Two editors go head-to-head debating the merits of hustle culture; see Opinions, page 12.
DePaulia
The
Learn all about DePaul’s new murals and the history behind them in Arts & Life, pages 16-17.
Volume #104 | Issue #4 | Oct. 7, 2019 | depauliaonline.com
Onward, hopefully upward
RYAN GILROY | THE DEPAULIA
President A. Gabriel Esteban speaks to university students, faculty and staff in the School of Music’s new Holtschneider Performance Center, named for Esteban’s predecessor, on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Esteban on waning enrollment, diversity concerns in State of University By Patsy Newitt Asst. News Editor
DePaul’s enrollment has experienced an eight-year decline – and while President A. Gabriel Esteban stresses that he isn’t worried, he also stresses urgency. Esteban addressed faculty and staff this past Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Holtschneider Auditorium, discussing DePaul’s “Grounded in Mission” Plan for 2024, achievements in the 2018-2019 academic year and challenges facing the university – specifically, declining enrollment rates and its effect on revenue and academic climate. Esteban opened with his goal for DePaul to be one of the Top 50 universities, Top 10 private, Pell-aid awarded universities and top five Catholic universities by 2030. These goals are attainable, he said, pointing to DePaul’s successes in the past year, including eight DePaul students and alumni receiving Fulbright scholarships, the new Grace School of Applied Diplomacy and a recent $6.6 million NIH grant to
“We have the faculty, we have the students. That’s why DePaul has a distinct advantage moving forward.”
A. Gabriel Esteban
President of DePaul University DePaul faculty researching violence prevention curriculum in CPS. “We have the faculty, we have the students,” he said. “That’s why DePaul has a distinct advantage moving forward.” Challenging this progress is DePaul’s eight-year decline in enrollment. Since a peak in 2010, DePaul’s population has declined by 3,334 students, according to a PowerPoint presentation by the provost and vice president of the university on Sept. 20. DePaul’s enrollment is concerning in reference to national trends in higher ed-
ucation. Though national enrollment has decreased by 1.7 percent, according to the NCS Research Center, 88 of 180 private, not-for-profit, doctoral institutions had an enrollment increase of 10 percent or more, and 127 of 180 experienced stable or positive enrollment growth in the past year, Esteban said. Locally, Loyola has increased enrollment by 8 percent, University of Illinois at Chicago by 14 percent and University of Illinois-Urbana by 11 percent from 2012 to 2018, he said. Declining birth rates in the 2000s are
a general concern for higher education. In 2026, Esteban said, there will be a sharp decline in 18-year-olds. And of the 18-yearolds, less are attending universities, with a projected 18 percent decline in Illinois high school graduates by 2029. Despite these trends, DePaul has the largest freshman class in its history this year, with 2,627 students. With this, DePaul has seen an increase in diversity, with students of color making up 44 percent of the new freshman class, as well as first generation students making up 33 percent and out-of-state students 38 percent, according to Esteban’s powerpoint. These numbers indicate a diversifying campus, but audience members expressed concern with a recent climate survey that showed diminishing feelings of diversity in DePaul’s academic climate amongst faculty and staff, according to Quinettta Shelby, an associate professor of inorganic chemistry. “There are declines in the perceived environment that favor diversity,” she said, “And I wonder if we’re seeing a decline in
See ESTEBAN, page 6