Researchers, faculty leaders and administrators from approximately 30 of the nation’s Catholic colleges and universities are scheduled to gather at DePaul University’s Loop Campus March 26-27 for the annual Catholic Higher Education Research Cooperative (CHERC) Forum.

During a research symposium from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 26, participants will discuss outcomes related to mission and ministry, research areas lacking in Catholic higher education, measuring perceptions related to institutional mission and values and leadership in higher education from the perspective of the Vincentian religious order.

On March 27 at 9:15 a.m., two DePaul professors with longstanding ties to the university’s academic affairs office will present a plenary session on Catholic higher education, and its relationship to the Church, society and the academy. Richard Meister, professor emeritus of history and former executive vice president for academic affairs, and Charles Strain, professor of religious studies and current associate vice president for academic affairs, will offer their findings on these topics, which will be the subject of a book on which they are collaborating.

Research presentations from graduate students at DePaul and representatives from other member institutions will take center stage at 10:30 a.m., featuring issues of academic mission; perceptions of traditional vs. non-traditional students; giving students a voice in mission and values; engagement of transfer students; community and student participation in public service; and colleges and universities’ Catholic and congregational mission-related activities.

The conference will be held at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., with Sunday’s sessions taking place on the 8th floor, Room 8010, and Monday’s sessions being offered on the 11th floor in the DePaul Club Room.

Founded eight years ago at Villanova University, the CHERC is specifically designed for Catholic colleges and universities to exchange research and ideas on how best to explore their unique mission, vision and values. This is the first year that the conference has been held outside of Pennsylvania.

With a richly diverse population of 23,148 students on two city and four suburban campuses, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the nation and the country’s 10th-largest private, not-for-profit university. DePaul is an innovative and diverse university offering pragmatic educational programs that instill values, including a commitment to community service.