Convocation Ceremony and Speech by NASA Chief Highlight DePaul University Centennial Weekend.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 1998--DePaul University will commemorate 100 years of achievement at two events this weekend. A centennial convocation and celebration will take place Saturday, Sept. 26, beginning at 5 p.m., in the Grand Ballroom of McCormick Place South, 2301 S. King Drive. Centennial events continue Sunday, Sept. 27 when Daniel Goldin, NASA's top administrator, gives the keynote address at a dedication ceremony for DePaul's new science building.

Carol Marin of News 2 Chicago will give remarks at the Saturday event that will attract 2,500 alumni, faculty, students, staff and guests from around the globe. She also will receive an honorary degree. More than 400 faculty and staff will join a procession attired in full academic regalia to open the event.

From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., a centennial video, "DePaul: 100 Years of Real People, Real Success," will be shown and guests will be entertained by the DePaul Wind Ensemble. Following the processional pageantry, the program will continue with a celebration of DePaul in words, music and images, entitled "A Century of Stories." The speakers' theater presentation is based on the stories and experiences of people, past and present, who are associated with DePaul.

"This will be the grandest anniversary celebration of the year," said Thomas Fuechtmann, director of centennial programs at DePaul. "The convocation provides the perfect foundation for the DePaul community to recognize our past contributions, and look to our future with determination and enthusiasm."

The centennial celebration will follow the convocation at 7 p.m., and will feature a lavish buffet and special exhibits sponsored by DePaul's eight colleges and schools. There also will be a fireworks show at 9:45 on Lake Michigan.

Sunday, the celebration of DePaul continues with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for DePaul's William G. McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Center, 2325 N. Clifton Ave., at 3 p.m. Keynote speaker Goldin, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will discuss "DePaul University: Portal to the Future." The $12 million facility encompasses more than 60,000 square feet and provides DePaul with modern laboratories for instruction in biology and environmental science.

Note: On the day of the events, DePaul Media Relations staff can be reached at pager number 312/820-9928.