• DePaul is the 8th-largest private, not-for-profit university in the nation. Among those that are larger, all are classified as "research extensive" universities, making DePaul the nation's largest private university with a primary mission of teaching and service.

• DePaul is the largest private, non-profit college in Chicago and the Midwest, where the university and its students have been immersed in the cultural, civic and professional experiences of the city for more than 100 years.

• DePaul was founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission (or Vincentian) religious community, which follows the teachings of 17th century French priest St. Vincent de Paul. The university's mission emphasizes academic excellence, community service, access to education and respect for the individual.

• The university has nine colleges and schools: College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; College of Commerce; College of Communication; College of Law; College of Computing and Digital Media; School for New Learning; School of Education; School of Music and The Theatre School.

• DePaul has six Chicago-area campuses - Lincoln Park, Loop, O'Hare (Des Plaines), Rolling Meadows, Naperville and South Campus (Oak Forest) - and offers courses at University Center of Lake County in Grayslake.

• For the 2009-2010 academic year, the university enrolled 25,072 students who reflect a broad range of ethnic, religious, geographic and economic backgrounds. The student body includes 16,199 undergraduate students, 7,795 graduate students and 1,078 law students.

• In keeping with DePaul's commitment to diversity and access to education, minority students accounted for at least 31 percent of total enrollment in the fall of 2008. The university enrolled 2,477 Hispanic/Latino students (10 percent of the student body); 1,979 African-American students (8 percent); and 1,884 Asian/Pacific Island students (8 percent).

• DePaul enrolled a freshman class of 2,531 students in the fall of 2009. About 30 percent were from families where neither parent had graduated college.

• DePaul's master's level enrollment is the largest in the state of Illinois, according to Illinois Board of Higher Education 2007 data.

• The university offers more than 260 practical and flexible programs of study for undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The university uses the quarter system of class scheduling.

• The top five most popular undergraduate majors in fall of 2008 were: accounting, finance and business, psychology, and communications. The five most popular graduate degree concentrations were finance, computer science, information systems, computer science, early childhood education, and public service.

• The Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., joined DePaul as its 11th president in 2004. A Detroit native, Fr. Holtschneider studied at Harvard University and received his doctorate in administration, planning and social policy in 1997 after writing a dissertation on the early history of educational financial aid in the United States. He has led two national studies of American Catholic higher education that examined trends in governance and leadership, and he is well-known for his training of religious and lay presidents at Catholic institutions to support and nurture the Catholic intellectual tradition. He came to DePaul from Niagara University, where he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

• At the beginning of the 2008-2009 academic year, the university employed 899 full-time and 836 part-time faculty members; 1,415 full-time and 200 part-time staff members; 1,530 part-time student workers; and 76 temporary employees.

• DePaul's reach extends worldwide. Faculty members teach in DePaul degree programs in Bahrain, Poland, Bangkok, Taiwan, and Kenya. DePaul was involved in study abroad opportunities, faculty research projects and exchanges, academic curricula consulting/partnerships and service programs in approximately 30 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Pacific Rim.

• DePaul awards nearly 4,500 degrees annually and has produced more than 134,000 alumni since the university's founding in 1898. About 74 percent of DePaul alumni live in the Chicago area.

• DePaul University's Continuing & Professional Education (CPE) is a leading provider of education programs for individuals in need of focused learning and organizations seeking to increase employee knowledge and skills. CPE offers 50 certificate programs and tailored company training that educates more than 3,000 students from approximately 1,100 area employers annually. Programs are offered in defense investigation, dispute resolution, financial services, human resources, management development, marketing communications, mediation training, organizational development, and project management. CPE also offers many certificate programs online.

• DePaul's 2008-2009 budget is $470 million. DePaul's unrestricted endowment and reserve funds had a market value of $407 million as of June 30, 2008, having increased from $161 million during the past two years.

• In 2007-08, DePaul awarded approximately $338 million in financial aid grants, scholarships, loans and work study opportunities. About 70 percent of all undergraduate students received financial aid.

• Dozens of distinguished figures choose to visit DePaul each year for lectures and public forums. President Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made a major foreign policy speech at DePaul in October 2007, in the early months of his campaign. President Bill Clinton came to DePaul in August of 2000 to announce new federal college financial aid initiatives. President George H.W. Bush delivered an address to DePaul’s MBA students in Hong Kong in 2003. Illinois Gov. George Ryan announced the pardon of four death row inmates during a historic speech at DePaul's College of Law in January of 2003. The Dalai Lama spoke at DePaul in July of 1996 during a four-day university conference on "Socially Engaged Buddhism and Christianity." Former GE CEO Jack Welch, chosen as "Manager of the Century" by Fortune Magazine, spoke at the university’s business school in 2005.

• The university's motto is "I will show you the way of wisdom" ("Viam sapientiae monstrabo tibi," Proverbs, IV, 11). The university's logo depicts the tree of wisdom.

• DePaul's intercollegiate athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s BIG EAST conference in the following sports: women's basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track and volleyball; men's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track.

• The DePaul Blue Demons team name evolved from "D-men," the name given to DePaul athletes who wore blue letter sweaters in the early 1920s. DePaul's colors are blue and red.

DePaul's Web site is www.depaul.edu.