ELKINS – As digital technology continues to become more a part of our daily lives, Davis & Elkins College will stay ahead of the game with a new course of study for students and a brand new, more user-friendly College website, thanks to friends of the College Doug and Gay Lane who generously provided $250,000 in financial support.
Beginning in the fall 2020 semester, students can elect to minor in digital media within the Division of Creative Arts. The course work would allow students to prepare for a career as a design professional through the study of digital and print design, video production, illustration, animation, visual branding, 3D design, apparel design, geographic information systems, digital storytelling and web page publishing.
“D&E is grateful to Doug and Gay Lane for their continuing financial support to encourage future growth of both our academic programs and the College’s infrastructure,” said D&E President Chris A. Wood. “The Lanes have been generous with funding that enhances the College’s infrastructure to better serve our students through the new website, and also providing direct services to meet student needs as evidenced by the addition of the digital media minor which has been the most requested new program from prospective students. Doug and Gay are true friends of the College who have taken to heart that those who have been blessed are to serve as a blessing to others.”
To allow students to learn in a state-of-the-art environment, the Lanes’ gift provides for a remodeled Mac Lab in the lower level of Myles Center for the Arts, equipped with 20 iMac computers with Retina 5K and 4K display, and subscriptions to Adobe Creative Cloud. The Lanes have also provided personnel support for the program’s initial year.
The students’ newly acquired skills can open professional opportunities in creative fields, as well as careers in marketing, computer science and communications.
The College’s virtual gateway www.dewv.edu will see a complete redesign and upgraded functionality. Working with Caylor Solutions of Fishers, Indiana, a team of D&E staff and faculty have already begun formulating ideas for the look and feel of the new website. Caylor Solutions has been a part of D&E since summer when the company took over to host the current website.
The new website will feature dynamic content, improved navigation, a built-in search engine and a consistent theme and design holding true to the D&E brand.
