DePaul students Tommy Le, Jaylen Johnson and Julianna De Leon and Erick Quezada (right) join Mayor Lori Lightfoot and DePaul President Robert L. Manuel at a City Council meeting to celebrate a resolution proclaiming Jan. 25, 2023, as “DePaul Day” in the City of Chicago. (DePaul University/Alicia Pope)
CHICAGO — In celebration and honor of DePaul University’s 125 years of engaging, diverse learning and service in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and City Council today proclaimed Wednesday, Jan. 25 will be “DePaul Day.” The announcement kicks off a week of celebrations on campus and throughout the city, including DePaul-sponsored community ice skating at Maggie Daley Park and a skyline illuminated in Blue Demon colors.
“Chicago is DePaul’s campus, and we are grateful Mayor Lightfoot and City Council recognize our university’s deep connections and service to the city,” said Robert L. Manuel, president of DePaul. “It was an honor to accept the ‘DePaul Day’ resolution at City Council this morning, along with current DePaul students who are proud graduates of Chicago Public Schools. These students represent how our city can support future generations of Chicagoans with an outstanding education.”
DePaul is celebrating 125 years in Chicago. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
In the resolution, City Council noted nearly 125,000 DePaul alumni work, live and play in our great city. Blue Demons are driving forces in Chicago’s large corporations and small businesses, healthcare and government, as well as non-for-profit and community organizations. Students begin their careers as interns and volunteers, with DePaul’s Steans Center coordinating service learning to reach more than 300 Chicago-area organizations each year. DePaul’s dedicated faculty members contribute their knowledge and talents in the classroom, and many are also leaders in their professional fields.
“As we reflect on 125 years in Chicago, we are also designing DePaul’s future,” Manuel said. “Our university is poised to redefine the national standard for higher education by building on our existing strengths and extending our Catholic, Vincentian mission to create even more educational opportunities for our community.”
Weeklong celebrations: Skyline, ice skating and a big goal
Starting Jan. 23, buildings in Chicago’s iconic skyline will be illuminated in DePaul colors—blue and red—to highlight this historic milestone. Soldier Field and Willis Tower will participate, and famous theatre marquees and sports stadium signs will join in the fun on Jan. 25. As part of the celebration, the university is teaming up with the Chicago Park District to provide free ice-skating sessions to the community at the Maggie Daley Park ice skating ribbon. DePaul will sponsor 125 free skate tickets for each session on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Use promo code depaul125 to reserve tickets online at
www.maggiedaleypark.com.
DePaul students kicked off celebrations for the 125th anniversary at the start of the academic year. Festivities will continue the week of 1/25/23. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)DePaul alumni and friends around the world will rally virtually on Jan. 25 for the Blue Demon Challenge, DePaul’s annual day of giving. This year, the goal is bigger than ever: raising $7 million for DePaul students in just 24 hours. Support DePaul and follow the challenge's progress throughout the day at
challenge.depaul.edu.
For a full lineup of events and to learn more about influential people in DePaul’s 125-year history, visit
https://125.depaul.edu.
About DePaul University
Celebrating 125 years of engaging, diverse and global learning, DePaul University provides exceptional academics and real-world experiences to prepare students for a changing world. With nearly 21,000 students across more than 300 academic programs, DePaul has two campus locations in Chicago. Students richly benefit from the city’s many opportunities. In turn, DePaul is one of the forces that shapes Chicago’s future. The university was founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), a Roman Catholic religious community dedicated to following the ideals of St. Vincent de Paul. DePaul is among the nation’s top universities for diversity because of its long tradition of providing a high-quality education to students from a broad range of backgrounds. Today, DePaul is one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in the Midwest and one of the largest Catholic universities in the nation. As it begins its next 125 years, DePaul remains committed to service and leadership as a faith-based institution.
Visit
https://www.depaul.edu/ to learn more.
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Media Contact:
Kristin Claes Mathews
kristin.mathews@depaul.edu
312-362-7735