Naperville-area community members, DePaul University alumni and students are invited to attend a series of events the week of Oct. 20 to celebrate the opening of DePaul's new Naperville campus, 150 W. Warrenville Road. The grand opening celebration at the campus includes a hoop shooting contest with new basketball coach Pat Kennedy.

The 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art educational facility, located just west of the Naperville exit on the I-88 high-tech corridor, opened its doors to more than 1,200 students in September.

Free public events that are part of the opening celebration:

* A blessing of the campus by Bishop Joseph Imesch of the Joliet Diocese will take place on Oct. 20, at 3 p.m. Special artwork, including a bust of St. Vincent de Paul designed exclusively for this new site, also will be unveiled during a public reception from 3-5 p.m.

* DePaul College of Commerce Professor Geoff Hirt will present "Planning Your Investment Strategy" on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.

* Men's basketball coach Pat Kennedy will greet Blue Demon fans and demonstrate his free throw shooting skills on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. Residents can take their best shot against the coach from 8-10 p.m.

* Marketing Professor Douglas Lamont will discuss "Global Marketing: A New Framework for Analysis and Strategy at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 22.

* "Attaining Diversity," a public panel discussion on diversity issues, will be held at the campus on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. The panel features four DePaul leaders in their field: Maryam Ahmad, special assistant to the president on diversity; Harvette Grey, director of the Women's Center; Jack Lane, associate vice president and director of the Center for University Values; and Karen Meyer, coordinator for the Office of Students with Disabilities and contributing editor for ABC 7 News.

* The School for New Learning will host a poet and authors night on Oct. 22 beginning at 7 p.m. DePaul faculty members will read from original literary works.

* "The Joy of Gospel Music," a presentation and audience participation session on gospel music, will occur at 3 p.m. Oct. 25.

Campus tours also will be available during the week.

Offering evening and weekend classes, the Naperville Campus generally draws adult working professionals who live or work in the Naperville area. Four DePaul schools and colleges currently offer classes at Naperville: the College of Commerce, School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI), Liberal Arts & Sciences (LA&S) and the School for New Learning (SNL) .

Among the educational offerings are four complete master's degree programs from CTI, bachelor's and master's programs from SNL, six complete MBA's from Commerce, a graduate program in public service management, accelerated bachelor's and master's for registered nurses, a bachelor's in communication and a master's in writing. Certificate programs include case management and managed care from the department of nursing, a computer career program, management of public services, and organizational leadership offered jointly by the psychology and communication departments. Additional certificate programs are offered through the Office of Continuing and Professional Education.

DePaul created the modern, full-service campus by completely gutting and renovating a former office building. The campus has 21 classrooms equipped with technology, one interactive-video room, two 60-station computer lab/classrooms, a 125-seat auditorium, 28 faculty offices, a bookstore, a high-tech library, student lounges and a full complement of student service offices. The campus includes a new 500-space parking lot.

For more information about the grand opening celebration, call Judi Bartik at (312) 362-6506.