Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
This morning, we had the pleasure of celebrating DePaul’s Academic Convocation, a treasured tradition for our faculty and staff to officially kick off the beginning of a new school year. Next week on Sept. 3, we look forward to celebrating the beginning of the DePaul journey for all our new students at the Blue Demon Welcome. Both time-honored annual celebrations hold significant meaning, reminding us of our collective values and purpose as an institution of higher education.
As we begin a new year, the wellbeing of our university community remains our highest priority. We live in a time when many global, national, and local issues threaten to divide us. Instead, we intend to come together — because at DePaul, we take care of each other. We support each other. We acknowledge our differences. We work toward understanding. We champion compassion. These qualities are central to our Catholic, Vincentian mission and will continue to drive DePaul forward.
In this spirit, we reaffirm our commitment to uphold the guiding principles that our administrative and academic leaders adopted last academic year. We expect every student, faculty and staff member to join us in doing the same. To be clear, our shared expectations for our DePaul community are as follows:
Remain grounded in our Catholic, Vincentian mission, and respect the dignity of every member of our university community. For more than 125 years, DePaul has embraced its identity as an ecumenical, interfaith institution that is welcoming to all. We will continue to be supportive of every faith tradition that practices and convenes on our campus. We will continue to extend care, compassion and grace for every individual.
Uphold the principles of shared governance. As we address issues affecting the DePaul community, we reaffirm our commitment to uphold shared governance. We will continue to cultivate a culture of shared governance that promotes collaboration and trust.
Embrace academic freedom and free expression. We support and welcome dissent and debate. We will not condone any speech or expression in the classroom or anywhere at DePaul that serves only to threaten or intimidate members of our university community.
Zero tolerance for any act of hatred or violence. We will ensure DePaul remains a welcoming space for our diverse university community. DePaul remains committed to investigating every reported complaint of harassment or discrimination.
Adhere to DePaul’s Demonstration Guidelines. These guidelines provide clarity on how our students, faculty, and staff can safely and productively engage in demonstration activities, while following DePaul’s policies and procedures, as well as upholding our longstanding values. All demonstrations are prohibited from affecting university operations and targeting any group or member of our university community. Any individual who fails to adhere to applicable university policies and guidelines may be subject to disciplinary action.
A collection of resources for students, faculty and staff is available here. Please remember if you experience any threats or acts of violence, report them immediately to Public Safety at 773-325-7777 (Lincoln Park) or 312-362-8400 (Loop).
We look forward to recognizing your many successes and accomplishments this academic year. From academic awards and research milestones to athletics victories and community partnerships, we know there will be much to celebrate. Thank you for everything you do to care and support one another. Take care, DePaul.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Manuel
President
Salma Ghanem
Provost
Sherri Sidler
Executive Vice President and CFO
Kathy Stieber
Secretary and General Counsel
David Avdul
Interim Vice President, Human Resources
Elizabeth Clements
Associate Vice President and Senior Advisor, University Communications
Peter Coffey
Associate Vice President, Community and Government Relations
Katie Fraumann
Senior Vice President, Advancement and External Relations
Soumitra Ghosh
Vice President, Enrollment Management
Mark Laboe
Interim Vice President, Mission and Ministry
Bob McCormick
Vice President, Information Services
DeWayne Peevy
Vice President and Athletics Director
Jose Perales
Interim Vice President, Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity
Arbin Smith
Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
Jo Smith
Controller
Brian Sullivan
Treasurer
Cristel Turner
Chief Branding Officer
Rich Wiltse
Vice President, Facility Operations
Eugene Zdziarski, II
Vice President, Student Affairs
Sulin Ba
Dean, Driehaus College of Business
Stephanie Dance-Barnes
Dean, College of Science and Health
Lucia Dettori
Interim Dean, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
Martine Kei Green-Rogers
Dean, The Theatre School
Julie Lawton
Interim Dean, College of Law
John Milbauer
Dean, School of Music
Jennifer Mueller
Dean, College of Education
Alexandra Murphy
Dean, College of Communication
Tatum Thomas
Dean, School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Guillermo Vasquez de Velasco
Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences