CHICAGO — Speakers for DePaul University’s 116th commencement ceremonies on May 18, June 14 and June 15 are leaders in their fields, including entertainment, philanthropy, architecture, business and civil rights. Recognized as the largest Catholic university in the United States, DePaul will have seven separate ceremonies for its 10 colleges and schools.

Speakers for the ceremonies include actor Jon Favreau; architect César Pelli; business executive Robert Mariano; author Sandra Cisneros; philanthropic leader, the Rev. Larry Snyder; civil rights activist Robert Moses; and Judge Thomas Durkin. Each of the speakers will receive an honorary degree, as will the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., a Vincentian and higher education leader.

This year, the College of Law’s commencement will be held May 18 at the Rosemont Theatre. On June 14, the College of Education, School of Music and The Theatre School (combined ceremony), and School for New Learning also will be held at the Rosemont Theatre. On June 15, Allstate Arena will be the commencement venue for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and the College of Science and Health (combined ceremony); College of Communication and the College of Computing and Digital Media (combined ceremony); and the Driehaus College of Business.

DePaul’s colleges and schools have distinguished reputations for academic quality and dedication to fostering student success. Details about each college’s commencement ceremony, speakers and honorary degree recipients are listed below. For additional information visit, http://bit.ly/1fzrFTi.

College of Law
May 18, 1:30 p.m.
Rosemont Theatre
5400 N. River Road, Rosemont

A graduate of DePaul’s College of Law in 1978, Judge Thomas M. Durkin has placed public service at the center of his distinguished and successful legal career. As a long-time federal prosecutor, Durkin helped lessen corruption in government halls by prosecuting high-profile politicians who had broken the public’s trust. While working at one of Chicago’s highly regarded law firms, Mayer Brown LLP, he also tried a number of federal and state jury cases, earning him a reputation as one of the city’s top trial lawyers. The latest chapter of his career has taken him to the other side of the bench. Recommended by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk of Illinois, and nominated by President Barack Obama, Durkin was sworn in as a United States district judge for the Northern District of Illinois in 2013.

The College of Law has graduated more than 14,700 students since its establishment in 1912. DePaul law graduates have gone on to become highly skilled, committed and vigorous leaders of the bar, bench and business industries. Alumni include numerous state and federal judges, three Chicago mayors and managing partners of dozens of major law firms.

College of Education
June 14, 8:30 a.m.
Rosemont Theatre
5400 N. River Road, Rosemont

Robert P. Moses is considered one of the civil rights movement’s most influential volunteers. He has dedicated his life to finding ways to provide marginalized members of society with the tools they need to find freedom and become fully active citizens. More recently, he changed his focus from the sharecropping fields to the classroom by developing the innovative program the Algebra Project to improve students’ math literacy. He is committed to using education as a tool to give greater economic opportunities to those who are underrepresented.

Along with Moses, the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., will receive an honorary degree from DePaul. As former president of Niagara University, Levesque is widely admired for his strong leadership in higher education and in the Vincentian community. Beyond his tenure at Niagara, Levesque’s commitment to community service is evident in the many advisory councils, nonprofit boards and steering committees on which he has served throughout his life.

The College of Education’s mission is to prepare students to become teachers, educational leaders and counselors. Collaborations with the Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Archdiocese, charter and private schools, and social service agencies have enhanced the experiences of faculty, students and those Chicagoland individuals whose lives they touch.

School of Music and The Theatre School
(Combined ceremony)
June 14, noon
Rosemont Theatre
5400 N. River Road, Rosemont

César Pelli is regarded as one of the greatest living architects. His breathtaking buildings have become architectural icons by uniquely tying together the structure’s environmental, economic and social contexts. The breadth of his projects range from one of the tallest buildings in the world to libraries, museums, research centers and private residences. DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus features one of his latest designs — an elegant five-story building that serves as the new home for The Theatre School.

The Theatre School at DePaul is one of America’s oldest and well-respected theatre conservatories. Originally founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925, a new LEED Gold facility was built in 2013 to house The Theatre School as part of the ambitious redevelopment of the Lincoln Park Campus. The Theatre School trains and inspires students of theatre in a conservatory setting that is rigorous, disciplined and culturally diverse. The school produces public programs and performances from a wide repertoire of classic, contemporary and original plays that challenge, entertain and stimulate the imagination.

Dedicated to excellence in music teaching and performance, the School of Music’s distinguished faculty members are some of the world's finest and most respected conductors, composers, performers and recording artists. They perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and several of Chicago's most prominent chamber music and jazz ensembles. The degree programs offered at the school prepare young musicians for success in the real world. Graduates have gone on to perform with international orchestras and ensembles, teach in universities, work in performing arts management, and engineer sound for the film, television and recording industries.

School for New Learning
June 14, 3 p.m.
Rosemont Theatre
5400 N. River Road, Rosemont

Born and raised in Chicago, Sandra Cisneros is a trailblazing author whose award-winning novels were some of the first to introduce Latina characters into mainstream American fiction. After achieving critical success, she created several innovative programs to jump-start the careers of other Latina and Latino artists. Cisneros’ talent and contributions to literature have been recognized by many national organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, Before Columbus Foundation, Mexican Fine Arts Center, MacArthur Foundation and Texas Cultural Trust. Her 1984 novel “The House on Mango Street,” tells the sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous story of a young girl growing up in a Latino neighborhood in Chicago.

The School for New Learning is an international leader in educating adults, offering flexible undergraduate and graduate programs. It pioneered individualized degree programs, online learning for adult students and competency-based education. Its inventive approach to education has been used as a model around the world.

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the College of Science and Health
(Combined ceremony)
June 15, 8 a.m.
Allstate Arena
6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont

As leader of the largest private network of social service agencies in the country, the Rev. Larry Snyder oversees Catholic Charities USA’s efforts to serve more than 9.25 million people a year, regardless of their religious, social or economic backgrounds. He is a tireless advocate for helping those in need and has championed eradicating poverty through the use of innovative approaches. Because of his efforts, some of the most vulnerable members of society are growing stronger and troubled communities are finding hope.

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences offers more than 45 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It also supports academic centers at DePaul including the Humanities Center, Center for Black Diaspora, Center for Latino Research, Social Science Research Center, and Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology.

DePaul’s newest academic unit, the College of Science and Health, encompasses the departments of natural sciences, health science, mathematics, nursing and psychology, as well as five centers, including the Center for Community Research, and DePaul Family and Community Services, a full-service behavioral health clinic located in Lincoln Park.

College of Communication and the College of Computing and Digital Media
(Combined ceremony)
June 15, 12:30 p.m.
Allstate Arena
6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont

Beginning his career in Chicago’s improv comedy scene, Jon Favreau has directed, produced and acted in prominent Hollywood films that continue to entertain and excite moviegoers. From action-packed blockbusters like “Iron Man,” to “Elf,” a beloved holiday movie of the modern era, Favreau is widely respected for his versatility and for instilling a sense of humanity in the characters he directs and portrays.

The College of Communication offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the areas of relational, organizational and intercultural communication; journalism; media and cinema studies; and public relations and advertising. The programs blend theory and practice in high-caliber, boundary-crossing learning. With Chicago as their classroom, students learn to craft and deliver messages in real-world settings across a variety of platforms including face-to-face, print, audio, video, the Web and social media with major media organizations.

The College of Computing and Digital Media offers a program of real-world knowledge and innovative study, including degrees in computer science, digital cinema, network security and computer game development. The college is home to the School of Computing, which incorporates traditional information technology majors as well as emerging fields such as predictive analytics, and the School of Cinema and Interactive Media, which features digital arts majors including graphic design, animation and interactive media.

Driehaus College of Business
June 15, 4:30 p.m.
Allstate Arena
6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont

Robert A. Mariano’s prolific career in the retail grocery industry has taken him from part-time deli clerk to chairman, president and CEO of Roundy’s Inc., one of the fastest-growing grocery chains in the Midwest. His unparalleled knowledge of the retail grocery industry and an innovative approach to business has led to incredible growth and success for each company Mariano has been with. In 2003, Mariano established the Roundy’s Foundation to strengthen ties between the company and communities where its stores operate. Since its inception, the foundation has provided more than $8 million of support to nonprofits that combat hunger and domestic abuse.

The Richard H. Driehaus College of Business and its Kellstadt Graduate School of Business are among the nation’s 10 oldest business schools. The college’s nationally ranked programs offer real-world knowledge and connections for career advancement in the business world. A survey of tax firm hiring managers ranked its master’s degree in taxation No. 1 in the nation. The college’s undergraduate and graduate entrepreneur programs were named among the top 20 in the nation by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review.

116th Commencement
This spring marks the 116th commencement for DePaul University. An estimated 6,800 students will graduate this academic year. DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, nonprofit university in the Midwest, with more than 24,500 students and about 300 academic programs. It is nationally recognized for incorporating service learning throughout its curriculum and preparing its graduates for a global economy.

DePaul was founded in Chicago in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), a Roman Catholic religious community dedicated to following the ideals of St. Vincent de Paul, the 17th century priest for whom the university is named. DePaul’s tradition of providing a quality education to students from a broad range of backgrounds, with particular attention to first-generation students, has resulted in one of the nation’s most diverse student bodies. More information is at www.depaul.edu.

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