Alan Hill '81 returns to DePauw administration

A DePauw athletics legend will be back on campus this fall as an administrator.

Alan P. Hill, a 1981 graduate of DePauw University, will return to campus to serve as vice president for student academic life and dean of experiential learning, president-elect D. Mark McCoy announced Monday. Hill's appointment is effective Aug. 1.

Additionally, Dave A. Berque, who has served as dean of academic life since July 2013, adds associate vice president for student academic life to his title and joins the division on July 1.

Hill replaces Christopher Wells, the former vice president for student life, who is leaving DePauw to join the administration of Colgate University, and Rajesh "Raj" Bellani, dean of experiential learning, who is now assistant to the president for strategic initiatives at Denison University.

Hill, who was a three time all-American athlete from Terre Haute and DePauw's first national champion, also earned a master's degree from the university in 1983. He began his career as a marketing representative for IBM and returned to DePauw, where he spent a decade in several key administrative roles, including director of financial aid, dean of students and assistant to the provost.

He served in his first vice president role at Alma College as the vice president for enrollment and student affairs. He then spent 14 years working at Franklin College, where he was vice president of enrollment and student affairs and later named vice president for enrollment and marketing.

For the past year, he has been dean for professional development at Wabash College.

"I am delighted to bring Alan Hill, a highly regarded college administrator and loyal graduate of DePauw, back to his alma mater,"said Dr. McCoy, who officially assumes the presidency on July 1. "He will bring great energy, experience and insight as we work to ensure that our student experience here is among the nation's very best.

"The new name for the division Alan will lead -- Student Academic Life -- deepens our commitment to a transformative student experience at DePauw," McCoy added. "The vast leadership experience of Alan Hill and bringing Professor Dave Berque into the division seamlessly connects student life and academics at DePauw. That Alan is also one of university's favorite sons is an added bonus."

Hill expressed his delight at returning to the Greencastle community.

"I would like to thank Dr. McCoy for offering me this wonderful opportunity to return to a place that means so much to both my wife Jennett (McGowan '85) and me," Hill said. "I am extremely excited about this appointment and very much look forward to engaging with our students and connecting/reconnecting with members of the DePauw family and the greater Greencastle community."

A standout in football and track and field, Hill was inducted into DePauw's Athletic Hall of Fame in the latter sport in 1994. As a Tiger he captured the NCAA Division III pole vault title by leaping 15 feet, 4 inches and still holds the school record of 16 feet, 1 inch.

A defensive back in football, Hill was featured in Sports Illustrated after intercepting a school record four passes for 159 yards at St. Norbert's College. Against Olivet Nazarene, he returned a kickoff a school-record 100 yards, and his career average of 36.2 yards per return is among the 15 highest single-season averages on all levels.

In 1982, Hill was signed to a free agent contract by the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

Hill and his wife have been married for 30 years and have two adult children, Courtney and Preston. Active in community service, Hill has served on the boards of Park Tudor School and the Charles A. Tindley Accelerated High School in Indianapolis.

Berque, professor of computer science at DePauw, joined the University's faculty in 1992 after a year teaching at Colgate University. He was recognized in 1997 as the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Outstanding Baccalaureate Colleges United States Professor of the Year.

Dr. Berque's work at DePauw led to the development of pen-based technology, now known as DyKnow Vision, that is being used in classrooms around the nation. In 2012, Science magazine noted his work in an article headlined "Finding Balance: The Professor/Entrepreneur."

He received the 2007 Mira Techpoint Award for "Education Contribution in Technology - Individual" for his efforts to create the aforementioned software.

In his new role, he will oversee a new class dean system and maintain DePauw's academic focus within and beyond the classroom.

"In the classroom, and as an administrator, Dave Berque has had a positive influence on DePauw students for almost a quarter-century," McCoy noted. "I'm delighted that he is joining this division and the cabinet."

Professor Berque earned his B.A. from Haverford College and the M.S. and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He chaired DePauw's computer science department from 2006-12, was chairman of the DePauw faculty from 2008-11 and chaired department chairs and program directors from 2011-12.