DePaul University

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Group.png DePaul University  
(UniversityWebsiteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
DePaul U Seal.svg
MottoViam sapientiae monstrabo tibi.
Formation1898
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois, USA
TypePrivate
Other nameBlue Demons
Catholic, with emphasis on recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Catholic university by enrollment in the United States. Following in the footsteps of its founders, DePaul places special emphasis on recruiting first-generation students and others from disadvantaged backgrounds.[1]

DePaul's two campuses are located in Lincoln Park and the Loop. The Lincoln Park Campus is home to the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Health, and Education. It also houses the School of Music, the Theatre School, and the John T. Richardson Library. The Loop campus houses the Colleges of Communication, Computing and Digital Media, and Law, as well as the School of Public Service and the School for New Learning. It is also home to the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which is part of the nationally ranked Driehaus College of Business, the tenth oldest business school in the nation.[2] The Loop campus also houses the Loop Library, the Rinn Law Library, and the Barnes and Noble-based Student Center. DePaul is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[3]

The university enrolls around 14,500 undergraduates and about 7,900 graduate/law students. According to the Division of Student Affairs website, about 90% of DePaul's students commute or live off campus.[4] The student body represents a wide array of religious, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds, including over 60 foreign countries.[5]

History

Originally named St. Vincent's College, DePaul University was founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission priests and brothers, known as the Vincentians. Followers of 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul, they founded the university to serve Roman Catholic children of immigrants. Student enrollment grew from 70 in 1898 to 200 in 1903 in what is now the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Eager in WW1

With the entry of the United States into World War I in 191, DePaul formed a unit of the US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps and converted its College Theatre into Army barracks. DePaul also mobilized for World War II, offering its facilities for war training and free courses to train people for industry work. The G.I. Bill, which paid the tuition of veterans enrolled in college, turned the financial tide for DePaul. Enrollment in 1945 skyrocketed to 8,857 students, twice as many as the previous year, and totaled more than 11,000 in 1948. Although a consulting firm recommended relocating from its deteriorating Lincoln Park neighborhood to the suburbs, trustees voted to remain and support revitalization of the neighborhood.

Black Occupation

In 1968, the Black Student Union (BSU) was formed. In 1969, while in ongoing negotiations with DePaul administrators, members of the group occupied a campus building for two days and led several related rallies. The actions helped bring concerns of black students, and later those of Latino, Muslim and other student groups, to the fore. The university now sponsors a wide range of student organizations, including BSU, the DePaul Conservative Alliance, DePaul Irish Society, the DePaul Alliance for Latino Empowerment, United Muslims Moving Ahead, Hillel, the Asian Cultural Exchange, the African Student Organization, the Hellenic-American Student Association and the Activist Student Union.

Norman Finkelstein forced to leave

In the Dershowitz–Finkelstein affair of 2007, Norman Finkelstein, an outspoken political science professor, was denied tenure. This followed a highly public and rancorous evaluation process in which an opponent of Finkelstein, Alan Dershowitz, took the highly unorthodox step of sending unsolicited letters and dossiers to Finkelstein's peers at DePaul urging them to deny him tenure. DePaul's president, the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, denies that the outside pressure affected the university's position, saying "This attention was unwelcome and inappropriate and had no impact on either the process or the outcome of this case."[6] Finkelstein's supporters claim he was denied tenure due to his writings on the Holocaust and the politics of reparations, and on the state of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation.[7][8][9] Detractors such as Dershowitz challenged Finkelstein's research methods and confrontational approach. On September 5, 2007, Finkelstein resigned after he and the university reached a settlement; they released a joint statement.[10]

Notable Alumni

Business leaders

Politicians, government officials, and civic leaders

Authors

Film, theater and media personalities

Science and technology


 

Alumni on Wikispooks

PersonBornDiedNationalitySummaryDescription
Richard M. Daley24 April 1942Mayor of Chicago, son of machine politician Richard J. Daley
Donald Duster19322013USBusinesspersonChicago businessman. A non-caucasian who attended the 1971 Bilderberg
Arthur Goldberg8 August 190819 January 1990Diplomat
Morgan Murphy16 April 19324 March 2016USPoliticianChicago Democrat politician
George Papadopoulos19 August 1987Greece
US
Author
Special Adviser
A foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump.
Samuel K. Skinner10 June 1938Lawyer
Public official
Businessperson
White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush
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References