Update from Senior Vice President Katie Fraumann

I’m happy to share an update on philanthropic news and developments at DePaul University as we anticipate the arrival of spring and the final four months of fiscal year 2025. 

Generosity, participation, and pride were on display during this year’s Blue Demon Challenge on Thursday, January 30, DePaul’s biggest day of giving. The $5,198,861 raised from 5,278 donors far surpassed our goals and projections and showcased our DePaul community’s passion and motivation to support students and numerous areas and initiatives across the university. It was inspiring to witness the energy across campus, all 50 U.S. states, and around the world, and from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends coming together to give at all levels. The continued success of Blue Demon Challenge is made possible by the collective contributions and passion of each and every one of you and I am truly grateful.  

Thanks to productive partnerships with university leadership, academic units across campus, and DePaul’s donor community, our division has made significant progress on this ambitious journey to elevate our academic excellence, guided by the Designing DePaul visionary road map unveiled by President Robert L. Manuel and seen through strategic plans shared by deans and academic units. We are also reaching out across the DePaul community to collect stories of people and initiatives empowering transformative change. These will serve as the foundation of a campaign that drives action, fosters connection, and amplifies DePaul’s impact on Chicago, regionally, nationally, and beyond. As shared earlier, in partnership with the Board of Trustees and based on findings from our feasibility study, we have determined a fundraising goal of $650 million for DePaul’s next major philanthropic campaign. Stay tuned for updates on the campaign name, design theme, and university and academic unit case statements as we prepare for the campaign’s public launch in October. 

DePaul is blessed with alumni, friends, and leadership whose major gifts sustain and empower our academic enterprise as well as the ongoing Dream Big campaign supporting student-athlete success. 

This can be seen in the recent gift of $2.5 million from Jack Martin, a DePaul alumnus, Life Trustee, and former College of Law Dean’s Council Advisory Council member who embodies philanthropic generosity and passion for academic innovation. Jack is a “double Demon” who earned his undergraduate and law degrees at DePaul prior to a long, successful legal career interspersed with pro bono work on behalf of undocumented immigrants, senior citizens, and legal aid lawyers. His gift will establish an endowed chair in the College of Law that supports the teaching and research of a faculty member who is an active voice in constitutional law, human rights law, immigration law, and related public policy issues. 

It's clear that every member of our DePaul community looks out for each other. Our collaboration and mutual empathy is a cornerstone of the Vincentian mission that motivates and inspires us every day. I look forward to building DePaul’s bright future with you. Go Blue Demons! 

Sincerely, ​

Katie Fraumann 

Senior Vice President 

Division of Advancement and External Relations