In choosing to support the development of ALPS, Mr. Merck recognized the opportunity to create a partnership with a research university that could transform teaching into a continuously innovative profession by applying interactive technology. Mr. Merck further saw the advantage of using the Internet to make programs accessible to teachers worldwide.

Mr. Merck continues his generous funding of online initiatives for educators by supporting the development of the WIDE World, an array of distance learning courses providing professional development for today’s and tomorrow’s teachers and administrators around pedagogy, school management, and technology-based learning. The WIDE World is a collaboration between ALPS and its sister site, Education with New Technologies (ENT).

A proponent of educational improvements, Mr. Merck has served as a trustee of both private and public colleges and on the New Jersey State Board of Higher Education. Mr. Merck is a member of the Harvard College class of 1943 and served as a director of the pharmaceutical firm of Merck & Co., Inc. for many years until his retirement in 1993.

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