(DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)Since its origin in 1985, the current DePaul mission statement has been amended only twice—once in 1991 and again in 2016. Now scheduled to occur every five years, this academic year the Mission Committee of the Board of Trustees will undergo a formal review of the mission statement. As part of the process, the Mission Committee is interested in gathering input from the DePaul community. An essential component of this input will be a series of dialogue sessions with groups of faculty, staff, students and alumni taking place throughout the fall quarter.
The Division of Mission and Ministry has been tasked with a leadership role in collecting input from a wide range of DePaul community members as a part of the mission statement review process. The dialogue sessions are part of a four-step plan to reflect on the current mission statement in light of our institutional history and heritage, as well as on the present and future needs, responsibilities, and opportunities of a DePaul and Vincentian higher education.
“Following the spirit of shared governance, the current review of the mission statement is going to be a participatory process. Listening to many voices will give us a good sense of how our mission statement can clearly express the identity of DePaul University for this complex time. It will also inform us how we can include the essential elements of DePaul for tomorrow," says Rev. Guillermo (Memo) Campuzano, C.M., Vice President of Mission and Ministry.
The dialogues occurring this fall complement other components of the process, including a review of the history of DePaul's mission statement, a survey of the Board of Trustees, and the Seeds of the Mission initiative, which was unveiled earlier this week. In the dialogue sessions, participants will be asked to reflect on their understanding of DePaul's mission and to engage in a critical review of the current mission statement, identifying elements deemed essential as well as those no longer serving a vital purpose. Participants will also be asked to identify key focal points and themes of importance in their current context, and for the future of DePaul's mission statement.
In addition to a series of distinct dialogue sessions with existing university groups and college units, there will be three open sessions held on the following dates. Any member of the university community may participate, with registration required at one of the following links:
Fr. Campuzano encourages participation in the dialogue sessions.
“They are intended to enable qualitative input from a wide and diverse range of the DePaul community about what participants see as essential in DePaul's mission statement, and so that we remain an institution grounded in mission," he says.
The Division of Mission and Ministry created a survey to enable the input of all those unable to participate in a dialogue session this fall.
The division plans to gather all data and information by early December. By late January 2021, a summary report will be shared with university leadership. In the spring of 2021, the Board of Trustees will make a final determination on the future of DePaul's mission statement.
“The mission statement is a common and safe place where we can find each other to engage in dialogue, to learn from each other, to continually highlight our priorities and to agree on the fundamental elements of our common identity as a higher education institution inspired by Vincent de Paul," Fr. Campuzano says.
For more information on the dialogue sessions, or to schedule a dialogue for a particular group, please contact Mark Laboe at: mlaboe@depaul.edu