In anticipation of a new academic year beginning in September, DePaul University has launched several initiatives on its Rolling Meadows Campus and O’Hare Campus in Des Plaines to strengthen its commitment to education in the Northwest Suburbs. The initiatives include:

· The opening of a new weekend version of DePaul’s highly ranked MBA program on the Rolling Meadows Campus, 2550 West Golf Road, on Sept. 7. A cohort of 17 students has enrolled in the 21-month program that focuses on finance and management. Classes meet all day on alternate Saturdays, with technologically enhanced instruction between class sessions. The 16-course program was especially designed to be convenient and flexible for professionals who live and work in the Northwest Suburbs.

· Expansion of the Rolling Meadows Campus by 3,000 square feet to add two new classrooms, two additional faculty offices and a student lounge. The extra space was needed to accommodate the new MBA program as well as other graduate programs offered on the campus by the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems.

· Installation of new technology to enhance learning on the Rolling Meadows Campus. Located in the East Tower of the Meadows Corporate Center, the campus is now wireless, allowing students with laptop computers to access the Internet without plugging into outlets and phone lines. Wireless microphones and Course Online II technology also has been installed in all seven campus classrooms. Course Online II is a suite of multi-media technology developed by DePaul that allows professors to make video and audio recordings of class lectures that are automatically downloaded onto password-protected Web pages for student review.

· Renewal of a five-year lease for the O’Hare Campus facility at 3166 S. River Road, Des Plaines, with the Arthur J. Rogers commercial real estate brokerage firm in August. The lease renewal reaffirms DePaul’s commitment to students in the community.

· Formation of a 12-member advisory board of community leaders to strengthen linkages to the communities that surround both campuses. The board members will be introduced in October.

· Investment in new signage near campus exits on the I-90 and I-290 expressways, and on the two campuses, to help direct students to DePaul facilities.

“One of the key elements of the DePaul mission of social improvement is to assist people in gaining opportunity for, and access to, education as a means to advance and serve the community,” said Kurtis D. Todd, campus administrator for the O’Hare and Rolling Meadows campuses. “DePaul is steadily demonstrating the strength of this commitment by continuing to expand facilities and services on its campuses. The O’Hare and Rolling Meadows campuses continue to evolve to meet the demands and high expectations of students and the community.”

The new community advisory board being formed for the Rolling Meadows and O’Hare campuses will further this evolution. The board is modeled after one created last year for DePaul’s Naperville Campus, said William Calzaretta, executive director of DePaul’s suburban campuses. “The purpose is to have a continuing dialogue with the community by bringing together leaders representing various constituencies with connections to DePaul, including leaders from the education, government, business and non-profit communities in the Northwest Suburbs,” he said. “We want to share what DePaul has to offer and explore the development of business partnerships.” Todd said such partnerships could be very useful for the community. “As these are times of economic uncertainty, much attention will be placed on enhancing the business community by shaping campus resources for education, training, community outreach and economic development,” he said.

DePaul opened the Rolling Meadows Campus in 2000 and the O’Hare Campus in 1977. Combined, the two campuses enroll approximately 2,500 students. The facilities are part of DePaul’s network of campuses, which includes the Barat and the Lake Forest campuses in Lake Forest; South Campus in Oak Forest, the Naperville Campus and city campuses in Lincoln Park and the Loop.

Open houses for DePaul’s graduate business programs will be held at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Oct. 4 on the Loop Campus, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., and 10 and 11 a.m. Oct. 19 on the Naperville Campus, 150 W. Warrenville Road. An open house for all graduate programs offered by the Rolling Meadows Campus will be held on the Rolling Meadows Campus at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Jan. 8. For more information and open house registration, call 312-362-5551.