DePaul :: Office of Mission and Values :: University Mission Statement

University Symbols

University Banners

University Symbols

The Coat of Arms

The main section of the shield consists of nine panes forming a heraldic cross, the symbol of the Christian faith. The center pane holds a heart which represents St. Vincent de Paul, for whom the university is named. Because he spent his life in the service of God and people, especially the poor, St. Vincent is considered to be the Apostle of Charity. The pane above the heart holds a crescent symbolizing Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States.

The upper section contains a fleur-de-lis, symbol of France, Vincent's homeland. Three are shown, representing the Trinity. This section also carries two symbols of Chicago. A line suggestive of the wall of a fort represents Fort Dearborn. The phoenix rising from the flames atop the shield is both a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the City of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871.

The inscription 1898 refers to the year DePaul was first chartered by the State of Illinois as St. Vincent's College. In 1907 a new charter was granted in the name of DePaul University. The motto of DePaul University, "Viam sapientiae monstrabo tibi," is taken from the biblical book of Proverbs (4:11) and is translated "I will show you the way of wisdom."

The Tree of Wisdom

The symbol expresses the university's integration of education and religion by combining the forms of a tree and a cross. Central to the symbol is a modified cruciform, suggestive of the Catholic roots of the university. This cruciform is also expressive of the human form, with arms uplifted and outstretched to give spirit and life to the environment. The figure stands erect and balanced, suggesting a strength of knowledge and values.

Viewing the symbol as a single unit, one sees our "Tree of Wisdom" resting firmly on the ground, with its square base and raised limbs in symmetry. It has age and fullness in its trunk and limbs, suggesting tradition; and youth and simplicity in its internal negative spaces, representing leaf forms suggestive of sapling growth.

Typographically, the symbol incorporates and combines the lower case letterforms d, p and u. The "u" form extending upward from the trunk is a true arc, a section of a perfect circle. Its position relative to the figure represents support, rather than containment, just as the university supports the human spirit in the pursuit of knowledge and the deepening of religious values.

University Mace

In the year 2000 at its 102nd Commencement Ceremonies, the university unveiled, as part if its institutional academic regalia, a university mace.

Designed by the renowned liturgical artist Joseph Luis Ramirez of Axis Mundi Studios in Chicago, the DePaul University Mace has been hand-crafted utilizing the finest materials and the talents of craftspersons on two continents.

Measuring approximately 48" long, the mace is made of hand-turned Yew wood. Covering the Yew wood are twining silver rose stems and buds symbolizing the passage of time and the renewal of life. Surmounting the mace is a phoenix repeating the image contained in the university's coat of arms. The phoenix rising from the flames is both a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the city of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871.

Also at the top of the mace are enameled pendants of hearts, crescent moons and fleur-de-lis. These repeat symbols that are found in the university's coat of arms. The heart represents the charitable heart of Saint Vincent de Paul. The crescent symbolizes Mary, the Immaculate Conception and patroness of the United States.

University Flag

A flag is a beautiful object of design. Its colors are deep, and shimmer in the sun. In the wind its outline is ever changing. It is a symbolic representation of the highest human aspirations and values. A flag simultaneously calls both to action and to reflection. Just as the United States of America, the State of Illinois, and the City of Chicago each have a flag to evoke their proud identity so now does DePaul.

As we see the DePaul flag from our office windows, or on our walks on campus we are reminded that this is "our" flag because it represents "our" university and all that it is and holds dear. The entire DePaul community is united under the flag: students, alumni, faculty, staff, benefactors, and friends.

The flag's colors are red, blue, and white. These hues combine the university colors of red and blue with white. These three colors are shared not only by the flag of the United States but also that of France, St. Vincent's homeland. The DePaul flag respects the American flag in its horizontal striping, and the French flag with its division into red, white, and blue segments.

The flag centrally displays DePaul's Tree of Wisdom, and in doing so, proclaims its symbolic message.

The Presidential Medallion

The presidential medallion symbolizes the authority conferred as a sacred trust by the Board of Trustees upon the President as the chief executive officer of the university. By virtue of his office the President is personally entrusted with the responsibility of promoting the mission and values that underlie DePaul University's service to its students and its distinctive identity as a Catholic, Vincentian and Urban institution.

Created in 2004 by the renowned Chicago silversmith William N. Frederick, the DePaul University presidential medallion is in the form of the University seal, cast in silver and suspended from a chain with links to the heraldic symbols of each of the university's eight schools and colleges.

The new medallion was commissioned by the Office of Mission and Values, and the Office of Academic Affairs in honor of the inauguration of the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., as the university's 11th president.