Growing University, Growing Brand
How DePaul’s History Shaped Its Brand

In 1907, DePaul wrote co-education into its new charter. Within a decade it became one of the first Catholic universities in America to educate men and women in the same classroom.

In 1944, DePaul threw open its doors to soldiers returning from World War II. Its 40 years of experience in providing adult part-time education proved irresistible to returning veterans, many of whom had families and jobs.

In 1953, DePaul refused the advice of a consulting firm and committed to stay in the then-deteriorating Lincoln Park neighborhood, anchoring the area’s revival.

DePaul’s history is filled with such pivotal decisions, choices that shaped the future of the university and the way it came to be perceived. That perception is now DePaul’s brand identity. Here are some examples from DePaul’s history that show how our past choices led to today’s distinctions.

Brand Essence: Creating Success Through Engaged Learning
The essence of DePaul’s brand lies in its very founding. Vincentian fathers and brothers established the university, then called St. Vincent’s College, to educate young Catholic men who were denied access to the established Protestant colleges of the day. The children of working-class immigrants, these students needed a college education to create economic opportunities for their families and communities.

And succeed they did. The university’s first two graduates were Mark Ignatius Sheridan and William David O'Brien. Sheridan became superintendent of City of Chicago Water Department, while O’Brien became auxiliary bishop of Chicago and later titular archbishop and president of Catholic Church Extension Society. Their impact on Chicago has been echoed by thousands of alumni, including three mayors: Michael Bilandic, Richard M. Daley and current mayor Richard J. Daley.

Respected Institution
While the fledgling university immediately conferred the respect of a college degree upon its early graduates, its own prestige grew over time. Employers soon grew to value DePaul degree-holders. The City of Chicago, its many institutions, and the Lincoln Park and Loop neighborhoods grew to value this steadfast partner. In recent years, DePaul’s expanding international reach and burgeoning enrollment has brought worldwide recognition in the form of rankings, awards, grants and top-level collaborations.

Social Responsibility
While DePaul’s early service focused on educating traditionally underserved students, by the middle of the century its focus had grown to include the metropolitan area. Materials for DePaul’s fundraising campaign in the 1960s, "The Program for Greatness," noted that faculty members were already recognized for embracing "…areas from psychological testing to legal symposia, from free recitals and concerts to seminars on electronic data processing, from water pollution in the Great Lakes to doing business in Japan and Hong Kong, from youth welfare workshops for neighborhood leaders to institutes on scriptural theology."

Diverse
Founded to combat quotas and discrimination against Catholic students, DePaul quickly developed a reputation for inclusiveness. In 1916, despite the disapproval of the archbishop, DePaul proceeded with plans to offer coeducational classes to women; within five years, 40 percent of the downtown enrollment was female.

Similarly, DePaul bucked the trend by not restricting enrollment of non-Catholic students, bolstering a diverse student body. In particular, as many as 40 percent of the students enrolled in the College of Law in the 1930s were Jewish.

As Chicago’s population shifted, DePaul’s commitment to first-generation college students followed. Enrollment by African-American students increased notably in the 1960s, followed by increases in Asian-Pacific Islander and Latino students. Today, DePaul is recognized as one of the nation’s most diverse universities.

Flexible
DePaul has adapted its class schedules and curricula to the needs of working students since 1914, when the College of Commerce relocated to the Loop to be more accessible to corporate employees. That expertise paid enormous dividends at the close of World War II, when the G.I. Bill paid the tuition of returning veterans. Enrollment nearly doubled between 1944 and 1945, rising to 8,857 students, in part because of the university’s expertise in educating working adults with families.

Integrated with Chicago
The launch of the Discover Chicago program in 1996 brought DePaul national recognition for its skill at integrating the resources of the city into its classrooms. Immersing new freshmen in the city for a week before school began not only acquainted them with Chicago and DePaul but forged friendships and academic skills that improved retention. Those lessons were adopted by DePaul’s nascent service-learning program, which has now grown to serve more than 2,500 students annually and earned honors from publications like U.S.News & World Report.