$750,000 endowment to support Regnier Institute and scholarships in SU’s School of Information Studies

$750,000 endowment to support Regnier Institute and scholarships in SU’s School of Information StudiesApril 20, 2005Edward Byrnesedbyrnes@syr.edu

The School of Information Studies at Syracuse University has announced the naming of the 2005 Helen Benning Regnier Summer Institute on Leadership and Change, made possible through a $750,000 endowment from the Victor and Helen Regnier Charitable Foundation. The Regnier Institute will offer unique two-, five- and seven-day intensive courses focusing on critical areas in today’s information environment: library and information science; school media; web development and digital libraries; information management; government information management, and telecommunications and network management. The 2005 Regnier Institute will run from May 16-August 7.

In addition to the Regnier Institute, the Regnier endowment also supports annual full-tuition scholarships for distance learning students pursuing a master’s of library and information science degree at SU.

“We are delighted that Regnier Charitable Foundation has chosen to support our mission, our school and our students in this way. We take pride in educating students to be leaders in the information science and technology field. The Regnier Institute is a tremendous opportunity for students to grow into leadership under the direction of international leaders in the field,” says Raymond F. von Dran, dean of the School of Information Studies.

Regnier Institute courses can be taken for credit or audit on campus, online or in a limited residency format. The Regnier Institute instructional team is comprised of faculty members from the School of Information Studies and internationally renowned academic leaders. For course descriptions and registration information, visit http://www.ist.syr.edu/ .

Organized collections of digital information, whether text, images, numbers or sound, are becoming society’s new libraries-and Regnier Institute courses will address many important aspects of this trend: Courses in Web development and digital libraries prepare for students for this advances in 21st-century librarianship. Information management courses offer perspectives on new information and Internet-based technologies. The library and information science courses focus on libraries, information centers, the information industry and other venues. The school media program focuses on teaching skills to help children in all areas of information literacy and technology fluency. Telecommunications and network management courses help develop technology-savvy managers.

Summer courses in Washington, D.C., offer opportunities for mid-career managers in industry and the federal government. Faculty with current experience in government information management use case studies, lectures, directed readings and guest speakers to provide a rich, relevant learning experience. Courses are offered at Syracuse University’s Paul Greenberg House on Calvert Street. These week-long intensive courses are ideal for full- and part-time students who want to continue their studies during the summer session.

Helen Benning Regnier, a native of Lyons, N.Y., attended SU on an academic scholarship and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English, magna cum laude, in 1936. She continued her education in SU’s library science program, successfully completing her degree the following year. The first in her family to go to college, Regnier stated in later years that she felt indebted to SU, as she could not have attended college without the support of the scholarship. Today, the Helen Benning Regnier scholarships enable students to pursue high-quality educations in librarianship regardless of geographic or financial constraints.