iQuilt Initiative: help the iSchool celebrate multidisciplinary contributions to SU, pay tribute to late Dean Emeritus von Dran

iQuilt Initiative: help the iSchool celebrate multidisciplinary contributions to SU, pay tribute to late Dean Emeritus von DranMarch 25, 2008Margaret Costello Spillettmcostell@syr.edu

Just as a quilt is made beautiful by the diversity of its individual squares, the School of Information Studies (iSchool) enriches Syracuse University with its multidisciplinary programs, faculty, students and research interests. With its 41 full-time faculty members representing more than a dozen academic fields, the iSchool unites these disparate disciplines around the common theme of information.

The iSchool wants to celebrate this quality — which Dean Elizabeth D. Liddy calls the school’s “unified diversity” — in a commemorative iQuilt and invites people from across campus to collaborate on the project. Those who are not interested in quilting can still participate by commissioning the creation of a square, the funds from which will support the iSchool’s Raymond F. von Dran Fund, honoring the iSchool’s late dean emeritus.

The iQuilt will pay tribute to the people, disciplines and ideas that make up the iSchool at Syracuse and to information itself. “Information is everywhere,” says Liddy. “But it is only through our capability to find, use and distribute information that we unleash its power to transform our world. Information is critical to all parts of our lives, from entertainment and education to medicine and security. Information and communication technologies have become pervasive across all walks of life and touch nearly every activity in one way or another.”

To celebrate these interconnections, the iSchool invites all campus members to contribute to the creation of the iQuilt and show how information plays a role in their academic or recreational interests. There are three ways to participate:

1. Submit a block: For those who quilt, there is a block competition. On or before April 17, submit one 5 ?- or 10 ?-inch block. Pick up a 6 ?-inch square of background and one of the theme fabrics and then add your own unique style by adding some fabric of your own that reflect your school or interests. Traditional or non-traditional block, pieced or applique — you decide. Feel free to sign your name and include your school affiliation.

2. Sew a seam and sign your name: Come visit the iSchool on April 11 for the iFaire celebration or on April 22 during MayFest and sew a seam or two under the careful tutoring of an iSchool faculty member or student. Your name and school affiliation will be included.

3. Pay the sewer and sign your name:For a small donation to the Raymond F. von Dran Fund ($10), you, too, can be immortalized in fabric. Someone from the iSchool will sew it, and you can sign it. Stop by and watch the quilt take shape.

The first iSchool quilt will be hung in the school’s home in Hinds Hall. If there are enough blocks for a second quilt, it will be auctioned to raise money for the Raymond F. von Dran Fund.

For more information, contact Michelle L. Kaarst-Brown at mlbrow03@syr.edu or Margaret Costello Spillett at mcostell@syr.edu.