‘Excited and Full of Hope:’ Dominican University Opens New Chicago Campus in Pilsen

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CHICAGO-Dominican University marked the start of the 2024-25 academic year with the opening of its new campus in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

Located at 1805 S. Paulina St., the Chicago Campus welcomed its inaugural class of students for the first day of classes on Aug. 26. Students moved into the residence hall, La Casa, the previous week.

Dominican University's Chicago Campus shifts the traditional model of higher education by creating a hub of community and industry-centered academic programs that are delivered where students live and work. The innovative city immersion campus currently offers a two-year associate's degree with a career-ready focus and concentrations in high-demand areas of cybersecurity, nurse assistant, translation and interpretation, or legal studies. On Wednesdays, utilizing all the community has to offer, lessons come to life as students visit partner organizations around the city, gaining hands-on learning experiences in their concentration area and professional networking opportunities.

In addition to the associate's degree program, the Chicago Campus will offer non-credit workforce development certificates intended to upskill the community's emerging workforce. These certificate programs are scheduled to launch next year.

"We are excited and full of hope for our students," said Dr. Gema Ortega, executive director of academic affairs for the Chicago Campus. "Faculty and staff members have been working non-stop to meet this moment and we are showing that we are full of energy and care for the first DU Chicago cohort."

"Our expansion into the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago continues the purpose for which the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa founded this institution of higher learning: to focus in on the student for whom college presents many barriers, and to accompany them to graduation and beyond," said Sr. Peggy Ryan, OP, university chaplain for mission. "We look forward to the richness and spirit each student will bring to this new academic year."

Located in River Forest since 1922, Dominican University last year announced plans for a second campus in Pilsen, continuing its mission of extending educational opportunities to traditionally underserved communities and making it possible for students to "go first" in achieving higher education.

By responding to community-centered, locally-driven needs with rigorous, research-based strategies, Dominican looks forward to supporting students of all ages with a wide variety of value-added credentialing opportunities, dynamic training and corporate upskilling, and graduate and post-baccalaureate certificate programming. The university is also actively working to build collaborative partnerships with residents, businesses, community-based organizations and faith communities.

About Dominican University

Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering an associate of arts in liberal arts and sciences as well as bachelor's and master's degrees through the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences, the Borra College of Health Sciences, the Brennan School of Business and the College of Applied Social Sciences. The university also offers doctoral degrees in information studies and applied social justice. U.S. News & World Report ranks Dominican University #11 out of all Midwest regional master's level universities, #1 in the Midwest for Best Value and #1 in Illinois for innovation and ensuring the social mobility of its graduates. Dominican University has campuses in River Forest and Chicago.

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