DePaul University will once again be a part of a longstanding Chicago tradition – the Bud Billiken Day Parade.

The university will be sponsoring a float in the 2003 parade, which steps off at 39th and King Drive on the city's South Side at 10 a.m. Aug. 9. The float, in vibrant school colors and featuring the famous Blue Demon logo, will have several university administrators and alumni aboard, including Clara Jennings, dean of DePaul's School of Education. DePaul women's basketball coach Doug Bruno and men’s assistant basketball coach Tyler Jones are also scheduled to appear. The university’s Office of Diversity and Office of University Collaborations developed the float.

The Bud Billiken Day Parade is the largest African-American parade in the country. Held on the second Saturday every August, the parade’s back-to-school theme is designed to provide underprivileged youths with a day of celebration. It will be televised on WGN-TV and WLS-TV. The parade ends with a festival in Washington Park.

"This is a very visible way for DePaul to demonstrate our commitment to the city and Chicago's African-American community," said Bridget Vaughn, associate vice president of university collaborations at DePaul. "The parade's educational focus is a natural complement for our participation and outreach."

DePaul is the largest private educational institution in Chicago and the largest Catholic university in the nation. A richly diverse population of 23,227 students attends classes on two city and six suburban campuses.

DePaul was founded in 1898 by the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers (the Congregation of the Mission), a Roman Catholic religious community that continues the mission and values of Vincent de Paul, the 17th century French saint known as the "Apostle of Charity."