In Memoriam - Mary Ciukowski

We learned today that Mary Agnes Ciukowski, one of our staff DES members, died on August 18, 2012.  She was born on March 29, 1922 and worked at DePaul in the 1970s and 1980s at the Lincoln Park Campus.  We are thankful to her son Joseph for informing us of his mother's death. Our sympathy is extended to Mary's family.  May she rest in peace.

Richardson Letter, March 2013

March 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Spring is filled with hope. Snow and frozen ground give way to the beauty of spring flowers. Warm breezes bring freshness to all of nature. Thus I convince myself of the value of living through a bone-chilling Chicago winter.

Spring also brings us the feast of Easter which each year strengthens my conviction that after this life I will join the risen Christ in a new form of life filled with eternal happiness. This faith becomes ever more relevant as old age steadily weakens my capacities and every advancing year brings death to more of those dear to me.

But here too I find hope in the new life that young parents bring us. Those of us involved in educating youth can see our students’ talents developing and their visions expanding to bring greater blessings to future generations. In preparing eulogies for recently deceased dear friends I became more convinced that the deceaseds’ deep influence for good lives after them, that their lives can still mean much to us.

The expanding ease of communicating with family and friends has relieved me of much of the burden of air travel. In January, however, I did fly down to the Naples area of Florida for a few days to freshen my and DePaul’s friendship with countless alumni, benefactors and friends. The reception given me was most gratifying and my University companions took care of local travel and accommodations.

About a month ago gall stones began causing pain in the different organs of my stomach. My doctor quickly and accurately diagnosed the problem and recommended a surgeon at Northwestern Hospital to remove my gall bladder. Early in March the laparoscopic surgery went well, and in just a few days I had completely recovered. The doctors, nurses and technical staff of the hospital could not have given me more attention and treated me more kindly.

Our University President and the Advancement Department to which I’m attached give me few assignments, “work”. At the same time I truly enjoy supporting DePaul in whatever way I can. Just to live in a university community that encourages critical thinking and opening to change is truly gratifying. Hence, my life is a very happy one.

May each of you find an equal share of happiness. And may this Easter season bring you God’s special love and grace,

Your dear and close friend,



"Risen" image source: www.churchmedia.net

DePaul Leaves Big East ... For the Big East

March 12, 2013

Dear University Community,

This morning DePaul University, along with the six basketball-focused institutions in the BIG EAST Conference voted unanimously to separate from the conference. DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's and Villanova are setting a foundation to continue the elite level of success upon which the BIG EAST conference was founded.

The seven presidents and athletics directors are committed to the highest level of success academically and athletically by our student-athletes and coaches. This premier athletics conference starts on July 1 as the BIG EAST* and will feature institutions with similar commitments that will enable each program to flourish as we all move forward in the future.

DePaul's tradition of success coincides with the six other institutions with our men's basketball program making 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. At nearly 1,400 victories and 23 20-win seasons, DePaul also has produced 19 All-Americans in men's basketball. Our women's basketball program is looking for its 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season, while head coach Doug Bruno is coming off a gold medal-winning performance at the 2012 London Olympics.

Academically, among our many accomplishments, DePaul student-athletes are among the best in the country. DePaul led the BIG EAST with five teams earning the Team Academic Award while 150 student-athletes were named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. The men's golf program claimed the nation's top team GPA for the third straight year, and the women's basketball team GPA was ranked third nationally.

This is an exciting time to be a member of the University community. Our future alignment will allow our alumni and friends to gather in some of the nation's greatest cities to build upon our vibrant community and cheer the Blue Demons to victory.

Details about the expected broadcast media deal, season-ending tournament and additional members of the new conference will be announced in the near future. The upcoming media deal will allow our students, alumni, fans and friends to follow DePaul as they compete against the top programs in the country.

We look forward to this next chapter in DePaul athletics history. Thank you for the many ways that you support DePaul. Wishing you and yours a joyous spring.

Go DePaul !

Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M.,                           Jean Lenti Ponsetto
President                                                                  Director of Athletics


Email from the Office of the Secretary, DePaul University


* The Catholic 7, who announced their intention to leave the Big East next season, will actually be the Big East next season, bringing the name, the brand and the postseason tournament held in Madison Square Garden as they break off from the football-playing schools.
Source: NBC Sports - CollegeBasketballTalk, online,  March 12, 2013.

DePaul's New Provost

Dear University Community: It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Donald Pope-Davis, Ph.D., as Provost of DePaul University.  Don is an accomplished leader, teacher and scholar, and we are happy to welcome him to DePaul. Don brings 35 years of higher education administrative experience and 30 years of faculty experience to DePaul.  He joins us from the University of Notre Dame, where he is the vice president and associate provost.  In his current role, which he has held since 2007, he leads and manages the faculty recruitment and hiring process, tenure and promotions, mentoring programs for faculty and new programs to prepare faculty leaders to carry out administrative tasks.  Prior to serving as associate provost, Don held senior administrative roles in the Notre Dame Graduate School for five years, including interim dean.

A nationally recognized scholar with a passion for teaching, Don is a professor in the Counseling Psychology Program in the Department of Psychology at Notre Dame.  Recognized in 2008 by the Journal of Counseling Psychology as the third leading contributor to the field of multicultural counseling, his research interests include cultural and racial identity development and cultural competency training. He has published extensively in academic journals, authored three books and is a research fellow in the American Psychological Association.  He recently co-authored the first national survey of African American Catholics, an unprecedented study that revealed significant demographic trends in the church. Don earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Benedictine University and his doctorate in counseling psychology from Stanford University.  He is one of 12 children.   He and his wife, Sara, have three children, David, Daniel and Gabrielle. To learn more about Don, please see his CV and letter to the DePaul community. A Newsline story is also available. In his new role at DePaul, effective July, Don will serve as chief academic officer.  Responsible for the intellectual life of our university, he will oversee Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management and Marketing, and Student Affairs.  Everyone at DePaul was moved by his dedication to students, especially those who are the first to attend college in their families.  I would like to thank the search committee, chaired by Board of Trustees Member and Alumna Connie Curran.  The committee devoted countless hours to conduct a vigorous nationwide search over the course of several months.  I am extremely grateful to them.  When I spoke to Don, he expressed his deep respect for the university’s academic achievements, commitment to diversity and its Catholic-Vincentian identity. We look forward to welcoming him to the DePaul family. Respectfully, Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M. President Email sent to University, February 27, 2013

Pope-Davis Named New DPU Provost

Donald B. Pope-Davis, professor of psychology and for the past six years the vice president and associate provost at the University of Notre Dame, has been elected provost of DePaul University by its Board of Trustees.
 

Pope-Davis will become DePaul’s chief academic officer in July, stepping into the position held on an interim basis this academic year by Patricia O’Donoghue, DePaul’s vice president for alumni outreach and engagement. O’Donoghue succeeded Helmut Epp, who served as provost for the previous seven years.

In the role as DePaul’s provost, Pope-Davis will oversee Academic Affairs, which includes Enrollment Management and Marketing, Student Affairs, and Teaching and Learning Resources.

“We think highly of Dr. Pope-Davis’ intellectual work as well as his broad service to his colleagues in academic administration at Notre Dame,” said the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., president. “Unanimously, everyone at DePaul also was moved by his obvious love for students, especially those who are the first to attend college in their families.”

Elected to his current position at Notre Dame in 2007, Pope-Davis currently is responsible for expanding opportunities and participation in undergraduate scholarship and research, implementing the Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor and leading the university’s enrollment management efforts by overseeing the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Office of Student Financial Services. He also provides oversight to the university’s First Year of Studies, ROTC programs, Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement, Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program, Office of Disability Services, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Snite Museum of Art, Institute for Church Life and Center for Social Concerns.

His other administrative experience at Notre Dame includes coordination of the Multicultural Research Institute, direction of the TRIO programs – the McNair Scholars Program, Upward Bound and Talent Search, all federally funded educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds –and the leadership of the Moreau Academic Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, an initiative to attract scholars from underrepresented groups to Notre Dame for research and engagement of issues related to multiculturalism and diversity. Pope-Davis served for three years as chair of Notre Dame’s Faculty Board on Athletics and its NCAA faculty athletics representative. He also has served on the provost’s advisory and diversity committees.

A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 2000, Pope-Davis studies in the areas of multicultural psychology, counseling and education. Specifically, he is interested in cultural and racial identity development, cultural competency training, development and assessment. Other areas of research include multicultural supervision in professional psychology, development of multicultural measures for assessing environments and supervision, issues of mental health of people of color and cross-cultural communications.

Pope-Davis recently co-authored a report on African-American Catholics in 2011. The largest sampling ever of its kind, the survey examined the religious engagement of African-Americans with the Catholic Church and identified demographic trends facing the church.

Pope-Davis earned his doctorate in counseling psychology from Stanford University, his master’s degree from Indiana University and his bachelor’s degree in psychology and theology from Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. He previously taught and conducted research at the University of Maryland for six years and the University of Iowa for five years.

For the full article, click here.

DePaul Newsline, February 26, 2013

Subscribe to Newsline Online

Remember when we used to get a paper copy of Newsline through the inter-office mail when we worked at DePaul?  It had news about faculty and staff members, Human Resource initiatives, and articles about major activities at DePaul. Well, now you can subscribe to it electronically.  Get the Newsline Online digest delivered monthly to your email box -- just click here to receive it.

In Memoriam - Jenny Morlan

Jenny Lynn Morlan, 59, of Morgantown, passed away Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, at Ruby Memorial Hospital.

Jenny was born on Dec. 9, 1953, the daughter of Fred and Betty Morlan. Jenny graduated from Parkersburg South High School, and was an art professor at DePaul University in Chicago before moving to Texas.

She was the Art Director for the book "WEST VIRGINIA USA", published by Seawell Multimedia in 1976. Her paintings have been displayed in Chicago and at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In 1991, she was the subject of a feature article in the Chicago Sun-Times. Plans have been made to display Jenny's major works at West Liberty University in the future.

She is survived by her sister, Nancy McClung of Lubeck; her brother, Jeffrey of Washington; and several nieces and nephews.

Jenny donated her body to the WVU Human Gift Registry.

Parkersburg News and Sentinel, West Virginia, December 22, 2012, on-line

Jenny was a member of DePaul's Art Department from 1988-2008.