Throughout his tenure in the office of Community and Government Relations, Associate VP Peter Coffey has served as a bridge between the university and Chicago, gathering a wealth of wisdom on what it means to live our Vincentian mission. His 20-year career has been defined by forging deep ties across local neighborhoods and businesses, weaving DePaul into the city's urban fabric. Coffey will retire on March 31, closing a chapter that has left a lasting mark on how DePaul shares its story and embodies its Catholic, Vincentian identity in the public sphere.

In this Q&A, Coffey reflects on his years of building foundations within our Chicago community. 

What are your favorite aspects of your role?

Since I joined DePaul in 2006, my role has been to build and manage relationships with external stakeholders, particularly government officials. One of my favorite aspects of my role has been telling our story to external leaders and elected officials. I took great joy from telling our story, sharing why we do what we do and seeing how these changed impressions of DePaul for the better. 

What is the most fulfilling 'win-win' you’ve experienced where DePaul and a local official worked together to solve a real-world problem?

Saving the state’s Monetary Award Program (MAP) from devastating budget cuts was the most satisfying accomplishment for me at DePaul. MAP is an income-based grant program funded by the state. In 2015, budget battles in Springfield led to enormous cuts to this program. Thousands of DePaul students were affected, and more than 100,000 students across the state were at risk of losing these critical scholarship dollars.

DePaul students organized and attended a rally at the Capitol, joining with students from many other Illinois universities to demand that the General Assembly restore full funding. We hired buses, had t-shirts printed, provided food and other support and connected DePaul students with Governor Pat Quinn. 

The General Assembly relented and funding was restored. DePaul’s advocacy campaign was recognized with an award from the International Business Communicators Association, Chicago chapter.

Beyond just being a university, what specific expectations do elected officials and other outside leaders have for us as a community? How have you worked to ensure we consistently meet those marks?

Elected officials want partners to help them with the enormous issues facing the Chicagoland region. With our well-respected intellectual capacity, DePaul scholars are sought after by government agencies and civic leaders to study, assist and advise on pressing issues facing the city. Housing, environment, economic development, law and the arts are just a few examples of DePaul’s expertise that is highly valued by public agencies.

Was there one specific leader or elected official you were particularly excited to finally meet and work with? What was it like?

Before I came to DePaul, I worked in government and politics. I met many of the elected officials we’ve worked with over the years beforehand. Senator Durbin, Governor Quinn and now Governor Pritzker; each of these leaders knows about DePaul’s mission, about the importance of the work we are doing and the transformative nature of a DePaul University degree. 

DePaul has a number of alumni serving as elected officials and it is really rewarding to connect with them. Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton are two, but there are more in the General Assembly. There is a strong affinity for DePaul at City Hall and in Springfield, a reservoir of goodwill that will exist for years to come. 

What was the best piece of advice you ever received and why? How have you used it throughout your career?

Helmut Epp, former DePaul provost once told me, “Don’t believe your own bullsh**.”

What he meant, or at least what I took from that was to be humble and factual, that the truth didn’t need “spin” or embellishment. The facts and the data support our arguments, and they speak for themselves. 

As you prepare to transition into your well-earned retirement, what are you most proud of?

Saving the MAP program from cuts is on the list. Since the time it was on the chopping block to this year, MAP continues to receive record-breaking increases each year. It is no longer seen as a luxury; it is seen as an essential piece of the higher education and workforce development goals of the state of Illinois. 

I am also proud of securing roughly $75 million in capital grants for construction projects on campus. McGowan South and Arts and Letters Hall benefited directly from major grant funding from the state. That financial commitment helped make the new Theatre School and the Holtschneider Performance Center possible. We also secured zoning approval for the entire Lincoln Park campus and recently won permission to construct an Athletics Practice Facility. 

As you look toward your own next chapter, what is the one thing you’re most excited to finally have time for?

I am excited for the next chapter. I learned a bit about the business of higher education during my time here, and I’d love to help policy makers navigate this area. There is an opportunity amidst the chaos of the moment to think about what kind of system this country needs to last for the next 50 years. 

We have a perfect opportunity to develop new models that support students, incentivize life-long learning and reward colleges and universities for acting in the best interest of students and stakeholders.