Division of Student Affairs > About > Mission, Vision, Purpose & Values

Mission, Vision, Purpose & Values

Students

Our Mission

The Division of Student Affairs at DePaul University delivers programs and services that foster student success, build community and contribute to the development of the whole student.

Our Vision

The Division of Student Affairs at DePaul University is a full partner in the university's efforts to promote student learning and success. Recognizing that learning happens always and everywhere throughout the student experience, we design and implement learning experiences that advance students' intellectual, personal, spiritual, social and civic development. We provide personal and academic support services that strengthen students' readiness to learn while identifying and addressing barriers to learning. We do all of our work mindfully, in accordance with DePaul's Catholic and Vincentian traditions and values, and in the context of the university's urban character.

In support of its mission, the Division of Student Affairs seeks to provide leadership and collaborate widely throughout the university to help all students achieve their full personal and academic potential. We work with our colleagues in other divisions to ensure access to both higher learning and effective support services that enable all students to succeed. Student Affairs espouses a developmental view of learning and higher education that obligates us and the university to pay careful attention to the development and formation of students as whole persons. We celebrate the diversity of our community of students, faculty and staff, and we commit ourselves to social justice and service to others, particularly those who are marginalized. We seek to recognize and respond appropriately to the challenges faced by our students in their efforts to learn and participate fully and actively in a diverse community. We strive to infuse a Vincentian perspective and a spiritual dimension in our programs and services.

We aspire to excellence. As student affairs professionals, we are diligent and accountable in managing our departments and programs and in using our resources. We use valid data, sound evidence and professional expertise when we make decisions. We define both desired operational benchmarks and intended learning outcomes for our programs and services, and we conduct regular, rigorous assessments and make changes as required to ensure their quality and effectiveness. Through the work we do as stewards of student learning and development, all members of the Division of Student Affairs serve the mission of St. Vincent de Paul, ennobling the dignity of each person and preparing students to create lives of rich meaning and purpose. We welcome the responsibility given us to instill values of service and justice, and we celebrate the opportunity to do so within the unique context formed through the realization of DePaul's mission and character (adopted August 2010).

Purpose

We believe in the dignity and promise of every student and their ability to positively impact our world.

Values

We demonstrate our commitment to our purpose through:

  • Vincentian personalism
  • Radical hospitality
  • Integrity
  • A belief in the dignity of every individual
  • A commitment to building community
  • Attention to the holistic development of the student
  • Special attention to the poor and marginalized