DePaul University has signed a five-year lease for an 11,700-square-foot facility at the intersection of I-94 and U.S. Route 60 in Lake Forest and will open a Lake County Campus there in September.

Located in a new office complex called Two Conway Park at 150 Field Drive, the facility is DePaul’s fourth suburban campus.

"Lake County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and has a significant level of unmet demand for higher education," said David O. Justice, DePaul’s vice president for lifelong learning. "The new campus extends DePaul’s commitment for providing accessible higher education to working professionals in the north suburbs."

"DePaul’s goal is to enroll 200 students at the Lake County Campus in the first year," said William Calzaretta, executive director of DePaul’s suburban campuses.

The facility will offer six technology-equipped classrooms, a fully networked library, a 20-station computer lab, faculty and administrative offices, quiet and casual study space for students and free parking. Evening and weekend courses will be offered in the fall by the graduate program of DePaul’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems, the bachelor’s degree program of the School for New Learning and the nursing department in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LA&S).

DePaul is seeking approval from the Illinois Board of Higher Education for LA&S to offer a Master’s of Public Service Management Program at the new campus in the winter.

An interactive video classroom at the new campus will allow DePaul to offer live interactive classes between the Lake County Campus and the DePaul’s Loop, Lincoln Park, O’Hare and Naperville campuses, and with other higher education institutions in the state and beyond.

"DePaul is excited about extending its 100 year mission of providing high quality, value-based education to the working professionals of Lake County," said the Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., president of the university. "It is always rewarding to build new friendships."

DePaul University celebrates the centennial of its founding during the 1998-99 school year. Special events marking the 100^th anniversary will be held in the fall at all campuses, including the Lake County Campus.

With more than 17,000 students in eight colleges and schools, DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the Midwest and the second largest in the United States.

People seeking information about applying for programs at DePaul’s Lake County Campus should call the adult admissions office at (312) 362-6709 or visit the prospective student website.