Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
On Sept. 15, Major League Baseball commemorated the legacy of Hall of Famer and humanitarian Roberto Clemente, a date that also marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. As my grandmother’s cousin, his legacy is deeply personal to me and continues to shape not only who I am, but also for the work I do every day. Clemente once said, “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world, and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”
As we begin the academic year, and as I enter my first full year as a part of this extraordinary community, I have reflected on the many ways we make a difference in the world and live our mission.
Like many of you, I am deeply concerned by recent developments: increased immigration enforcement, the Department of Education’s announcement that it will end or reprogram all discretionary funding for Minority Serving Institutions, and much more. These actions could have a profound impact on our communities.
However, just as St. Vincent approached the societal concerns of his day, we say: What must be done?
As part of how we put our mission in action and forge a guiding light through a shared vision reflective of our mission and values, I’m excited to share the launch of DePaul’s Thriving Framework rooted in our Vincentian Excellence, for your input and feedback. This draft represents the feedback and engagement we gathered with many leadership groups this summer.
The vision represents a university-wide commitment to fostering holistic well-being, belonging and academic and social success to cultivate environments where everyone can thrive. We invite you to explore the framework and share your feedback as we work together to enrich a university where everyone can truly flourish.
What is the Thriving Framework?
The Thriving Framework: Vincentian Excellence at DePaul University is our bold approach and vision to fostering student, staff and faculty success through structural transformation, community care and inclusive engagement. It calls us to reimagine success at DePaul, not only as academic achievement, but as a holistic state of wellbeing and purpose through our collective action.
The framework acknowledges that thriving happens when all members of our community are seen, valued and supported through systems intentionally designed to foster belonging and care. Inspired by our Vincentian heritage and a deep commitment to human dignity, the framework presents belonging not as a standalone initiative, but as a fundamental expression of who we are as a university.
Framework priorities include:
- Further DePaul’s commitment to making education accessible to all by enrolling, retaining and graduating students who may have otherwise not had access to higher education including first-generation students, low-income students and students who have experienced adversity
- Review general education curriculum for inclusive and representative learning
- Center care, equity, belonging and spiritual development in policies and practices
- Remove barriers to advancement through faculty and staff professional development opportunities and review of promotion and tenure processes
- Foster culturally and religiously responsible environments
- Support student engagement and advocacy as an expression of thriving
- Advance transformative campus culture through embedding a culture of dialogue and restorative practices
- Integrate disability inclusion, universal design and climate surveys
Vincentian excellence as the foundation
Inspired by the values of St. Vincent de Paul, Vincentian excellence helps us consider what it means to thrive at DePaul and how we can cultivate it together. This approach upholds the dignity of every person and emphasizes the importance of service and community care. It encourages us to align these efforts with our mission, ensuring our evolution is values-driven.
Putting the Framework into action
We are already bringing this vision to life through campus-wide efforts that show our commitment to community, care and what it means to live our values every day.
These include:
- Ongoing strategy sessions among OIDE, Mission and Ministry and Student Affairs focused on support for students through programming, education, faculty development and more
- Creation of the DePaul Belonging Collective
- Development of the Language Access Committee
- Cross-campus engagement to foster a culture of care, access and belonging
Share your feedback
As we implement our collective vision, your input is essential to ensuring the framework reflects the needs and aspirations of our entire university community. We ask that you complete this brief survey to provide your feedback.
As we forge ahead together, I will be sharing more updates. I encourage you to sign up to receive email updates about the Thriving Framework here.
Thank you for your partnership in shaping this important next chapter for DePaul. Together, we are building a thriving university community that reflects the best of who we are and who we strive to be.
In community,
Dania
Dania Matos
she/her/ella
Vice President
Institutional Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging