President Robert Manuel called on the university community to participate in addressing financial and global challenges while upholding academic freedom in his speech at the annual academic convocation ceremony.

“We need to create our path forward by balancing our heads, our hearts and our wallets,” Manuel said.

Manuel highlighted an increase in annual freshmen and transfer enrollment, but said the university’s “financial reality is stable, but not sufficient” due to the decline of international student enrollment and changes to federal financial aid programs.

International students are critical to the university’s graduate programs and in representing the communities DePaul reaches, Manuel said.

“We need to explore the possibility of establishing different tuition standards for programs and think about how to better market our academic excellence,” Manuel said.

Reaffirming past statements about conflicts across the world, Manuel said that the DePaul community “must ensure that our campus remains a place of respect and belonging — even if the world is not.”

In order to follow the example of St. Vincent DePaul, Manuel said the university must work together to help those affected by adversity domestically and internationally.

“I am proud of the Displaced Student Initiative program that we created, which is evidence of actual support that we can make a difference in the lives of those who are suffering,” Manuel said.

The Displaced Students Initiative will be underway this fall, launched by Global Engagement in collaboration with Mission and Ministry and the Student Government Association.

Provost Salma Ghanem, who will be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 school year, shared in her speech that this program will allow four students from Gaza to take online courses in the fall. 

According to Ghanem, the initiative will “support students affected by conflict and political strife around the world by giving them access to online programs.” 

Ghanem announced that DePaul will welcome a new cohort of refugee students through the national Sponsors Circle Program.

Ghanem also addressed the use of AI in higher education, announcing the formation of the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Artificial Intelligence, dedicated to helping the DePaul community stay informed about the technology.

“As I said last year, we must look at the world through a kaleidoscope — ​reimagining the patterns of education in the age of AI,” Ghanem said.

Ghanem said some fundamentals of education will remain, while others will change drastically with the presence of AI. 

“What will definitely not change is our unwavering commitment to students: to give them an education that teaches not only how to use AI, but how to use it ethically, responsibly and for the common good,” Ghanem said. 

University professors, faculty and staff were also honored at the convocation ceremony with a variety of awards and recognitions, including the Via Sapientiae Award, Excellence in Teaching Award, Spirit of Inquiry Award and the new Global Engagement Faculty Award, among others.

Jason Goulah, professor in the College of Education, was named the inaugural winner of the Global Engagement Faculty Award, which honors faculty who demonstrate “exceptional dedication to advancing international education, cross-cultural understanding and DePaul’s global presence.”

Goulah is the director of the Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, which focuses on “understanding international perspectives and appreciating the dignity of all human life.”

“I think this moment in our country, this moment in attacks on higher education, requires us to lean into the mission of higher education in general, (which is) certainly what this award, but all of the awards and service commitments, represent,” Goulah said.

The university also formally welcomed Geoffrey Rapp as dean of the College of Law, who said he hopes to promote a positive campus climate and student learning experience.

“I am excited to be a part of a University that wants to lean forward,” Rapp said. “DePaul is approaching the next year with a sense of purpose and confidence about what higher education means for this country.”

The university will also continue the Dialogue Collaborative program which began last year, with Manuel announcing that the President’s Dialogue Series will now include student voices in a statement in June. This program aims to address both national and local issues by committing to the DePaul Vincentian mission and transparent communication, Manuel said. 

“I charge you to be present in the conversations, task forces and working groups. Your voice matters, and it will shape the path we decide to travel in the future,” Manuel said.