New programs, renovated facilities will enhance academic opportunities in Lake County

Trustees from Barat College of Lake Forest and DePaul University of Chicago have agreed in principle to form a comprehensive alliance that will make new academic programs available to students in Lake County and expand the missions of these two century-old Catholic institutions, executives announced jointly today.

The alliance, which is expected to be finalized at the end of January, will perpetuate Barat’s name and legacy as it becomes Barat College of DePaul University, and will enable DePaul to offer its programs at the Barat Campus.

“Barat pursued this affiliation to strengthen our academic offerings for students and ensure the continued growth of our very special college,” said Sheila A. Smith, who chairs Barat’s Board of Trustees and serves as its acting chief executive officer. “Barat College has leveraged the resources and reputation of our partners at DePaul to allow us to extend our tradition of serving students and our community.”

Richard J. Meister, DePaul’s executive vice president for academic affairs, agreed. “This alliance opens a new future that builds on the strengths and synergies of both institutions. It allows Barat College to continue the legacy of the Religious of the Sacred Heart, while it challenges DePaul to transform our presence from our current small campus in Lake Forest into a full-service residential campus.”

A multi-million dollar investment in facilities that will begin this month symbolizes a rebirth for Barat College and is geared to provide immediate improvements for students where they live and learn. Phase one will focus on Old Main, the campus’ 1904 flagship building, where classrooms will be wired to accommodate new technology and faculty offices will be renovated. Later phases will see upgrades in residence halls and other campus amenities.

Additionally, a new foundation will be formed to preserve and advance Barat College’s heritage. The foundation will nurture mission-oriented programs by cultivating alumni and donor support to benefit the college’s educational traditions, such as awarding scholarships to deserving students and providing financial support to academic programs and faculty initiatives.

The alliance will evolve during a four-year transition period that guarantees all current students the ability to graduate from their existing programs. Administrators and faculty from both schools will begin immediately to review Barat’s curriculum, enabling it to serve a wider range of students, and to determine additional programs to be offered at the Barat Campus by several of DePaul’s other colleges. DePaul plans to move its current Lake Forest Campus, located off I-94 at Rt. 60, to the nearby Barat Campus within two years.

When the new programs are completely implemented, full-time day student enrollment at Barat College and Barat Campus is expected to increase gradually, with many students choosing to live on campus. Enrollment also will increase among part-time adult and graduate students, a development that should be welcomed by students and businesses in Lake County because a recent study by the Illinois Board of Higher Education determined a need for more post-secondary educational opportunities there.

Barat was founded in 1858 in Chicago as a values-based women’s academy and relocated to Lake Forest in 1904. Today it serves over 850 students. Founded in 1898, DePaul is the nation’s largest Catholic university with 20,547 students enrolled in eight colleges and schools on seven campuses in the Chicago metropolitan area.