DePauw Stories

A new branding campaign celebrates DePauw’s successful alumni and students and recognizes the distinctive qualities of a DePauw education – the characteristics that make members of the DePauw community “Gold Within.”

The campaign was kicked off recently when 31 billboards were erected across metropolitan Indianapolis to tell the success stories of 20 alumni (with some repeats) and the prospects of a successful future for eight students, all thanks to their DePauw education.

“We want young people who are considering higher education to recognize that DePauw alums find professional success and also enjoy a lifelong feeling of connectedness with something larger than themselves,” said Deedie Dowdle, vice president of communications and marketing. “Gold is more than our school color; a DePauw education epitomizes the gold standard for academic excellence. The tagline takes advantage of DePauw’s name – that is, the “Au” within the university’s name is the chemical symbol for gold.

“On campus and after graduation, our students and alumni carry DePauw’s gold within for the rest of their lives.”

The concept of “Gold Within” recognizes that alumni had varied experiences at DePauw but share a common bond, Dowdle said. “Individuals’ experiences vary greatly, depending on the times, a student’s classes, professors, peers, housing choice and innumerable other circumstances,” she said. “But all of our alums share the common experience of a superior education and DePauw’s connectedness, the intangible force that makes them ‘Gold Within.’ We hope our alumni will tap into that and we hope prospective students will recognize that they, too, can pursue the distinctive experiences afforded by a DePauw education and explore personally what Gold Within means to them.’”

Dowdle said that the university is designing merchandise, such as T-shirts, that will bear the “Gold Within” tagline and be available for purchase.

What makes you Gold Within? We want to know! Send an email to communicate@depauw.edu to tell us why you’re Gold Within.

Visit the Gold Within landing page here.