Pros
Great colleagues, innovative programs, frontline camaraderie. Chairing my department has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I really can't say enough about the intellectual engagement of my colleagues, their willingness to think across disciplinary boundaries, or their commitment to students.
Cons
Leadership disaster. DePaul became one of the largest private universities in the country during the 1990s. That growth was absolutely key to its fiscal model, since tuition contributes virtually all of its revenue and its small endowment is used to leverage debt. Unfortunately, the university is no longer growing and the leadership is floundering. The president is off on sabbatical at Harvard this term, while the provost's office is a revolving door (three short-term incumbents in the past three years, one of them serving twice), and three deans have retired or left in the past year. The Board of Trustees has decided to impose a hiring freeze in all but name, freeze salaries, and ratchet up the use of non-tenure-track faculty. Millions of dollars are squandered on a losing men's basketball team and vanity projects. In order to prop up enrollments in the short term, career preparation is now emphasized at the expense of core academic programs. With a tuition sticker price of over $30K and inadequate financial aid that makes the real cost of DePaul higher than that of Northwestern or the University of Chicago for many students, DePaul now finds itself as the Sears of higher education: a Target-quality product at Nieman Marcus prices.
