DePaul University/Jeff Carrion

As the 2016-17 academic year begins, we asked several faculty members and students to share their thoughts on the year ahead. Find out what they’re most excited about, discover the values they hope will guide their daily work and learn which challenges they intend to take on.

Damon Kiely, Associate Professor of Directing and Acting and Chair of Performance, The Theatre School

“I’m excited about The Theatre School’s diverse and explosive season of plays for the upcoming academic year. During this turbulent election season, rather than shying away from politics and controversy, The Theatre School will perform plays that engage the larger DePaul community in issues of race, empowerment, sexual identity and politics. We kick off with an up-to-the-minute take on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” set in the era of Black Lives Matter and the struggle for gender equality. In the winter, we will produce “We Are Proud to Present…,” an explosive look at a theatre group struggling to create a presentation on racism in Africa that ends up shedding light on our own segregationist past. Then, in the spring, we’ll debut the Chicago premiere of “Wig Out!” by alumnus Tarell McCraney (THE ’03), which is about the African-American and Latino drag subculture. Even our Chicago Playworks productions for children are edgy this year; for example, we are doing “Night Runner,” a play about the Underground Railroad by playwright and former student Ike Holter. There are also other productions that deal with gun control, abortion, politics and women’s rights. It’s sure to be an exciting, thought-provoking and controversial year of plays.”

Sarah Fisher, senior, health sciences major, Spanish minor, College of Science and Health

“It’s hard to believe that I’m entering my senior year at DePaul. The past three years have flown by and have been the most impactful, fruitful and life-changing years of my life. I expect nothing less from my senior year. This year, I am looking forward to growing further—growing academically, growing socially and growing in leadership. I love to learn, and now that I am finished with all of my required classes, I can take classes that I am deeply interested in. I am a health sciences major with a Spanish minor and am planning to get my master’s in public health once I graduate. This year will be filled with applications and lots of hard work, but I am excited to see my future unfold. I am also looking forward to getting involved again on campus, specifically with Cru DePaul, a Christian organization. I am on the leadership team for the third year in a row, and I cannot wait to meet new members, grow more in my faith and relationship with Jesus, and make an impact on campus through Cru DePaul. I am excited for this year and am looking forward to seeing all it has to offer!”

Andrew Gold, professor, College of Law

“I look forward to teaching classes at DePaul again. Our students are always very enthusiastic about learning the law, and they bring a range of valuable perspectives. I also look forward to catching up with my colleagues at the law school. We have been sharing ideas and discussing research for a number of years now, and it will be a pleasure to continue these conversations. The DePaul faculty offers great opportunities to collaborate on scholarship and to think through innovations in the law.”

William Subach

Willy Subach (LAS ’16), graduate student, international studies, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

“Through the five-year bachelor’s/master’s program, I was able to get a head start on my master’s during my senior year as an undergraduate. As a result, this upcoming academic year will be my one and only year as a true graduate student. So even though I’ve already spent four years at DePaul, my fifth year is still going to be a new experience for me. I’m actually very excited to get deeper into thesis research and to see what I’m capable of achieving when I’m able to focus on a single topic for an extended period of time. It just seems rewarding to me. Plus, because I’m super-geeky, I love to buy new notebooks at the beginning of the school year and watch them fill up over the year. I’m excited for that, too.”

Elijah Brewer, chair of the department of finance and professor of finance, Driehaus College of Business

“I’m excited to welcome back our students for another year of education. I attempt to impress upon my students that real learning isn’t about memorization and getting good grades, but rather about obtaining the tools to be successful in your chosen field. Furthermore, I say to them, ‘Don’t take courses randomly, but take them with a clear vision of what careers you would like to pursue after DePaul.’ We prepare students for life by helping them to develop a familiarity with the language of finance. Experiential learning is an important part of our finance student experience.”