VINCENNES, Ind. - Seven recipients of 2017 Thomas W. Wathen Technology Fund grants have been announced by the Vincennes University Foundation. Now in its 10th year, the grant program has provided 55 grants totaling over $590,000 to VU departments for innovative projects that positively impact VU students and programs.

“It is the intent of the Foundation and Mr. Wathen that the annual grants will support VU’s strategic goals for leadership in higher education through creative, cutting-edge technology,” said Bumper Hostetler, president of the VU Foundation. “The committee always looks forward to the process of reviewing applications and distributing the funds that Mr. Wathen so generously contributed to the Foundation. It is a very competitive process with many outstanding proposals.”

The Wathen Technology Fund was created during the University’s Third Century of Excellence capital campaign by Thomas W. Wathen, a Vincennes native and 1949 VU graduate. The $1 million gift to establish the endowment fund was made to assist VU in advancing its educational mission by addressing the technology challenges of the future and the annual income from his gift is used to award the grants.

The purpose of the Wathen Technology Fund is to encourage faculty and staff to research, analyze, and propose creative classroom technology projects that will have a significant impact on the way the University delivers the educational process to students. The goal is to keep VU at the forefront of higher education as it grows and changes to meet the developing needs of businesses and employers.

Proposals selected for implementation include the following projects: CNC Plasma Cutter for Welding Technology, $20,000, submitted by Tom Noel; Student Focused Radio Station with App for Broadcasting-WVUB, $19,900, submitted by Kevin Watson and Nichole Carie; Pharmacy Interface Upgrade for Pharmacy Technology, $1,000, submitted by Karen Daugherty; CNC Recruiting Assistant for Precision Management, $5,750, submitted by Jonathan Vennard; iClicker cloud for Chemistry, $2,281.50, submitted by Teresa Tarbuck; Virtual Reality for Information Technology, $3,220, submitted by Jaci Lederman; Extended Learning Through Livescribe for Jasper Academic Support, $3,214.39, submitted by Angie Valuch.

ABOUT THE VU FOUNDATION

In advancing the University’s missions of higher education and community service, the VU Foundation, through the generosity of its donors, administers endorsements and contributions established by corporate and individual gifts as designated. During the 2017-18 school year, the Foundation will have available more than $1.6 million dollars to award in scholarships. Additional information is available by contacting the VU Foundation at 812.888.4510, or online at vinu.edu/foundation.

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