College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences > About > Initiatives

Initiatives

DePaul University has been awarded a four-year, $750,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of a humanities initiative that will bring together faculty, Chicago area community organization leaders and students to address current day societal issues.

Known as the HumanitiesX Collaborative, the initiative will champion the power of the humanities to make profound social impact through experiential engagement in higher education and the community.

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In 2015, DePaul became a University Partner of the Art Institute of Chicago. On specific dates throughout the academic year the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences organizes a series of special programming—gallery talks and guided tours led by teams of faculty and students, panel discussions, and entertainment—with free admission (with valid university ID) for DePaul students, faculty, staff, retirees, and their guests.

The College continues to respond to the needs of students and the community by developing new and revising current programs of study. For undergraduates, we are now offering minors in Bioethics and Society, Food Studies, Illustration, Medical Anthropology, and Museum Studies. There are two new graduate programs: Critical Ethnic Studies and Refugee and Forced Migration Studies. Five new combined degree programs allow students to complete a second degree more economically, and three new graduate-level certificates (Digital Humanities, Global Health, and Public Health) give students the chance to gain an extra area of competence. Our next task is to complete a framework whereby we expand combined bachelor’s + master’s degree program options to link undergraduates from any major with select graduate programs.

Our centers and institutes are the places where the college and community intersect most deeply.  This year we inaugurated the Center for Community Health Equity, in partnership with Rush University, to improve health and eliminate health inequity in Chicago.  We also welcomed into our fold the Women’s Center – a catalyst for positive social change around gender, race, class, nationality, ethnicity, and sexual orientation – which has been part of DePaul for 30 years.  And our Center for Interreligious Engagement became the Center for Religion, Culture, and Community, better reflecting its work of building sustainable bridges among individuals and groups of different faith traditions.  Work is ongoing to make established centers more responsive to DePaul and community members.
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