DePaul University, which will mark the beginning of its centennial academic year on Sept. 8, will commemorate the historic milestone with a day filled with activities that celebrate its commitment to education and to its community.

The day will begin with a visual celebration at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent’s Church, 1010 W. Webster Ave. The focal image will be a 12-foot high by 14-foot wide picture of the original DePaul student body and faculty from 1898. That photo will be moved to the side to reveal a living tableau featuring students and faculty representatives from the 1998 freshman class.

In 1898, DePaul’s entire student body was male and all of its faculty members were Vincentian priests. Today DePaul has over 17,800 students, 33 percent of whom are minority, and 55 percent of whom are women. DePaul also has a faculty that reflects the diversity of its students and the Chicago metropolitan area.

Immediately following the dramatic pictorama, nearly 1,000 students and faculty members will kick off the centennial school year by participating in DePaul’s third annual New Student Service Day. The welcoming ceremony will be held inside St. Vincent’s Church.

Teams of volunteers--which will include new students, faculty members, staff and student leaders--will be dispersed throughout Chicago to perform acts of public and community service at over 50 locations. Their work will include such things as gardening in local parks, assisting in soup kitchens and cleaning and painting community centers.

"New Student Service Day gives first-year students the opportunity to work with faculty, staff and other students as ambassadors of DePaul’s mission of service to the community," said Ellen Meents-DeCaigny, program director for new student programs and student life at DePaul. "It’s a great opportunity for students coming to DePaul to see what our mission really means, and it allows us to strengthen our community."

The volunteers will end the day with a celebration and picnic from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Oz Park, 2021 N. Burling St.

"This is a day dedicated to what DePaul has meant to students and the community for the last 100 years," said Thomas G. Fuechtmann, director of centennial programs at DePaul. "The visual celebration shows how DePaul—both in 1898, and today in 1998—opens the door to educational opportunity. Couple that with the enthusiasm and determination of New Student Service Day and you have a living reminder of DePaul’s mission to provide quality education and community service."

Note to Editors: In case of rain, the New Student Service Day kick-off will be held at DePaul’s Alumni Hall, 1011 W. Belden Ave.