Book Club, June 10

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, by Kathleen Rooney was a great book for retirees to read. Set in New York in the 1980's, the 84 year old woman remembers her life as she walks one night through the city. As she walked,  passing places where she had lived, worked, and eaten, she recounted memories of her past. Through the places and those memories, Rooney wove a tale of reconciliation of a personal past and present, including regrets and revelations. In addition to evoking decades old Manhattan, the story of Lillian emphasized the role that civility plays in humanizing us, that casual interactions can have powerful impact on lives, and that memories can sustain us. We enjoyed the book and the conversation.

Our next book will be Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. You can read a review here here. We  meet Wednesday, June 5 in Room 115 of the Richardson Library.  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, know 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.

Salma Ghanem appointed interim provost

Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to announce DePaul’s Board of Trustees voted to appoint Salma Ghanem interim provost effective July 1. Salma, a professor and dean of the College of Communication, has been serving as acting provost since October 2018. Over the last eight months, she has served admirably during a challenging time for Academic Affairs. I am grateful for her willingness to continue in this role

With a background blending the theoretical and applied aspects of the field of communication, Salma became dean of the College of Communication in August 2014. Prior to joining DePaul, she served as dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Central Michigan University for five years. She also held the position of chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Texas Pan American for eight years. Salma Ghanem

In addition to her academic background, she served as a press and information officer for the Press Office of the Egyptian Mission to the United Nations in New York and as a communication specialist with Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Texas. Born and raised in Egypt, she is fluent in Arabic and French and has considerable skill in Spanish. Her passion for cultural awareness and interdisciplinary research stems from the fact she herself is an immigrant and was raised by parents who are Egyptian and Dutch. She taught for 15 years at the University of Texas-Pan American, a Hispanic Serving Institution. She also taught in several study-abroad programs in Spain, Egypt, Turkey, Austria and Germany. Salma received multiple awards for research and teaching, and has published and presented nationally and internationally. She earned a Ph.D. in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996. It is indeed our good fortune to have talented leaders who can step up and take on expanded responsibilities. I am pleased to also announce Alexandra Murphy will continue to serve as acting dean of the College of Communication. On behalf of the university community, I thank them for continuing in these important leadership roles. The university intends to conduct a nationwide search for a new provost in the summer or fall of 2021 with the goal of naming a permanent provost by July 1, 2022. Please join me in congratulating Salma on her appointment as interim provost. Sincerely, A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D. President

A LOOK BACK, A LOOK FORWARD: SNL TRANSITIONS TO SCHOOL OF CONTINUING AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

By Abigail Pickus / June 13, 2019 / Posted in: CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY Facebook

SNL celebration 2019

On May 31, DePaul hosted a gala celebrating the School for New Learning and its transition to the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

 (Diane M. Smutny/DMS Photography)


The School for New Learning was founded nearly half a century ago. As the newly branded School of Continuing and Professional Studies, it continues to offer adult learners innovative programs that meet their needs.

When SNL opened its doors in 1972, the nation was in the midst of what came to be known as the nontraditional student movement.

“This meant the student came before the institution. That sounds basic now, but up to that time, the questions were always ‘what did the institution think’ not ‘what did the student think,’” recalls SNL founding Dean Howard Sulkin in a 1998 documentary DePaul produced in honor of the school’s 25th anniversary.

With professionally oriented degree programs, recognition of life experiences, emphasis on applied liberal studies and commitment to community, SNL offers working adults a pathway to higher education in a way that meets their needs.

“SNL was built upon educational principles that value students’ prior learning from experience, their workplace-based knowledge and skills, and their perspectives as older students that traditional students wouldn’t learn about in textbooks. This is what makes adult learning such a fascinating and exciting project,” says Interim Dean Don Opitz. Don Opitz

Interim Dean Don Opitz shared remarks during the spring gala. (Diane M. Smutny/DMS Photography)

For Associate Professor Susan McGury, producer of the anniversary documentary, SNL is like no other place for adult learners. From its inception, SNL has placed students from the working world in command of their learning pathways.

“This method of education puts the student in the driver’s seat while surrounding them with lots of supports and resources. Add to this the lifelong-learning element, which is about building skills, and the result is the confidence to know that you can teach yourself anything,” she says.

Having graduated its 10,000th student this past summer, SNL continues its commitment to serving a unique learning population, even as it pivots to respond to changes in its market.

According to recent studies, SNL students are older, average age 36, work more hours than other DePaul students, 68 percent work 30 or more hours per week, and attend part time, 87 percent. They also express greater satisfaction with their advising and academic experiences. Also, the proportion of SNL’s African-American students is significantly higher than the same demographic for adult learners across DePaul.

SNL continues to reinforce its commitment to the larger community.

“Students who come to our programs are already very much engaged with their communities. This is something that DePaul values and SNL especially emphasizes,” Opitz says.

This summer, SNL will officially become the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Building upon its strengths in online and flexible degree program options, the school will become even more competitive in an already competitive marketplace by offering more specialized degrees. This includes new undergraduate degree programs in business administration, computing and health care administration in partnership with the College of Science and Health.

“These developments will enable us to reach a wider net of students and be more successful. I’m excited about us being more innovative as we explore new degree programs and engage in the business of certificates and stackable credentials,” Opitz says.

Looking ahead to a future under the SCPS banner means both change and consistency.

“One thing is sure: The school is proudly advancing its unique mission of engaging adults in learning that connects their academic studies with endeavors at work and in the community,” Opitz says.​

Source: DePaul Newsline, June 13, 2019