In Memoriam - Cynthia Summers

Dear Colleagues,

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death last week of Cindy Summers who worked in Student Affairs at DePaul for more than thirty years.

Cynthia Summers worked at DePaul University from 1983 to 2014 in a variety of positions. In her final two years at DePaul, Cindy was asked to serve as the interim vice president for Student Affairs from August 2012 - July 2014. Prior to that she served as an Associate Vice President for student advocacy and community relations, overseeing the Center for Students with Disabilities; Adult, Veteran and Commuter Student Affairs; University Counseling Services and the Dean of Students Office. Cindy also served as dean of students and director of Student Life, coordinating the areas of Student Activities, Student Centers, Food Services and Residence Life in her early years at DePaul.

Cindy was a key leader in the successful growth and development of the Student Affairs division at DePaul, as well as the growth of the physical campus. In 1985, Cindy oversaw the building of a new student residence, University Hall, which was a key component of the university's master plan during its time of strategic growth. She also served as an original member of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee, helping to establish a positive relationship between DePaul and the surrounding campus neighborhood.

Cindy's dedication to students and their success resulted in numerous new programs and services over the years. She played a key role in creating DePaul's Veteran Affairs office, the office of Health Promotion and Wellness and the expansion of University Counseling Services. In her role as Dean of Students she revamped the University's student conduct process and also created the Student Care Team, a group of professionals dedicated to meeting weekly to review student cases and discuss how best to handle them for both the student's and the community's well-being.

Cindy was a true-blue Blue Demon who served as a long-time Athletic Board member and a Mens Basketball season ticket holder for over 30 years.

Cindy had a significant impact on so many students and staff and was instrumental in the growth and development of many young professionals who are now successful professionals in the field. Her Vincentian legacy will live on at DePaul and within the Student Affairs profession for many years to come. Cindy will be greatly missed by many in the DePaul community as a great friend and colleague. Her love of DePaul, her positive attitude, can-do spirit and love of quotes are just a few ways in which she will be fondly remembered.

Cindy is survived by her husband Bruce.

Visitation for Cindy will take place on Friday, September 28th from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 1010 W. Webster Avenue. Visitation will be followed by a Mass of the Resurrection at 11:00 a.m. Lunch to follow. May she rest in peace.

Source: Mission and Ministry email, September 9, 2018

**************************************************************************************

CYNTHIA'S OBITUARY

Cynthia M. Summers, 64, of Chicago, Illinois, died September 7, 2018, at her home after an extended illness, with her husband Bruce at her side. She was born on January 1, 1954, in Morris, Illinois to Donald and Nancy (Michaels) McCarter, who preceded her in death.

Bruce and Cindy were married in 1977 and enjoyed over 40 years together. Cindy is the beloved sister to three brothers: Alan (Linda Schiel) McCarter, Riverside, IL: Christian (Lori Ingmanson) McCarter, Ottawa, IL: and Gregory (Leticia Bastida) McCarter,Aurora, IL. She is a loving aunt and great inspiration to 14 nieces and nephews and eight great nieces and nephews. Cindy attended Nettle Creek Grade School, a small farm school. At Morris High School Cindy was a cheerleader. She continued that enthusiastic support cheering her brothers over the years at Motocross racing and decades of Chicago Marathons, Chicago professional sports teams and her beloved DePaul Blue Demons. Her brothers could always count on seeing Cindy at mile 12 where they were greeted with cheering and a bag of sliced oranges.

Cindy earned her Bachelor of Science in Education and her Masters of Science in Education from Illinois State University. Her professional academic career began at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, from there she moved to the Student Services Department at Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois before joining the staff at DePaul University in 1983. Cindy was employed there for over 31 years until her retirement as Associate Vice President for student advocacy and community relations. In 2014, Cindy received the Via Sapientiae Award from DePaul, the university’s highest honor for faculty and staff. In her career she held the positions of Interim Vice President, Dean of Students, and Director of Student Life. Helping students reach their fullest potential was at the center of everything Cindy did. She was an admired mentor to her colleagues, helping them understand the profession, its values, and priorities.

As a leader in DePaul’s Division of Student Affairs, Cindy played a primary role in establishing a Student Emergency Assistance Fund to help students in time of need. The fund assists
students when they are experiencing a financial crisis that impedes their academic progress. She also played a key role in creating the Student Veterans Department at the University, which is a service center in support of DePaul students who served in the military. Cindy was instrumental in developing and growing the office of Health Promotion and Wellness. The office provides comprehensive programs and services that address health related issues that students must learn to manage throughout their lives. She also served as an original member of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee, helping to establish a positive relationship between DePaul and the surrounding campus neighborhood. The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators was proud to call her a member. Cindy was a longtime avid supporter of DePaul Blue Demon athletics who served as an Athletic Board member. She was a season ticket holder for over 30 years, which showed her true school spirit and respect for the contributions student athletes made to the university.

A memorial visitation will be held on Friday, September 28, 2018 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic
Church, 1010 W. Webster Ave., Chicago, at 10:00 AM. A funeral Mass of Christian Burial will
follow at 11:00 AM. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, commemorative donations can be made in Cindy’s honor to the DePaul
Student Emergency Assistance Fund or the DePaul Veterans Fund at the DePaul Giving
website: https://alumni.depaul.edu/GiveNow/Home. Please list the fund of your choice in the
“Other Funds” section and place Cindy’s name in the “Special Instructions” box. Donations can
also be mailed to the address below. Please specify your preferred fund.
DePaul University
Advancement Gift Processing
1 E Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

The family gives special thanks to JourneyCare Hospice for their kind and loving support.
Cindy’s beautiful life will forever be cherished by her family and friends.

If you would like to leave a message for Cindy's family, you may click on the link below in the source and then click on the "Guest Book" button.

Source: Nelson Funeral Home website: https://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/obituary/cynthia-summers?lud=2A8239EA8AF424915C67E79670E42E86&fh_id=14777

School for New Learning - The Future

A FUTURE FOR THE SCHOOL FOR NEW LEARNING TO ENHANCE ACCESS TO EDUCATION

Photo credit: Jamie Moncrief

Over the past 18 months, DePaul has invested time and resources to thoroughly examine the adult learner landscape— and the School for New Learning’s role in it—to determine what must be done so DePaul can continue to lead in this competitive area.

This study involved comprehensive review from the independent Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, as well as two internal task forces that included SNL faculty. SNL has a 45-year history that commanded respect and careful consideration from those serving on the task forces. I thank everyone involved for their thoughtful participation in these studies.

Yesterday, I joined SNL Dean Donald Opitz to share with SNL faculty and staff a general plan that is built around the results of those studies. The research and recommendations have made it clear that the best way forward is for DePaul to adopt a unique, new model that will build upon the strengths of SNL and yet expand its mission and scope of operations to be more responsive to new markets.

Over the next year, SNL will undergo a large-scale reorganization, renaming, and rebranding; a broadening of its mission and function; and changes to its faculty and staffing structure. The name approved by Faculty Council, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS), will go into effect July 1, 2019.

SCPS will be a bold departure from the current SNL model. The new model will move away from offering competency-based, individualized degree options and move toward the growing adult market for credit-hour based, market-responsive professional studies degrees and stackable credentials.

It will offer a comprehensive, innovative approach to continuing and professional education, making available programs and delivery modalities to provide access to a broad range of students within SCPS and other DePaul colleges and schools. Its unique infrastructure will leverage cross-college collaborations to promote existing college-based, adult friendly degrees and certificates. It also will house a university-wide Office of Prior Learning Assessment and will coordinate summer programs aimed at high school students and summer session at DePaul.

The school, as restructured, will include a faculty and staff model—yet to be finalized—that provides the flexibility the unique SCPS model demands. To achieve this model, existing SNL tenured faculty will be offered a voluntary buyout and retiree-eligible staff will be offered an early retirement incentive. When details of these voluntary programs are available, they will be shared with eligible SNL faculty and staff members.

Currently enrolled SNL students will be supported throughout the completion of their degree programs.
A dean will continue to provide leadership for the school, and a Faculty Advisory Board will be formed drawing on faculty from participating colleges to support cross-college collaboration and curricular development.

In the months ahead, we will continue to work on details of the SCPS structure, a plan for the integration of new elements, a marketing plan, and the faculty and staffing model. Updates from the dean or the Office of Academic Affairs will be shared as more answers are available.

I am grateful to Dean Opitz for providing leadership during this transition. As a participant in both task forces that provided input into this decision, he is well-positioned to work with his long-time colleagues as the reorganization of the school progresses.

I am confident that when the reorganization is complete, SCPS will build on the university’s and SNL’s longstanding commitment to providing adult learners access to higher education through curricular structures that serve lifelong learning needs.

Source: Newsline, Provost Marten denBoer  /  September 7, 2018  /  Posted in:  CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY

Book Club Meeting August 1

Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler by Mark Roebling proved to be a challenging read. While the premise that Pope Pius XII was working against Hitler during World War II was intriguing, we agreed that the author did not completely prove his thesis. There was so much data on various individuals involved that the book provided more confusion than clarification. In short, there was not a satisfying answer to the question posed. The book did provide us with a lively basis for conversation, as it raised questions about the complexity of the role of the Church in the world, both then and now. We also agreed that once the author began to near the end of WWII, some of his points were resolved by the circumstances of history.

Our next book will be One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.     Here is a link to a review from The New York Times. We will meet Wednesday,October 10 (note the date, it is the second Wednesday) in Room 115 of the Richardson Library. Remember that we now start our group at 11 am.  We gather at 11, with discussion from 11:30 to 12:30, so please bring your brown bag lunch!  For further information contact Kathryn DeGraff or Helen Marlborough.

We will continue to review the titles on our list for consideration for upcoming discussions. Please let Kathryn, Helen, or anyone else in the group, if you have a favorite book you would like to share with your DES colleagues. As you can tell from the posts, we are interested in a wide range of fiction and non fiction. We enjoy our sessions thoroughly and always have room for more people and more insights.