DePaul University will continue its long involvement with Chicago Public Schools in a new partnership with Lake View High School, providing opportunities for the high school students through the university's science and technology programs. 

The Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., president, announced the partnership with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on May 23 at Senn High School, the partner school for Loyola University. The mayor is encouraging Chicago’s four-year universities to pair with the city’s public high schools to help the schools “launch in a new direction,” Emanuel said. The universities will offer programs and services unique to each school’s needs with the hope of boosting the schools’ achievement.

Forming a bond with Lake View will be natural for DePaul. Next year, the high school will be one of the city’s five Early College STEM Schools (ECSS), focusing on technology skills and career readiness. DePaul has worked for years with middle school teachers to increase their knowledge in math and science teaching and has invested in high-quality faculty and facilities in science and technology.

“For many years, DePaul University has been deeply committed to enhancing the educational experiences of Chicago Public School students and teachers through a wide range of initiatives, from training science and math teachers to providing classical music instruction for grammar school students,” Fr. Holtschneider said. “This new partnership between Lake View High School and DePaul bolsters that bond and furthers our mission to be an institutional anchor for Chicago. By providing Lake View students with greater access to DePaul’s high-quality faculty and facilities in science and technology, we hope to ease their transition into college and send them on the path toward entering careers in these fields.”

DePaul is the first four-year university planning to offer college courses through ECSS by giving eligible Lake View students access to some of DePaul’s college courses. To align the school’s curriculum with college standards, DePaul will support Lake View’s curriculum development, providing data analysis and on-going education for its teachers.

“I want all the potential that exists in DePaul’s math classes, their science classes, their teachers and their students to apply to our kids,” Emanuel said.

Lake View students will benefit from DePaul’s commitment to enhancing its science and technology programs. In 2011, DePaul established its 10th college—the College of Science and Health—to respond to the growing demand for well-educated professionals in the rapidly growing science and healthcare fields. To support high-quality science and education research, DePaul has constructed two science facilities in the last 15 years on its Lincoln Park Campus. Forty-five percent of Chicago’s computer degrees come from DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media.