06/01/2026
From DePaul University President Rob Manuel:
“Last week, I had the honor of meeting His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. This was a deeply moving experience, made even more special by presenting the Pope with copies of his parents’ DePaul diplomas.
The gift served as a reminder of the power of a Catholic education and the meaningful connection between the Holy Father and our university community.
During my visit, I also met with leaders from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Development, where we had engaging conversations on the Pope’s recent encyclical about artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability. Building on this relationship, I am especially pleased that a delegation of DePaul faculty will return to Rome in late June to continue strengthening this collaboration.
I was incredibly proud to represent DePaul as part of a distinguished Chicago delegation alongside Mayor Brandon Johnson and share DePaul’s mission on a global platform.
Moments like these reaffirm the importance of the work we have been doing and the far-reaching influence of the DePaul community. I look forward to carrying this experience with me and pushing it forward in service to our students and our Catholic Vincentian mission.”
📷: Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media
05/06/2026
Four Blue Demons Alumni are now Pulitzer Prize winners!
Congratulations are in order for Jeremy Gorner (LAS ‘04), Claire Malon (CMN ‘21, ‘22), Laura Rodríguez Presa (CMN ‘14) and Richard Requena (CMN ‘20, ‘23) who are part of the team that won journalism’s most prestigious awards. The team won a 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for their powerful coverage of immigration enforcement activity in the city.
"We could not be prouder of our alumni," says journalism program chair Jason Martin. "Every day they set the example of thorough and ethical reporting.”
Congratulations to the CChicago Tribune
Read more: https://bit.ly/42fAPzb
Read the winning stories on the Tribune site: https://bit.ly/42g0wzA
and the Pulitzer site: https://bit.ly/4toG7DA
DDePaul UniversityDDePaul University AlumniDDePaul News
02/02/2026
We are proud to announce that Distinguished Alumna Janai Brugger (BM ’05) is now a GRAMMY® Award winner for Best Opera Recording with the Houston Grand Opera in the production of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence.
Created by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer in collaboration with director and choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, the album was recorded live during the opera’s world premiere run at the Wortham Theater Center in fall 2023 and released in August 2025. Intelligence preserves a masterful performance from a celebrated cast and the HGO Orchestra led by Maestro Kwamé Ryan.
Celebrating Janai and all who were part of this Grammy-winning album!
01/23/2026
A huge THANK YOU to everyone for supporting our students! 💙
WE DID IT, DEPAUL! More than 6,000 Blue Demons rose to the challenge and raised over $6M for students in just 24 hours. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who made a gift, spread the word, and made this the biggest we’ve ever had! 💙🎉
01/22/2026
The global Blue Demon community is coming together to support DePaul University and the cause that means the most to them. When we all come together, we can make a huge difference. Whether you choose to give to support students, research, academics, scholarships, athletics or the cause of your choice, your donation will create positive change. Make your gift today: https://givenow.depaul.edu/blue-demon-challenge-2026/?a=11971121