Eureka College to Debut Creative Design Lab in Fall 2021
EUREKA – When fine and performing arts students return to Eureka College this fall, they will have the opportunity to experience the College’s new Creative Design Lab.
Located on the third floor of Burgess Memorial Hall, the latest addition to the EC campus will be the institution’s first climate-controlled computer lab of all Mac computers.
The Creative Design Lab will be EC’s new home for everything from graphic design courses to music composition and audio and sound design sessions. It will both be used as a facility for instructing courses and for personal use to work on digital media, design, music and other projects.
“The opening of our new Creative Design Lab is a game-changer for our Digital Media & Design, Digital Music and Audio Design students and faculty,” Eureka College Director of Fine Arts Advancement and Recruitment Mary Finch said. “Our new Apple Computer Lab will offer state-of-the-art technology, which will benefit not only our Fine Arts students, but our entire student body."
The lab is a boon for digital media and design students, who will be able to use it to produce and edit graphic design work. It’s the latest update for the Digital Media and Design major, which was revamped in 2017 and has since resulted in a 100 percent job/graduate school placement rate for students graduating from the program.
It’s equally significant for music students, who can use the lab to compose music and produce and edit audio. For the first time at EC, music students will be able to use midi boards on the Macs for piano and composition courses.
In the future, the lab could also be used for coursework in other academic disciplines, such as communication, journalism and Spanish.
“We are very grateful to have this lab to serve so many of our students, including our art and music majors,” Eureka College Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ann Fulop said. “The Creative Design Lab will provide another space where our signature 10 Essentials courses will be taught, and will enable us to meet our commitment of embedding technology into all of our programs.”
Construction of the Creative Design Lab is already under way and is aiming to be completed by the time fall classes begin. A dedication ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.
Located in Eureka, Illinois, and chartered in 1855, Eureka College cultivates excellence in learning, service and leadership while providing students uniquely personalized and custom educational opportunities.
Originally founded by abolitionist members of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Eureka College holds the unique distinction of being the first college in Illinois and only the third in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. The College, which is located on nearly 70 wooded acres in central Illinois, is the smallest of only 24 colleges and universities to ever award a bachelor’s degree to a future President of the United States.