Expanded Welcome Week and Back to School events exceed expectations

By Jessica Peterson / October 11, 2018 / Posted in: CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY / Twitter / Facebook

Creating an inclusive and engaging experience for all students is one of the goals in the university’s new strategic plan, Grounded in Mission. That experience begins with ensuring all students receive a comprehensive introduction to DePaul.

This year, the Division of Student Affairs expanded the fall 2018 welcome to include multiple university partners, setting an ambitious goal of engaging 10,000 students between Aug. 26 and Sept. 7. The university not only met this goal, it also exceeded it with a final tally of 12,158 student engagements.

Here is a snap shot of the programs and people that made Welcome Week and Back to School (Aug. 26 - Sept. 28) such a success:

Fifty-seven faculty and staff volunteers devoted 208 hours to make both returning and new events possible.
Thirty-eight offices and departments requested welcome back packs, which included posters and banners to hang in offices.
A total of 12,158 student engagements were recorded during Welcome Week (measured via student ID swipes at events), and 19,394 engagements were recorded through Sept. 25.
6,084 individual students participated in at least one Welcome Week event.
Forty-two percent of the students that attended a Welcome Week event were commuter students.
Five new Welcome Week events were offered:

Blue Demon Street Fest (on Clifton, between Fullerton and Belden)
Night on Navy Pier
Blue Demon Bingo
Superfan 101 (a late-night Wish Field event)
Blue Thursday (held on both the Loop and Lincoln Park Campuses, with fun activities and give-aways)

The most attended events were:

Involvement Fair: 2,304 student ID swipes
Taste of DePaul: 910 student ID swipes
First Night Fun: 782 student ID swipes
Community Fest: 653 student ID swipes
Loop Block Party: 637 student ID swipes

For questions about Welcome Week events, data or how your office or department can participate next year, contact Courtney James, director of Student Involvement at 773-325-7361.