CHICAGO — Leaders in trial law, journalism, game design and higher education have been selected to speak and receive honorary degrees at DePaul University’s upcoming commencement ceremonies celebrating about 6,000 graduates. These graduates will join a global network of more than 214,000 living DePaul alumni.

The College of Law will celebrate graduates at The Chicago Theatre on May 24. DePaul will hold six additional ceremonies June 13-14 at Wintrust Arena.

College of Law to welcome distinguished alumna

DePaul alumna Donna Welch will address College of Law graduates and their guests on May 24. A trial attorney at Kirkland & Ellis, Welch handles complex business and commercial litigation in federal and state courts. Her work spans high stakes matters including public nuisance, fiduciary duty, pharmaceutical litigation, government investigations, class actions, fraud and civil RICO. She has earned national recognition for securing a complete defense victory in a major opioid public nuisance case following a six-month trial. Welch also has experience on the plaintiff side, where she has achieved record-setting and nationally recognized jury verdicts. She earned her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in 1994. 

June Ceremonies

Cheryl Corley will speak and receive an honorary degree at the College of Communication, College of Education & Theatre School ceremony on June 13. Corley is NPR’s Midwest Bureau Chief based in Chicago, where she assigns and edits stories from across the region and has led award-winning coverage. She has reported on major events such as the Trayvon Martin shooting, the George Floyd killing, Hurricane Katrina, and Gulf Coast oil spills, along with criminal justice issues. Before her current role, Corley led local coverage as news director at WBEZ in Chicago and as a City Hall reporter covering Mayor Harold Washington’s administration. She has received numerous journalism awards and is a Chicago native.  

Eugene Jarvis will speak and receive an honorary degree at the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media ceremony on June 13. Jarvis started his career at Atari Games in 1977 and is a pioneering figure in the video game industry, as well as DePaul’s first game designer-in-residence. At Williams/Bally/Midway in Chicago, Jarvis created the arcade classics Defender, Robotron: 2084, Smash TV and Cruis’n USA.  At his current studio, Raw Thrills, latest releases include Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR and Stranger Things Arcade. Jarvis was awarded the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Pioneer award, as well as the Game Developers Choice Award for Lifetime Achievement.  Jarvis and his wife, Sasha Gerritson, are longtime supporters of this university. They made the largest-ever gift to DePaul, leading to the naming of the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media, and funding initiatives including the Jarvis Student Center for Innovation and Collaboration, and many student scholarships. They have also supported research partnerships and most recently, the David P. Miller Cyberlabs. 

Daniel Porterfield will speak and receive an honorary degree at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies ceremony on June 14. Porterfield has served as president and CEO of the Aspen Institute since 2018 and is the incoming CEO of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. A lifelong educator and former college president, he is author of the 2024 book “Mindset Matters: The Power of College to Activate Lifelong Growth.” Previously, he led Franklin & Marshall College and was a senior leader and professor at Georgetown University. He now serves as the Chair of the National Board of Directors of Teach For America. A Rhodes Scholar, Porterfield has been recognized for his leadership and advocacy for young people.  

Each event will be livestreamed, and guests will also hear remarks from student speakers. For additional details, please visit the commencement website at go.depaul.edu/commencement.

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