At the fall dialogue event, five DePaul faculty and staff members spoke for 90 seconds from their own position at the university about what they understand to be the value of a DePaul education.
Here’s what they had to say:
Christina Rivers, St. Vincent de Paul Professor and Associate Professor, Department of Political Science. Director, DePaul Institute for Restorative Educational Engagement
I’m so very honored to share my take on the value of DePaul. Given the many rich experiences I’ve had in the classroom, through study abroad in Morocco, Inside-Out programming in the prison, the Vincentian Heritage Tour, and yes even through committee work, there are too many values to cover!
But there is a theme, which is “boldness”:
- DePaul’s boldly beloved community, and our enduring commitment to radical hospitality.
- Vincent’s bold leadership.
- From his own evolution from self-described mediocrity to innovating organized, effective, services to the marginalized.
- Vincent’s bold vision.
- His visionary sermon at Folleville was revolutionary in his time.
- Echoed closer to our time by DePaul’s modern icons, such as Msgr Egan’s fierce advocacy of justice and humanism, and Dorothy Day’s deep commitment to serving those most in need.
- Which calls on us to get into what Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis dubbed “the good trouble”
- The boldness of St. Vincent’s faith in the power of love.
- Clearly, he doesn’t own that concept. But his specific take on that power—that “love is inventive, even to infinity”—is particularly motivating, especially in recent years.
There is so much love at DePaul, and it comes with so much brain power, creativity, and humanism. Taken together, that is DePaul’s super-power! I’m grateful to be among so many super-heroes here and in our classrooms, and to do what must be done to boldly carry out DePaul’s mission together.
Anuradha Rana, Director of the School of Cinematic Arts in the College of Computing and Digital Media
When I think about the value of a DePaul education, I think about the moment we’re living in. These are uncertain times. And when times feel unsafe, telling your own story becomes an act of defiance. The personal is always political. Even something as simple as speaking your mother tongue can put you in the crosshairs of discrimination. That is why stories matter … and why storytellers matter even more.
As a documentary filmmaker, I return again and again to the question of why. Why do we do what we do? Why do our protagonists take the risk of sharing their truths? Why do we keep turning the camera on, even when the answers are not easy?
In my current film about language, I reflect on my own experience as an immigrant. Lowering my voice when speaking Hindi, fearing how it might mark me as “other.” That hesitation carries generations of loss, but also the determination to keep speaking. To resist erasure. The answer to why is not simple, but it is urgent.
I heard Lin-Manuel Miranda on NPR last week and one statement popped out at me. He said “Hold up the camera and bear witness until the truth pops out.” That line captures what so many of us do, and what we ask our students to do.
At DePaul, our work is more than teaching skills. It’s about empowering and uplifting emerging storytellers. It goes beyond instruction—it is an investment in inclusivity, in creating space for unapologetic self-expression, and in cultivating self-awareness.
Many of our students are the first in their families to attend college. We remind them that to change a story, you must first change the storyteller. And in investing in them, we bring new truths to light. Stories that shape not only their futures, but the world we share … and the world I hope to live in.
Mark Laboe, Interim Vice President for Mission and Ministry
In my experience and understanding of our Catholic and Vincentian mission, there is one word that most neatly captures what I believe to be at the heart of a DePaul education. That word is: vocation.
By vocation, I speak from my own theological background. So, I do not mean the narrower definition of the word as “a trade or profession” or just “a person’s job” … though those may be a very important part of one’s sense of vocation. Rather, I speak of vocation in the context of our Catholic and Vincentian heritage and tradition.
Vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare”, which means to call. It refers to the idea of being called, summoned, or invited by God to imagine and enact one’s life in a bigger frame of reference, or to transcend oneself so as to consider a larger whole, a larger reason for being.
Vocation is a word that describes the discovery of who we are in the deepest sense – who we are called to be, what we are called to do and to be about in the world. It is a claiming of one’s most authentic identity as a unique embodiment of the image and likeness of God. It is the call to move beyond oneself in order to contribute meaningfully to the betterment of others and our world.
Our Catholic and Vincentian heritage, of course, is deeply grounded in St. Vincent de Paul, who modeled such generosity. Vincent modeled his own life after Jesus, who is the ultimate model of self-gift, self-giving love.
Regardless of our students’ backgrounds, regardless of the academic path they pursue, and regardless of your background or position at DePaul as a faculty, staff member or administrator, the invitation is the same: to come to understand and live out your life as a form of self-gift, of service, of contributing to the betterment of this community, of society, to the common good, and to a more just, loving, and sustainable world.
This Spirit… this Vincentian Spirit… of vocation… grounds and sustains all we are at DePaul…
Does this have VALUE?
I don’t know how to quantify or monetize that exactly, but I do know that it taps into a shared hunger and a desire that is deeply human and that it is essential to human fulfillment and happiness. So, that is certainly worth an awful lot.
It is something that I believe, and I have seen repeatedly, that our students and each of us hope to discover, express, and live in to more fully in our lives.
And DePaul is a great place to do it.
Jim Mourey, Associated Dean of Graduate Programs, Associate Professor of Marketing, Director of FT MBA Program
I want to begin by sharing that I’m a first-generation college student. My parents never had the opportunity to attend college. In fact, my mother had to drop out of day school and attend night classes after facing violence at her school. Both of my parents worked three or four jobs while raising my siblings and me, doing everything they could to ensure we had the opportunity to pursue higher education. So, when people question the value of education, I take it very personally because I’ve lived its transformative power.
Let’s be clear: any objective measure of the value of education shows that individuals with a college degree are more likely to be employed, earn higher wages, and weather economic downturns more successfully. These are not opinions; they are well-documented facts. Yet, despite this, you’ll often hear voices (especially online) claiming that higher education “isn’t worth it.” Rarely do they cite data, and if they did, the numbers would tell a very different story. In fact, the value of education only increases with each additional level of academic attainment.
Why does this matter so much to me? Because this isn’t just policy or statistics: it’s my life story. Education has the power to transform lives, not just for students, but for their families, their children, and generations to come. That’s why I chose DePaul. A professor at a large Midwestern university once said to me, “Jim, you could go teach at Dartmouth and help the seventh-generation Carnegie descendant slightly improve their résumé, or you could come here, teach the first-generation child of a farmer, and change an entire family’s trajectory.” That stayed with me. When I realized I could do that…and live in a city like Chicago…I knew DePaul was where I belonged. My family immigrated to this country, just like many of our students’ families. Their story is my story.
Everyone deserves the right to an education, the opportunity to work hard, to learn, and to change their lives for the better.
I know business schools are often stereotyped as bastions of cold capitalism. But DePaul is different. Guided by our Vincentian mission, we teach the “business of social good.” Our students take part in projects that apply business principles to real-world social challenges – from first-year innovation competitions to community partnerships that improve lives. We believe that doing well in business and doing good in the world are not mutually exclusive. That’s why so many Chicago-based companies choose to partner with us: they see how we prepare students who are not just business-savvy but also ethically grounded and socially aware.
We also proudly welcome students from across the globe, representing a wide range of income levels, histories, identities, and lived experiences. Why? Because the data tells us what our instincts already know: diversity matters. Solving complex problems — the heart of business –requires diverse perspectives. One of my favorite examples comes from Nintendo. For over 100 years, they never had a woman on a game development team. That changed with Animal Crossing, which is now one of the best-selling games of all time. Fresh perspectives drive innovation, and at DePaul, we embrace that fully.
In conclusion, education changes lives. It changed mine. And at DePaul, we are committed to making sure it continues to change the lives of our students, especially those who have historically been left out. We do more than prepare students for careers; we prepare them to lead, to think critically, and to make a difference. That’s the power of education. That’s the power of purpose. And that’s why I’m here.
Summer K. McDaniel, B.A., Health Promotion Coordinator, Office of Health Promotion and Wellness at DePaul University
“My journey at DePaul started in 2019, after moving from Kansas City, Missouri to Chicago to pursue my bachelor’s degree in psychology. I was asked pretty frequently by family members: “why would I choose to move to Chicago to attend DePaul when I could save money and stay home?” The answer wasn’t entirely clear to me until I began my freshman year and something clicked.
When I started my degree, I knew I wanted to be a therapist, but I didn’t know how to get there. I had endless opportunities to grow my network throughout my undergraduate degree by being involved with the Psychology department as a Statistics tutor, joining the Psychology honors society and working on campus in the Office of Health Promotion & Wellness as a Peer Health Educator. As a Peer Educator at HPW I led the Collegiate Recovery Community meetings for students who identified as being in recovery from substance use, trauma and eating concerns. Each week it was a privilege to connect with students, facilitate community building, and most importantly affirm their unique personhood, understand their story, and appreciate the way they contribute to our community.
DePaul’s community of caring, passionate staff and faculty provided me with invaluable mentorship and experience that guided me to the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master’s program after I graduated in 2023.
Ultimately, I was able to find my ‘how’. As a staff member at HPW now, it’s my goal to be that mentor to my students who are on similar journeys in life. DePaul’s mission of Vincentian personalism flows through everything I do and every student or client I work with. Many of my student employees also chose to leave their hometown (or home country) to attend DePaul and to forge their path through education, ultimately making an impact on their communities. In all, DePaul’s community of radically supportive staff and faculty, along with its mission that is rooted in respect, make this institution a place where students can flourish.