline" 312KB] [DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "361° Story" 1000KB])
Dr. Abraham says “the metaphor of ‘more than full circle' represents the comprehensive preparation of students for their encounters with and use of information technology in all aspects of their professional and private lives.” He says with 361°, DePauw will be a national model for the successful marriage of digital fluency with the classic critical thinking, speaking and writing strengths of liberal arts education. “DePauw's initiatives will foster student and faculty use of, and facility with, computers and other digital technologies to develop the skills and languages needed to learn, live and work in an increasingly technological world,” Abraham said.
DePauw University has a long and distinguished record of preparing students for uncommon success in every degree of life. DePauw graduates stand prominently as leaders in business, science, medicine, government, the arts, philanthropy, and many
other fields. “Our graduates succeed spectacularly, in part because the University developed their ability to think and act critically, innovatively, and dynamically,” Dr. Abraham stated. “As innovations in technology progress, many are looking to DePauw to provide talented leadership for the digital age.”
The metaphor also applies to DePauw's intent to improve the use of information technology in all aspects of teaching and learning at the University. According to Dennis Trinkle, associate coordinator of technology and information systems at DePauw and Tenzer University Professor in Instructional Technology, “In making information technology ubiquitous on campus DePauw will provide the sense that it is everywhere, that it affects everyone, and that technology and technology-literate people are to be found in every direction. The over-completeness implied by 361°, more than full circle, represents the intentional preparation at DePauw to be ready for a changing world, a world that may be noticeably different for 
each of us each time one scans all directions and returns to the starting point.” Dr. Trinkle added, “The initiatives will challenge students, alumni, faculty members, and staff members to become innovative thinkers and leaders in an increasingly technological world.”
The centerpiece for 361° initiatives will be a new technology center in the renovated Percy L. Julian Mathematics and Science building. It will house pioneering facilities and serve as a locus for exploring the best techniques for integrating new digital tools in the teaching and earning process. However, 361° activities will be found in every aspect of DePauw, in every building and classroom, in every academic and administrative department, in every residence hall, and throughout the campus.
361° will also enhance teaching and learning at other institutions. Faculty members and information technology staff from other campuses will come to DePauw for internships, sabbaticals, workshops, conferences, and symposia. 361° will host national workshops and conferences on integrating instructional technology to improve teaching and learning. In partnership with the
Midwest Information Technology Center, a joint venture of the twenty-six institutional members of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) and the Associate Colleges of the Midwest funded by The Andrew Mellon Foundation, DePauw will participate in inter-institutional efforts to develop and implement new uses of instructional technology to enhance teaching and learning. DePauw's faculty and staff leaders also will publish and speak broadly on the innovations and best practices being developed on campus.
Drawing upon a traditional DePauw strength, 361° will also provide a multitude of outreach opportunities with businesses. More than 100 internships will be available each year for DePauw students interested in utilizing information technology skills at leading companies and organizations in Indiana and across the nation. 361° will attract national leaders to campus from the public and private sectors, including alumni advisers to the technology internship program. These leaders will enrich the link between DePauw's programs for Management Fellows, Science Research Fellows, Media Fellows, and Information Technology Associates and .com entrepreneurial activities. “361° will produce direct benefits for the workforce by providing
liberal arts students the familiarity and facility to pursue information technology as a specialty or as a developed talent, and then place these students in jobs with top technology firms,” Abraham stated.
“361° strengthens DePauw's commitment to uncommon success in an increasingly technological world,” added Trinkle. “We look forward to the stimulating opportunities these programs will offer the DePauw community, as well as the leadership and service they will provide for the national academic community."
For more complete information about technology initiatives at DePauw, click here.
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