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DePauw to dedicate Robert G. Bottoms Alumni Center Friday
DePauw University will honor its 18th and longest-serving president, Bob Bottoms, Friday, Oct. 12 by dedicating the new alumni and development center that bears his name.
The campus and community are invited to attend dedication ceremonies and an open house for the Robert G. Bottoms Alumni and Development Center, located at 201 E. Seminary St., on Friday, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The president emeritus, who retired in 2008, is scheduled to return to campus for the event.
“Under the leadership of Bob Bottoms, DePauw -- which had been a respected Midwestern institution -- became a nationally recognized liberal arts college. He transformed DePauw,” D. Mark McCoy, the university’s 20th president, said. “Our endowment grew more than five-fold, we attracted world class faculty and perhaps most critically, DePauw recognized that its campus needed to reflect the world graduates will live in, and the president made diversity and inclusion a priority.
“DePauw University became a much stronger entity, thanks to the leadership and vision of Dr. Bottoms,” McCoy praised.
Immediately following the dedication, an open house will continue until 4 p.m.
The Robert G. Bottoms Alumni and Development Center -- located at the northeast corner of Seminary Street and College Avenue -- across from the Admission Office -- creates a central university office space for the offices of Alumni Engagement and Development. The space provides a welcome center for alumni visitors and allows for programming and events.
The building formerly housed Sigma Nu fraternity and later, Delta Zeta sorority.
A major capital gift from Timothy and Sharon Ubben, 1958 graduates and two of the greatest benefactors in DePauw’s 181-year history, made possible the new home for the college’s development and alumni engagement division. The Ubbens requested the building be named the Robert G. Bottoms Alumni and Development Center to honor Bottoms for his leadership and lasting influence.
“Oct. 12 will be a day to share our love for DePauw with people who have contributed so much to the university over the past half-century,” Steve Setchell, vice president for alumni and development and a 1996 alum, said. “I welcome all -- students, alumni, faculty, staff, community members and friends of DePauw -- to join us in celebrating the leadership and legacy of President Bottoms, whose influence will be felt for many generations to come.”