[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 147 (Monday, October 20, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2099-E2100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE REV. JOHN P. MINOGUE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 20, 2003

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to recognize the 
Reverend John P. Minogue, a great American and dedicated leader in the 
Catholic and higher education communities of Chicago. Last week, Father 
Minogue announced his plans to retire after a decade as the tenth 
president of DePaul University, located in my district on the North 
side of Chicago.
  Under Father Minogue's leadership, DePaul has reached major goals 
projected under the university's strategic plan, ``Vision 2006.'' 
DePaul's students, faculty, staff and trustees, as well as the City of 
Chicago itself, have benefited tremendously from Father Minogue's 
leadership and vision. During Father Minogue's tenure, DePaul 
University has become the largest Catholic university and the eighth-
largest private university in the United States. This fall's record 
enrollment of nearly 24,000 students represents the tenth consecutive 
year that DePaul has posted historic enrollment gains.
  Expanding access to learning has been the hallmark of Father 
Minogue's presidency. The university supports 130 academic programs and 
a faculty and staff totaling over 4,200 people. He led efforts to 
provide increased access to high-quality education for a diverse 
student population. He also championed global education by establishing 
a variety of international sites and programs. Suburban campuses grew 
from two to five, and the university welcomed Barat College into the 
DePaul family as its ninth college in 2001.
  During Father Minogue's tenure, DePaul celebrated its centennial and 
transformed its city campuses with additional facilities that

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offer students every state-of-the-art service. Those facilities include 
the renovation of DePaul Center; construction of the McGowan Biological 
and Environmental Sciences Center and Centennial Hall; the Ray Meyer 
Fitness and Recreation Center and a car parking facility on Clifton 
Avenue; the new student center; and the University Center of Chicago 
joint residence hall in the Loop to be completed in 2004.
  Father Minogue also revolutionized student access to and 
implementation of technology at DePaul. He worked tirelessly to 
redesign university business processes to offer students real-time 
services on the Web, ultimately enabling them to conduct many 
transactions at any hour of the day from any computer station. It was 
under his leadership that the School of Computer Science, 
Telecommunications and Information Systems was created and became one 
of the largest computer science schools in the nation. A man on the 
cutting edge of the digital age, Father Minogue conceived DePaul's 
Digital Media Center and has helped to develop an innovative program 
that will enable students to be in the forefront of a new form of 
global communication.
  Both academics and student satisfaction have flourished under Father 
Minogue's guidance. In 1998, DePaul was named one of seven finalists 
for College of the Year in ``The Best College for You,'' by Time 
magazine and the Princeton Review. Additionally, U.S. News & World 
Report has ranked DePaul's part-time MBA in the nation's top ten for 
eight consecutive years. Father Minogue can be especially proud that 
DePaul's students were named happiest in the nation twice by the 
Princeton Review. He devoted a considerable amount of personal time and 
energy to building relationships with students and often could be found 
joining them in community service and leadership opportunities.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a deeply grateful community and with 
enormous appreciation for a decade of dedicated service to students, 
alumni, faculty, staff and friends, I thank Father Minogue for his 
extraordinary leadership and selfless commitment to learning and to the 
City of Chicago. Father Minogue left a mark on the institution that 
will not be forgotten, and we will always remember his countless 
contributions and wish him continued success in his future endeavors.

                          ____________________