Inaugural Book Club Meeting - April 1

College of Law Interim Dean, Bruce Ottley, named

Dear Colleagues, It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Bruce Ottley as Interim Dean of the College of Law, effective June 1, 2014. With more than 40 years of experience, Bruce has an extensive and distinguished career as a lawyer, professor and university administrator. A professor of law, teaching courses in civil procedure, torts, and remedies and products liability, he is the director of the DePaul University-University College Dublin Cooperative Program and co-director of the International Aviation Law Institute. An esteemed expert on tort law, he also conducts seminars for Illinois judges through the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. Bruce served as associate dean for a total of nine years at DePaul, most recently from 1996 to 2000, and as acting dean in 2006, making him familiar with the administrative operations of the college.

Prior to joining DePaul's College of Law in 1978, Bruce taught law at the University of Papua New Guinea, where he also practiced law and served as a judge of the National Capitol District Court. He has published multiple books, not to mention scores of chapters and articles, on such topics as products liability law, Illinois tort law and a wide range of legal topics in the South Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand. He also is a fellow of the American Anthropological Association. Bruce received a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a master's degree and law degree from the University of Iowa, and a master of laws from Columbia University. Bruce's wife, Younghee Jin Ottley, is an alumna of DePaul's College of Law and a partner at Winston & Strawn in Chicago. She also serves on the Dean's Advisory Council and the Advisory Board of the International Human Rights Law Institute for the College of Law. I am grateful to Bruce for agreeing to serve as interim dean. His appointment comes after a broad consultation with faculty, staff, students and alumni, where it became abundantly clear that he enjoys the broad respect of his peers. I know the college is in good hands, and I look forward to working closely with him. Sincerely, Patricia O’Donoghue Interim Provost Source: Email to DePaul Community, March 13, 2013

Interim President and Interim Provost Announced

Dear Colleagues,

I’m writing to share a number of leadership decisions following the Board of Trustees meeting held over the weekend. 

1. After 10 years as president, I will be taking an academic leave this fall, from August 1 to December 31, 2014.  Harvard’s Graduate School of Education has offered me its revolving position of “president-in-residence,” where I’ll teach in a graduate course on leadership and governance in higher education and spend the bulk of my time working on a larger writing project.  I’m especially grateful to Dr. Judith McLaughlin, director of Harvard’s graduate program in higher education, for the invitation.  As some of you know, I’ve been privileged to teach in HGSE’s summer Management Development Program since 2008, and this is very much a homecoming for me.   
2. Dr. Patricia O’Donoghue will assume the role of interim president in my absence, and then plans to retire January 1, 2015.  Pat, as you know, has served as vice president for alumni outreach and engagement and interim provost at DePaul in recent years, but also served as chief academic officer of two other universities and as president at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee.    
3. Dr. David Miller will assume the role of interim provost for the 2014-2015 academic year, while retaining his position as dean of the College of Computing and Digital Media. 

During the recent consultation for an interim provost in the 2014-2015 year, Pat’s name rose constantly from all quarters of the university community, asking that she be reappointed for another year.  I spoke with Pat before meeting with our trustees, and she confirmed her intention to retire in January 2015, but agreed to accept this new role if asked.   I trust that your vote of confidence will follow her as she temporarily assumes the presidency. 

After Pat’s, David’s name was most frequent among the university community’s suggestions for interim provost.  A number of respondents spoke of the positive way in which he worked closely with faculty leadership these past two years to help draft a more effective faculty handbook, one that has received the strong endorsement of Faculty Council as each chapter received a vote of approval.  Others noted his quiet, steady leadership of CDM as dean and his long service and knowledge of the university.  I have relied on his knowledge at important moments over the years, finding his judgment balanced and wise.  I am glad that he received such a strong endorsement from the university community, and I know he and Pat will work together well when I am away.

I apologize that I was unable to inform you of my planned academic leave when I first consulted you on the question of selecting an interim provost.  This had to be affirmed by DePaul’s board at its March 1^stmeeting, and the announcement had to be coordinated with Harvard.  I simply couldn’t “announce” something that wasn’t yet finalized in all its aspects.  And yet, I wanted to know your thoughts as the board and I considered the leadership for the coming year. 

During the course of that consultation, more than a few faculty proposed that DePaul consider pushing the search for a new provost into the 2015-2016 academic year, to ensure a strong pool of candidates and to give the interim provost time to undertake and complete some of the more important initiatives before us.  I can see pros and cons to this, and so I welcome your thoughts on the matter.  David has made clear that he will not be a candidate for the permanent position, but that he is willing to serve until a permanent provost is chosen.  If you have thoughts on this question, please send them by April 7^th toSECRETARY@DEPAUL.EDU.    

Finally, I was aware of the campus conversations about whether I was considering applying for the open presidency of our sister school, St. John’s University, where I began my faculty career 25 years ago.  I love SJU, but I did not apply.  DePaul is an extraordinary place, filled with faculty and professional staff who are dedicated to our students and to the great educational mission this institution accomplishes each and every year.  I love our mission and am deeply committed to it.  Even more, I love being part of a community with all of you.  While I am taking time next fall for some writing and relaxation, I am also looking forward to returning with redoubled energy to work alongside you. 

With gratitude and respect for all you do for this great institution,

Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M.
President

Source: Email to DePaul Community, March 5, 2014

DePaul Names New VP for Student Affairs

DePaul University

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Gene Zdziarski as our next vice president for student affairs. Gene will be joining DePaul on July 1 and brings with him more than 25 years of experience in higher education. His wife, Catherine, will be joining him in Chicago.

Gene is vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Roanoke College, a private liberal arts college with approximately 2,000 full-time students in Salem, Va. Before that, he served as assistant vice president and dean of students for seven years at the University of Florida, with a student body of 50,000. He also served as associate director of student life at Texas A&M University, where he worked for 15 years in various roles serving nearly 50,000 students.

Gene is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Tennessee and received his Ph.D. in educational administration from Texas A&M. He is a nationally recognized expert on campus safety issues and has co-authored a book on crisis management.

Gene received high marks in the interview process for his success in building relationships across the institutions he has served and for his emphasis on collaboration. The search committee was impressed by his deep commitment to fostering academic achievement and students’ individual development.

Many impressive candidates applied for this position. I thank the search committee, chaired by the Rev. Edward Udovic, C.M., senior executive for university mission, university secretary and vice president for teaching and learning resources, for dedicating extensive time and expertise to this important task.

I also would like to thank Cindy Summers for serving as Student Affairs’ interim leader since Jim Doyle’s retirement in July 2012. Due to her capable leadership, Student Affairs has not missed a beat in serving our students.

We look forward to welcoming Gene to the DePaul family.

Sincerely,

Patricia O’Donoghue
Interim Provost

Source: Email, February 28, 2014, DePaul University, Provost Office

DES Book Club Established

CALLING ALL READERS EMERITI:

The DePaul Emeritus Society is establishing a BOOK CLUB for all members who would be interested in meeting to discuss shared readings.  The book club members will choose the readings and decide the format and frequency of club meetings.  Kathryn DeGraff has generously agreed to convene and chair the first meeting of the DES Book Club.

This meeting will be held on April 1, 2014, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. in Richardson Library 115 on the Lincoln Park Campus. 

SAVE THE DATE!

  

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Helen Marlborough, hmarlbor@depaul.edu (or 773-472-4669) with your contact information.  If you cannot attend but wish to be notified of future meetings, please indicate this in your response and be sure to provide an email address.  Thank you!

We hope to see you at the Inaugural Meeting of the DES BOOK CLUB on TUESDAY, APRIL 1, AT 1:30 in Richardson 115.  

Results from November, 2013 Survey

SUMMARY OF MEMBERSHIP SURVEY ON PROGRAMMING  PREFERENCES  

Prepared by David Sims and Helen Marlborough with the assistance of Alice Farrell.

Background:

At the meeting of November 1, 2013, the DES Committee on Special Events and Projects (Dave Sims and Helen Marlborough) asked those in attendance to complete a two-part survey that would help to identify their preferences for future DES programs.  The first section of the questionnaire listed six kinds of programs and asked respondents to rank them in order of preference; the second section listed 18 topics and asked respondents to check those topics that interested them. [Copies of the questionnaire are available on request.]  A final section invited members to suggest interests such as book clubs or mentoring groups, and to give their names if they wished to be contacted about forming a group.

Results:

We received 52 responses to the questionnaire.  In Part I, where respondents ranked the kinds of programs by preference, there were six possible numerical rankings. To simplify the report on Part I, we have reduced the six responses in the rankings to three; combining the numbers of respondents who ranked items 1 and 2, then 3 and 4, and then 5 and 6, gives three categories:  high interest, moderate interest, and low interest.   The table below gives the six types of programs with the numbers of responses in each category; note that not every respondent ranked all the items, so that totals do not always add up to 52. 

In this section of the survey, it’s clear that presentations and performances by students or alumni drew the most interest, while there is little DES interest in programs from those outside the university.  Programs using faculty presentations or performances, along with presentations by administrators on university issues, drew some interest.  Programs focusing on retirement issues ranked high with some DES members, but these types of program were ranked low by almost as many others, suggesting that programs on retirement issues have an interested but smaller following among DES retirees.

Table of Responses to Part I:

Type of Program                                                           High     Moderate          Low

Programs by Members of DES:                                     14            21                10

Presentations by DPU administrators                             22           10                 11

                on university issues:

Presentations on retirement issues:                               18           11                 14 

Presentations/Performances by                                     25           16                  7

             DPU students or alumni:

Presentations/Performances by                                     19           18                  8

            DePaul Faculty:  

Programs from outside the university:                            13             8                 24 

  

In Part 2 of the survey, respondents could check as many topics as they wanted.  Eighteen topics were offered. The top five scores among the listed topics are:

The Arts: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Film, Literature:                       36

DePaul Retiree-Specific Issues                                                         28

Chicago: History or Current Events                                                    27

Travel & Armchair Travel                                                                   22

Health & Wellness                                                                           21

Finally, a few responses indicated an interest in forming a book club or doing mentoring, and a dozen people gave their names so they might be contacted about these activities. The largest number expressed an interest in the book club, so Helen Marlborough will arrange a meeting to discuss the formation of a DES Book Club.

Future Planning:

Looking at the responses to both parts of the survey, we have arranged the next luncheon program around student performances of literature and will seek out students, alumni, and faculty who might feature in future programs dealing with the arts, with Chicago topics, or with university issues. We are open to suggestions for more specialized programs dealing with retirement issues as well.  Questions and suggestions may be sent to Helen Marlborough,  hmarlbor@depaul.edu.  

Blue Demon Week - February 16-22, 2014

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students, Welcome to Blue Demon Week! Thanks to the leadership of the Student Government Association and many of our students, staff and faculty, this year marks a new tradition for our university—a week of special events to celebrate our love for DePaul. I invite our entire university community, including our faculty, staff, students, alumni, retirees and friends to join in, show your school spirit and participate in one of the many activities. More information about Blue Demon Week activities is available in Newsline and on the DePaul Activities Board website. You also may follow the hashtag, #BDW2014. The weeklong celebration will culminate with men’s and women’s basketball games on Blue Demon Day, Saturday, Feb. 22. I especially encourage faculty and staff to participate in “Wear Your Blue Day” on Thursday, Feb. 20 by wearing either royal blue or your favorite piece of business-appropriate DePaul gear. Numerous groups and departments from across the university made our inaugural Blue Demon Week possible, and I would like to express my personal gratitude to everyone who dedicated their time and effort to organizing this year’s events. These organizing partners include:
Advancement Alumni Relations Athletics Blue Crew Campus Recreation Chartwells College of Computing & Digital Media DemonTHON DePaul Activities Board Enrollment Management & Marketing Facility Operations Future Alumni Association	Health Promotion & Wellness Housing Services Information Services Public Relations & Communications Residence Hall Council Residential Education Student Affairs Student Centers Student Government Association Student Involvement The Theatre School
Thanks for supporting all of our colleagues and joining in this week in whatever way you are able. Enjoy the first of what will certainly become a lovely tradition at DePaul. Go Blue Demons!! Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M. President
Source: Email February 17, 2014, President's Office