Welcome to the ElSalvadorProject web

En Español

Introduction to the Project

In the summer of 1991, a delegation of DePaul faculty and staff, led by University Ministry’s Rick Jones and Sam Citero O.Carm., traveled to El Salvador to investigate the possibility of entering into a working relationship with one or various education institutions or non government organizations. Joining Jones and Citero were Len Cavise and Craig Mousin from the Law School and Kay Read from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This was the first of many delegations that DePaul faculty, staff and students would make, slowly but steadily solidifying a relationship with the Salvadoran people through institutional and community commitments. During this first delegation, the idea of a mutually benefiting agreement providing mutual support and learning between DePaul University and the Universidad de El Salvador arose, given the compatibility of each university’s vision and mission. In 1992 the presidents of each University signed this cooperative agreement, most recently re-signed in the spring of 2002. To facilitate and promote DePaul’s participation in the agreement, the DePaul El Salvador Project was launched by a group faculty and staff committed to peace, justice and equality in El Salvador.

Over the years, the agreement between the Universidad de El Salvador and DePaul University has yielded many fruits even though the institutional commitment may have wavered on both sides from time to time. The Universidad de El Salvador and DePaul University through the DePaul El Salvador Project has continued to move ahead with projects and programs dedicated to bringing North Americans and Salvadorans together, fostering mutual understanding, supporting each other in its teaching and learning, and working together to bring about justice within our respective communities. Some of the highlights over the past 12 years of the DePaul El Salvador Project include:

• 1992 The first cooperative agreement between the Universidad de El Salvador and DePaul University is signed.
• 1994 A month-long training program held in February for institutional planners from the Universidad de El Salvador
• 1994 DePaul University hosts and provides training for administrators from the Universidad de El Salvador as well as city administrators from San Salvador During this same year, DePaul University’s International Human Rights Law Institute provides training for Human Rights lawyers and judges from El Salvador and Guatemala during the months of May, June, and July.
• 1994 First student delegation from the School for New Learning headed by Ann Stanford and David Shallenberger travel to El Salvador
• 1995 Keith Howe from the Finance Department works on establishing a Masters Program in Finance at the Universidad de El Salvador eventually graduating its first participants in 1998
• 1996 Kay Read and Sam Citero O.Carm. lead first Liberal Arts and Sciences student delegation to El Salvador that include a service learning course based in Chicago
• 1998 Eric Lopez, student at the Universidad de El Salvador is recipient of a full-time scholarship allowing him to eventually earn a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from DePaul. At present Eric is finishing his Masters before returning to El Salvador and begin teaching at the Universidad de El Salvador
• 1999 The Stean’s Center for Community-based Service Learning co-sponsors with the School for New Learning and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a three week Salvadoran service learning course taught in El Salvador, connecting with both the Universidad de El Salvador and the Vincentian parish of San Jacinto
• 1999 Alicia Alvarez, from the College of Law, is the first DePaul professor to spend a full year at the Universidad de El Salvador as a Fullbright Scholar.
• 2002 University Ministry begins Winter Break service trips to El Salvador, alternating yearly with the service learning trips
• 2003 In the spring, Alicia Alvarez ,College of Law, leads a delegation of DePaul Law students to El Salvador as part of a course exploring post conflict justice
• 2003 Sarah Gelsomino, supported by a Vincentian Endowment Fund grant, spent six months in the small village of Copopayo working on a oral history project concerning this community’s individual and collective experiences during the civil war
• 2006 El Salvador Project committee members Rafael Hernandez-Arias, Alicia Alvarez, and Casey Bowles travel to El Salvador to discuss the expiring cooperative agreement and possible collaborations
• 2007 El Salvador Project begins work on new website and continues work on a new cooperative agreement between DePaul and the University of El Salvador

Process for admissions into DePaul's El Salvador Project

Normal Admissions

1. Complete the International Student Application and be sure to answer all relevant sections completely.
2. Submit official copies of your original post-secondary or university academic records. These may include: yearly transcripts (record of courses/subjects taken and grades/marks earned) and diplomas, degrees, or graduation certificates (Bachelor's degree, Licenciado, Licenciatura, or Titulo). Official copies are issued in Spanish directly by your college or university and must bear the official stamp and/or seal of the institution, as well as the signature of the appropriate official, such as the Dean, Rector, Registrar, or Controller of Examinations. None of these formats will be accepted: photocopies, facsimiles, nor electronic mail transmissions. You may request in writing that original documents be returned after an admission decision has been made.
3. Submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score. DePaul requires a minimum score of 550 (paper-based); 213 (computer based); or 80 (internet-based, no section less than 17). DePaul may consider students with TOEFL scores below the minimum for conditional admission. Please see below for further information.
4. Examination Scores & Auditions. Several programs require standardized examinations results, and no admission decision will be made until official score reports are received. Programs requiring specific exams or auditions include:
   • All Kellstadt Graduate School of Business programs require GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) results.
   • Law Degree (JD) programs require LSAT (Law School Admission Test) results.
   • Graduate/Master's degree (MA/MS) programs in biology, management of public services, nursing, and psychology require GRE (Graduate Record Examination) results. GRE results are also strongly recommended for the graduate physics program.
   • Doctoral (Ph.D.) programs in Psychology and Computer Science require GRE (Graduate Record Examination) results.
   • All Music & Theatre School (BM/MM/BFA/MFA) programs require an audition, interview, or a portfolio from each applicant.
5. References and Statement of Purpose. Graduate programs may require reference letters, research articles, publications or other creative work. Contact the appropriate graduate program for details. All undergraduate and graduate applicants should submit a statement of purpose.

Conditional Admission

If you have not met the minimum English proficiency requirement on the TOEFL exam, but all academic requirements for admission are met, you may be considered for Conditional Admission to DePaul University. Under the provisions of this admission you must:

• Enroll as a full-time student in DePaul University’s English Language Academy (ELA) for at least one term
• Obtain a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based TOEFL test (administered by the ELA at the beginning and end of each term)

Your DePaul ELA TOEFL test score will be reported to the International Admission office and this is the criterion on which your pending admission to an academic program will be based. You will not be allowed to register for academic classes and begin your studies in your chosen academic program until the minimum TOEFL requirement is met. DePaul University’s ELA, now in its 12th year, has established a track record of success in helping students acquire the language skills necessary for academic achievement.

Application materials should be sent directly to:

DePaul University Steans Center
Attn: Daisy Perez, Service Learning Coordinator
2233 N. Kenmore Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614

Applications are reviewed upon receipt of all required documentation and applicants are notified in writing of the admission decision. Students with international credentials are encouraged to apply as far in advance as possible. The deadline for undergraduate applicants is two months prior to the desired entry term. Most graduate programs have individually established deadlines; please check with the graduate program for which you are applying.

Immigration Matters: I-20 Issuance and International Student Orientation

Before an I-20 form (used to apply for an F-1 student visa) can be issued, evidence of adequate funding to meet the estimated tuition and living expenses during your first year of study is required. Please submit a signed and dated affidavit of support enclosed in your application materials or found here: http://www.depaul.edu/international/admission/DEPIntlAffidavit0708.pdf indicating "DePaul University" as your sponsor. Please also submit a copy of the identification page of your passport. Information about applying for your F-1 student visa can be found on the U.S. Embassy website in San Salvador: http://sansalvador.usembassy.gov/consular/english/visano/index.html#students. All students who have been issued an I-20 form must attend the International Student Office (ISO) orientation. The ISO orientation is mandatory for all international students who are new to DePaul University. The ISO orientation will cover important information regarding your F-1 non-immigrant student visa status especially as it relates to the new Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The orientation will also introduce you to various academic and social resources of the University.

Important Links to those interested in DePaul's El Salvador Project

• En Español
• For International Students^?
• The English Language Academy (ELA) This academy is for those with TOEFL scores below 550. Those students will be enrolled in an intensive English language program until their scores go above that minimum.
• DePaul International Student Office
• Links to DePaul Schools
  • Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
  • College of Law
  • College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
  • School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI)
  • School of Education
  • School of Music
  • School for New Learning
  • The Theatre School

Contacts

• Project Coordinator
  Daisy Pérez
  e-mail: dperez6@depaul.edu

DePaul Magazine Winter 2002 El Salvador Project Article

• DePaulMagazine-Winter2002-ElSalvadorProjectArticle Page 1:
  

• DePaulMagazine-Winter2002-ElSalvadorProjectArticle Page 2:
  

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