Thursday will be the all-important “first day of school” for the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., who was recently named the 11th president of DePaul, the nation’s largest Catholic university and city’s largest private university. Holtschneider will assume the role full-time beginning Thursday and media are invited to visit his Loop Campus office, 55 E. Jackson Blvd., to greet him. Individual interviews or b-roll opportunities can be arranged upon request by calling Denise Mattson at 312/362-6225.

Background:

A Detroit native, Father Holtschneider, 42, studied at Harvard University, where he received his doctorate in administration, planning and social policy. He comes to DePaul from Niagara University, where he was executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Working with faculty, staff and students to develop DePaul’s next strategic plan and reaching out to the philanthropic community are two of the first initiatives he will address. He also plans to enhance DePaul’s academic excellence and its outreach to disadvantaged communities through community service.

Father Holtschneider is nationally known in Catholic higher education circles for his training of religious and lay presidents of Catholic institutions in how to support and nurture the Catholic intellectual tradition on their campuses. He led two national studies of American Catholic colleges and universities, examining trends in governance and leadership.

The oldest of eight children, he was eager to move to Chicago, where he has reunited with two of his siblings, a brother and sister, who live and work in the city. He is a lover of jazz and theatre, and he expects to take full advantage of Chicago’s lively arts community.

DePaul has been educating students in Chicago for more than a century and enrolls nearly 24,000 students today in nine colleges on seven campuses.

A biography is available at: http://president.depaul.edu/Biography/Biography.html
A high resolution photo is available at: http://newsroom.depaul.edu/news_release_photos/FrHolt1.jpg