DePaul University

© Image: Richie Diesterheft
Byrne Hall with the St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, DePaul University.

DePaul University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1898, the university is named for the 17th century French priest who valued service and education, Saint Vincent de Paul. About 24,000 students are enrolled, roughly 15,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate/professional. The faculty includes 830 full-time members and about 700 part-time members each quarter (fall 2006 data). DePaul is the largest Catholic university and one of the ten largest private universities in the USA; it is the largest private university in Illinois. The university’s president (since 2004) is the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., Ed.D.

Academics

DePaul University is the only one of the ten largest private universities in the USA to put its primary emphasis on teaching. It has been recognized for excellence in experiential and service-based learning and for the quality of the scholarship of its doctoral faculty. DePaul has nine colleges and schools. It has two primary campuses, one in Chicago’s Loop and the other in the Near North Side neighborhood of Lincoln Park. It also has four suburban campuses that primarily serve adult students.

The College of Commerce, including the Kellstadt Graduate School of Management (KGSB), is located in Chicago’s Loop. It is one of the ten oldest business schools in the USA. It is known for its part-time MBA, accountancy, entrepreneurship and real estate programs. The dean is Ray Whittington, Ph.D., formerly the chair of the college’s School of Accountancy and Management Information Systems. There are about 130 full-time faculty members of the college. The college enrolled 4,424 undergraduate students and 1,806 graduate students in the fall of 2006. The KGSB has graduate business programs in Bahrain, the Czech Republic, New Zealand and Taiwan, People's Republic of China. Notable professors include behavioral finance pioneer Werner DeBondt, Mesirow Financial Chief Economist Diane Swonk, and Coleman Foundation Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship Harold P. Welsch.

The College of Communication separated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2007. The college is based at the Lincoln Park campus, although many graduate courses are taught in the Loop. The program’s focuses include journalism, multicultural communication, public relations and organizational communication with an emphasis on mastery of both traditional and electronic communication channels. The dean is Jacqueline Taylor, Ph.D., an author and performance studies specialist who has served as the founding director of DePaul’s Humanities Center. There are about 40 full-time faculty members. The college enrolled about 1,000 undergraduate students and 115 graduate students in the fall of 2006. Notable professors include screenwriter Matt Irvine; Chinese rhetoric expert Xing (Lucy) Lu; and multicultural communications expert Barbara Speicher.

The [[DePaul University College of Law|College of Law, located at the Loop campus, known for its intellectual property and health law programs, also focuses on public interest law, lawyering skills, international human rights, tax and family law. The dean is Glenn Weissberger, J.D., a recognized expert and prolific author on courtroom evidence and professional skills. There are about 50 full-time faculty members. The college enrolled 1,095 students in the fall of 2006. Notable faculty include M. Cherif Bassiouni, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for his work on behalf of the International Criminal Court; Alberto Coll, former United States Assistant Secretary of Defense under President George H. W. Bush; and Andrea Lyon, director of the Center for Justice in Capital Cases.

The School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI), located at the Loop campus, includes the largest graduate computer science program in the USA. It is recognized for its programs in network security, information assurance, digital cinema and computer graphics. The National Security Agency and the United States Department of Homeland Security designated it a leader in network security and information assurance. It was one of only six schools nationwide to be selected by Sony Pictures to take part in the inaugural Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence Program, designed to help educate future artists, designers, animators and engineers for the visual effects industry. The dean is David H. Miller, expert in industrial applications of artificial intelligence, who has taught in the college since 1981 and was named dean in 2007. There are about 75 full-time faculty members. Notable faculty members include Academy Award-winning sound editor David Stone. The school enrolled 1,129 undergraduate and 1,997 graduate students in the fall of 2006.

© Image: Richie Diesterheft
Blackstone-Merle Reskin DePaul University Theatre.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is DePaul's largest college and is located on the Lincoln Park campus. It has 31 undergraduate and 27 graduate departments, including the nationally recognized philosophy, psychology, public services and Islamic world studies programs. The dean is Charles S. Suchar, a sociology professor and cre include Aminah McCloud, director of the Islamic world studies program; psychology professor Leonard Jason; Joseph Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development; David Farrell Krell and William McNeill, noted translators of the philosopher Heidegger; and feminist theorist Tina Chanter. In fall of 2006, the college enrolled 6,064 undergraduates and 1,543 graduate students. ator of the university’s Discover Chicago immersion program for entering freshmen. There are about 436 full-time faculty members. Notable college faculty members

The School for New Learning, created in 1972, was one of the first university-wide efforts in the United States to serve adult students through a separate college. Students partner with faculty and professional mentors to create a unique curriculum for earning an undergraduate or graduate degree and can earn college credit for knowledge gained through life experiences by demonstrating competence in various areas. It is based at the Loop campus. Long-time dean Susanne Dumbleton is stepping down in fall 2007. There are about 35 full-time faculty members. Noted faculty members include associate professor Miriam Ben-Yoseph, named the 2006 Illinois Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education; associate professor Barbara Radner, widely quoted expert in urban and multicultural eeducation; and Patricia Szczerba, editor of global issues for “The New York Times Almanac.” In the fall of 2006, the college enrolled 1,949 undergraduates and 155 graduate students.

The School of Education is recognized for teaching students to be effective in multicultural urban environments. It is engaged in partnerships with more than 150 Chicago-area schools, including the Chicago Public Schools, parochial, and private institutions. DePaul’s education program was among the first to become accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in 1965 and remains accredited today. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in early childhood, elementary and secondary education and physical education; bilingual/bicultural education; social and cultural foundations in education; curriculum studies; educational leadership; human services and counseling; and a program in language, literacy and specialized instruction. It is based at the Lincoln Park campus. The dean is Clara Jennings, an expert in early childhood education and higher education. She is a frequent speaker about the accountability of schools of education for improved student achievement at all grade levels in response to the "No Child Left Behind" law. There are about 63 full-time faculty members. Notable faculty members include Akihiko Takahashi, expert in Japanese and American elementary math instruction. In the fall of 2006, the college enrolled 777 undergraduates and 1,513 graduate students.

DePaul's School of Music is recognized for the strength of its performance, jazz, and technical programs. The school offers degrees in jazz and concert performance, music composition, music education, jazz studies, sound recording technology and performing arts management. It is based at the Lincoln Park campus. The dean is Donald Casey, an expert in music education and a conductor, arranger and scholar. There are about 22 full-time faculty members, including violinist Ilya Kaler and piano virtuoso Eteri Andjaparidze. The faculty includes more than two dozen members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the fall of 2006, enrollment in the highly selective program included 269 undergraduates and 112 graduate students.

DePaul's Theatre School was founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925 and is the Midwest's oldest theatre training conservatory. It is nationally acclaimed for the effectiveness of its “learn by doing" philosophy; students are involved in all aspects of more than 40 productions each season in a variety of venues. Ten productions are offered to the public each season as part of The Theatre School Showcase, Chicago Playworks (the city’s oldest continuously operating children’s theatre), New Directors Series, or New Playwrights Series. The school offers performance and production degrees; it was the first in the USA to offer an undergraduate degree in dramaturgy and dramatic criticism. It is based at the Lincoln Park campus. The dean is John Culbert, an award-winning scenery and lighting designer, whose work includes the light show for Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain. There are 26 full-time faculty members, including award-winners Dean Corrin (playwright), Nan Cibula-Jenkins (costume design), Dexter Bullard (acting, directing) and Linda Buchanan (scene design). In the fall of 2006, enrollment in the highly selective program included 281 undergraduates and 35 graduate students.

Rankings and Ratings

US News & World Report has listed DePaul's service learning program at the top of the "America's Best Colleges" rankings since 2004. The 2005 guidebook, Colleges with a Conscience: 81 great schools with outstanding community involvement, recognizes the outreach activity undertaken by the university. The faculty of DePaul’s doctoral programs was ranked # 1 in the USA for the quality and quantity of research and scholarship among universities with fewer than 15 doctoral programs, according to the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index for the year 2005, produced by State University of New York-Stony Brook and Academic Analytics.

The Princeton Review, in its 2007 survey of the best colleges and universities in the United States, ranked DePaul #1 in the nation in the “Diverse Student Population” category. In recent years, US News & World Report has twice ranked DePaul University undergraduate students #1 in the USA (most recently in 2004) in terms of satisfaction with their college experience. DePaul was one of seven finalists for “College of the Year” honors given by TIME magazine and the Princeton Review in 1998.

In 2008, US News and World Report ranked the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business’ part-time MBA ninth in the USA, the 12th time it ranked among the top 10 in the past 13 years. In 2006 the Princeton Review ranked the College of Commerce's entrepreneurship program second out of 700 graduate programs in the nation and third among undergraduate programs. Entrepreneur magazine has consistently ranked DePaul's entrepreneurship program one of the best in the USA. The program has been praised in Fortune Small Business.

The College of Law was ranked among the top 100 law schools in the USA by US News & World Report in 2007. The magazine ranked the intellectual property program ninth and the health law program 13th.

The School for New Learning was named one of six "Best Practice" institutions in North America by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, an international non-profit organization which advocates for adult learning. The Houston-based American Productivity and Quality Center has touted the school for its individualized education of adult students.

The philosophy department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is noted as a first-rate program in 20th-century continental philosophy, particularly at the graduate level, according to the Hartman Report [[1]]. The community and clinical-community psychology programs won the Award for Excellence in Education Programs from the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA Division 27 of the American Psychological Association; DePaul's program was the first recipient of the award, given for the first time in 2007.

The School of Education received the College Partner Award from the Chicago Public Schools Office of High Schools and Postsecondary Education & Student Development in 2007 “in recognition for outstanding support to Chicago Public Schools Professional School Counselors.”

The School of Music was named as one of the "Schools That Rock" in the 2005 “Rolling Stone” guidebook that evaluated collegiate music schools nationally.

In 2006, The Theatre School’s array of theatrical productions, playwrighting festivals, guest-lecture series and scholarship availability are featured in the book, Creative Colleges by Elaina Loveland. In January 2003, The Education Life section of The New York Times listed DePaul's Theatre School among nine schools most mentioned by casting directors and theatrical agents for program quality.

In 2007, CIO magazine named DePaul’s Information Services Division as one of the nation’s 100 most innovative organizations for its automation and streamlining of processes ranging from admission application to advising.

History

Originally named St. Vincent’s College, DePaul University was founded in 1898 by priests and brethren belonging to the Congregation of the Mission, known as the Vincentians. Followers of 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul, they founded the university to serve Roman Catholic children of immigrants, many of whom were denied admission to universities based on ethnic and religious quotas.

Student enrollment grew from 70 in 1898 to 200 in 1903 in what is now the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. In that year, James Quigley, Roman Catholic archbishop of Chicago, announced plans to create a preparatory seminary for the archdiocese and allow Jesuit Saint Ignatius College, now Loyola University, Chicago, to move its collegiate programs to the North Side, threatening St. Vincent College’s survival. In response, the Vincentians re-chartered in 1907 as DePaul University, expressly offering all of its courses of study to men and women of any religious background. DePaul began admitting women in 1911 and awarded degrees to its first female graduates in 1912. It was one of the first Catholic universities to admit female students in a co-educational setting.

In 1912, DePaul established the School of Music and the College of Commerce, the latter becoming one of the oldest business schools in the nation. In 1914, Commerce began offering courses in Chicago’s Loop, the precursor of DePaul’s second primary campus. In 1915, the Illinois College of Law completed its affiliation with the university and became the DePaul University College of Law. Enrollment totaled more than 1,100.

Although finances were rocky, the university continued to grow and build in the 1920s. In 1926, the university was first accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities. When DePaul’s first sports teams were formed in the early 1900s, the monogram "D" was selected for the uniforms. From this originated the nickname "D-men" which evolved into "Demons." The color blue, which signifies loyalty and was chosen in 1901 by a vote of the student body, was added to the name to create the "Blue Demons."

By 1930 more than 5,000 students were enrolled in eight colleges and schools on two campuses. The Great Depression led to fluctuations in enrollment and tuition as well as cutbacks, including elimination of the football team in 1939. In 1938, the Department of Elementary Education was established, reportedly the only one in the Midwest, and one of six in the United States.

DePaul mobilized for World War II, offering its facilities for war training and free courses to train people for industry work. The G.I. Bill, which paid the tuition of veterans enrolled in college, turned the financial tide for DePaul. Enrollment in 1945 skyrocketed to 8,857 students, twice as many as the previous year, and totaled more than 11,000 in 1948.

In 1954, DePaul adopted its current armorial seal with coat of arms and motto: "Viam sapientiae monstrabo tibi" ("I will show you the way of wisdom." Proverbs, IV, 11). In 1955, the Frank J. Lewis Foundation donated the 18-story Kimball Building, rechristened the Lewis Center, at 25 East Jackson Boulevard, to the university. The building, still used today, was the hub of the Loop campus until 1993, when the DePaul Center opened at 1 East Jackson (at State Street).

In 1972, DePaul created the School for New Learning, one of the first colleges in the nation dedicated to serving adult students. In 1976 and 1977, the university acquired the land and buildings of the McCormick Theological Seminary, which increased its presence in Lincoln Park. In 1978, DePaul acquired the 47-year-old Goodman School of Drama from the Goodman Theatre and transformed it into The Theatre School.

Following renovations in the 1980s and expansion of academic programs to promote research and social engagement, the university launched a six-year strategic plan in 1989. The plan included raising the national profile, expanding enrollment from 13,500 to 18,500 and completing an extensive building campaign at the Loop and Lincoln Park campuses. Major construction included renovation of the DePaul Center in 1993 and acquisition of the Blackstone Theatre, rechristened the Merle Reskin, in 1992. At Lincoln Park, projects included the John T. Richardson Library, completed in 1992, several new residence halls and the quadrangle.

In 1994 enrollment was 16,700. Under the next six-year strategic plan, the university expanded enrollment to 23,000 students, reclaiming its status as the nation’s largest Catholic university while maintaining admission standards, increasing diversity (currently, one third of the student population is of color) and maintaining access for first-generation college students and those of limited means (about one-fourth of incoming freshmen qualify for Pell grants for low-income families). Additional new facilities included the McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Center in 1999, the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center in 1999, the Student Center in 2001 and the Sullivan NCAA Athletic Center in 2000. DePaul broke ground on a second science building in 2007.

DePaul acquired the failing Barat College in Lake Forest, IL, in 2000. It was unable to build enrollment to the level required to finance needed renovations to the campus. In 2005, it closed the campus, absorbing the remaining students, most of the faculty and some staff into its other campuses. It sold the land to a developer who pledged to maintain the historic Old Main building.

Athletics

DePaul competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big East Conference. The school mascot is the Blue Demon. The athletic colors are scarlet, royal blue and black.

The school is well known for its basketball program, which gained prominence under Ray Meyer, who led the team to the NCAA Division I basketball Final Four in the 1978-1979 season. Meyer was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, the fourth active coach to be so honored. The school's only national championship came in 1945 after winning the NIT tournament. The current men's basketball coach is Jerry Wainwright.

DePaul's NCAA women's basketball team, coached by Doug Bruno, reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in the program's history in 2006. The women's softball team, coached by Eugene Lenti, has participated in the NCAA World Series several times in recent years. Perennial rivals include Marquette University, Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame.

Blue Demons fight song

We will gather
'Neath your banner,
'Neath the scarlet and the blue,
While in song we
Tell your praises
Praises for old DePaul U

Let the battle
wage and threaten
Yours the victory to claim;
As we fight beneath your standard: Proud!
Exulting in your name.
D - E - M - O - N S

(repeat first verse and conclude with "D-E-P-A-U-L")

Campuses

DePaul's two primary campuses are in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago and the downtown Loop area. The university has suburban campuses in Naperville, Oak Forest, Des Plaines (the O’Hare Campus) and Rolling Meadows.

DePaul's Lincoln Park campus is the oldest and largest of the university's six campuses. Located on 36 acres, this campus offers a traditional university environment. Approximately 1,700 students live on campus in DePaul's eleven residence halls.

The Lincoln Park Campus is home to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Communication, The Theatre School, the School of Music, the School of Education, and the John T. Richardson Library. Opened in 1992, the library features study and small-group spaces, an automated reference center, and a high-tech Resource Center for career development. The three-level Student Center, which opened in 2002, houses student services, dining facilities, a cyber cafe and offices for organizations ranging from special-interest clubs to the Cultural Center. Other recent additions include the state-of-the-art McGowan Sciences Center and the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreational Center.

DePaul's Loop campus is located in downtown Chicago at the intersection of Jackson Boulevard and State Street. It is close to the stock exchanges, financial district, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The newest building on the Loop Campus is the DePaul Center (DPC), an 11-story building fully renovated in 1993 to include modern classrooms, high-tech student services and a business library. It is home to the College of Commerce. In November of 2000, the Urban Land Institute presented DPC with its Award for Excellence for Rehabilitation.

The College of Law and the School for New Learning are based in the Lewis Center and O'Malley Place at the southwest corner of Wabash and Jackson. Diagonally across the street is the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems. DePaul partnered with Roosevelt University and Columbia College to build the University Center of Chicago, an 18-floor residence hall housing 1,700 students, which opened in 2004 two blocks south of DPC at the intersection of State and Congress Streets.

DePaul's four suburban campuses primarily serve part-time working adults completing undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Notable alumni

Politicians / Government Officials / Civic Leaders

• Richard M. Daley, current Mayor of Chicago
• Richard J. Daley, past Mayor of Chicago
• William J. Bauer, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals
• Michael A. Bilandic, past Mayor of Chicago
• Samuel Skinner, former Chief Federal Prosecutor, former United States Secretary of Transportation; Chief of Staff to former President George H. W. Bush
• Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, former Executive Director of the NAACP
• Anne M. Burke, Illinois Supreme Court Justice, 1st District

Business Leaders

• Jeff Aronin, CEO, Ovation Pharmaceuticals
• Thomas Briatico, President of Maytag Corporation
• Frank Clark, President, ComEd; former Executive Vice President, Exelon
• Richard Driehaus, CEO, Driehaus Capital Management
• John Durberg, Senior Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis
• H. Lawrence Fuller, former CEO, BP Amoco
• [Jack Greenberg, former CEO, McDonald's Corporation
• Paul Greig, President and CEO (Illinois unit), Charter One Bank N.A.
• James M. Jenness, CEO, Kellogg Corporation
• John W. Martin, Jr., former Vice President and General Counsel, Ford Motor Company
• Raymond F. McCaskey, President and CEO, Health Care Service Corporation
• Patrick J. Moore, Chairman, President, CEO, Smurfit-Stone Container Group
• Tom Panos, President, MB Financial Bank
• Diane M. Pearse, CFO, Crate and Barrel
• Leonard H. Roberts, CEO, Radio Shack
• Richard Rosenfield, Founder, California Pizza Kitchen
• Daniel C. Stevens, CFO, Taylor Capital Group Inc.
• Daniel C. Ustian, President and CEO, Navistar International Corporation
• Ernest R. Wish, Chairman of Wish Enterprises; Former Managing Partner, Coopers & Lybrand

Musicians

• Several members of the rock band Chicago
• Brian Culbertson, jazz musician
• Josephine Lee, artistic director, Chicago Children's Choir
• Ramsey Lewis, jazz musician
• Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for 1960's rock band The Doors
• Samuel Magad, former concertmaster, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Rudresh K. Mahanthappa, jazz musician and recipient, 2007 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in music composition
• Jim O'Rourke, Grammy Award-winning producer, composer, musician, sound-artist
• George Perle, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
• Tim Nordwind, bass and vocals for the band Ok Go
• Stephen Powell, Metropolitan Opera baritone
• James Quinn, Emmy Award-winning composer

Film / Media / Theatre Personalities

• Gillian Anderson
• Paula Cale
• Betsy Palmer
• Judy Greer
• Linda Hunt
• Joe Mantegna
• Michael Rooker
• Kevin Anderson
• John C. Reilly
• Monique Coleman
• Paul Miller, lighting designer

Athletes / Sports Figures

• George Mikan, one of the NBA's 50 greatest players
• Quentin Richardson, guard, NBA 2000 - present (currently with New York Knicks)
• Bobby Simmons, guard, NBA 2001 - present (currently with Milwaukee Bucks)
• Steven Hunter, center, NBA 2000 - present (currently with Philadelphia 76ers)
• Mark Aguirre, forward, NBA 1982 - 1994 (Dallas, Detroit)
• Terry Cummings, forward, NBA 1982 - 2000 (7 different teams)
• Rod Strickland, guard, NBA 1988 - 2005 (9 different teams)
• Dave Corzine, center, NBA 1978 - 1990 (5 different teams)
• Latasha Byears, women's basketball player in the WNBA
• Todd Musburger, notable sports agent

External links

• Official website
• Lincoln Park campus map
• Loop campus map
• Official athletics website
• The DePaulia (DePaul University's newspaper)
• WRDP - Radio DePaul - The Digital Demon

Attribution

Some content on this page may previously have appeared on Wikipedia.