Dear Faculty and Staff,
This academic year, we participated in important and at times difficult conversations through the President’s Dialogue Series, addressing both national issues and those specific to DePaul. I’m grateful to the many faculty and staff who participated in the series and shared useful insights that continue to guide our work.
These important dialogues have helped us to grow and learn as individuals and as a community, equipping us to meet today’s challenges and prepare for those ahead. It’s this ability to evolve that allows us to remain successful.
Our most recent President’s Dialogue Series in April focused on building a culture of community care that can sustain our university through uncertainty and change. At this session, faculty and staff expressed a need for:
- Ongoing support for University Counseling and Psychological Services, and other well-being focused student programming
- Expanded mental health first aid training for faculty and staff to better support and refer students
- Continued implementation and refinement of Take Care DePaul
- More opportunities for everyday connection, encouragement, and support
- A shift from urgency to intentionality, leading with thoughtfulness
In addition, a few consistent themes emerged throughout the entire series, such as the importance of
transparent communication, staying true to our
Vincentian mission, and our shared commitment to
dignity and care for all. I shared thoughts on these themes in messages you can find
here and
here.
As we close out this academic year and prepare for the next, we remain focused on positioning DePaul for continued success. That includes looking at our internal structures and work patterns as well as how we engage with broader national conversations that may shape our campus environment. We will continue to seek ways to integrate your feedback into our future work and the Designing DePaul strategic plans so that we move forward with clarity, purpose, and hope for what we can accomplish together.
The President’s Dialogue Series will
continue next year, giving us a regular opportunity to come together and explore issues that are central to our work. I’m happy to share that based on your feedback,
we will be expanding dialogue opportunities to include student perspectives. I invite you to share ideas for topics in
this survey. You will receive more information about next year’s dialogue series later this summer.
I appreciate the care, thoughtfulness, and engagement involved in this series, and I am grateful for the work of the Dialogue Collaborative. While these may be difficult conversations, they make our institution better.
As we continue to navigate the evolving needs of our university community, thank you all for your support as we work to keep DePaul successful.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Manuel
President