DePaul University Athletics
Ustian Excels at Giving Back to DePaul
2/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | DEPAUL ATHLETICS FUND
CHICAGO - From the first time he set foot on campus back in the late 1960s, it seems like Dan Ustian has been all about DePaul.
Working his way through school as a first-generation college student, Ustian persevered and earned a degree in business in 1973. That was the beginning of a tight connection with a university that he has served in multiple ways---including a place on the Board of Trustees.
He was co-chair of DePaul's hugely successful "Many Dreams, One Mission" capital campaign which surpassed its goal of $250 million and raised $333 million. Ustian is currently chair of the Wintrust Arena fundraising campaign for the new basketball arena in the shadows of McCormick Place.
After all he has contributed to the university and its athletic department as a donor, a servant and an inspiration to countless alumni, Ustian is being honored Feb. 25 with induction into the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame.
"It is quite an honor to be inducted into the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame with all the illustrious inductees and those in the class of 2017," Ustian said. "Honestly, it's pretty overwhelming and humbling
"What I learned from DePaul and from the athletic department was how to compete, to persevere, hard work, dedication, team play. I learned how to win, and sometimes, I learned how to lose. I learned about values which is more important at DePaul than other places.
"I was able to carry on all those virtues into a successful business career. When I'd sit in a room competing against others, I always felt I had an advantage because of what I learned at DePaul."
Throughout a highly successful business career, Ustian hasn't forgotten where he came from and the value of sharing his prosperity.
"I'll never forget a conversation I had with Father Dennis (DePaul President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M.) during a fundraising campaign," Ustian said. "We were talking about how the sons and daughters of my friends might be future DePaul students.
"Father Dennis said he knew all of my friends could afford to attend DePaul and that we need to focus on people who can't afford to come here and help them financially so they can graduate.
"Wait a minute, I thought---that's me back in my college days."
His father, Alex Ustian, left school to enlist in the U.S. Navy and fight for his country in World War II. When his wife Maggie brought baby Dan into the world, dad went to work as a machinist---a job he had for more than 40 years. Dan Ustian is the embodiment of the university's mission---a first-generation student attending college at DePaul.
"For 25 years, my dad worked two jobs a day," Dan Ustian recalled. "I can remember when I was eight years old, he would come home exhausted at 8:30 p.m. and I would greet him with: 'Let's play catch.' No matter how tired he was, he never failed to grab his glove and off we'd go.
"I played baseball, softball, football, golf, and whenever I had games, he was always there. He might show up late at times, but he managed to find time to come watch me play while still working two shifts.
"What a wonderful man."
Just like his father, Dan Ustian came from a humble upbringing that placed a premium on hard work. While attending classes at DePaul, he also held down the third shift at a local steel company as a clerk in metallurgy. He worked from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. and went to class in the afternoon and evenings.
He embodies the DePaul story, rising up from that third shift to become chairman, president and CEO of a major international corporation.
Father Dennis knew precisely who he wanted to head up the Wintrust Arena fundraising effort.
"I took on this challenge because of my connection to the athletic department and because it is such a good cause in support of DePaul," Ustian said. "I've been close people like Jeanne (athletics director Jean Lenti Ponsetto) for a long time and I know what she has done for DePaul for so many years.
"This was an opportunity like never before, to build an arena that will match up to any other. Think of one other arena in this country that has the setting we have with a university that is so education-focused and an athletic department that stays so true to its convictions.
"I give people like Father Dennis and executive vice-president Jeff Bethke all the credit for negotiating such a great partnership between DePaul, the city and the MPEA (Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority)."
In nine days, the time will come for Ustian to accept the Dr. Robert H. Hamilton Special Service Award and take his place among the greatest Blue Demons of all time.
"For me, one man in DePaul history stands out, and that is Ray Meyer," Ustian said. "I was fortunate enough to get to know him and I'll always remember the time we got to St. Louis early for an NCAA tournament game and went out to an Italian restaurant close to the arena.
"They set us up in the back of the restaurant and Coach was holding court---which usually meant he was poking fun at Randy Ramsey or Joe Ponsetto. No one really noticed us during the meal, and Ray was in a wheelchair at the time.
"As we got up to leave and Ray was being wheeled out, everyone in the restaurant got to their feet and gave us a standing ovation. I had tingles running down my arm---even today as I tell this story."
-----
For information on the Feb. 25 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony including purchasing tickets, please contact Catherine Ramsey at cramsey@depaul.edu or 773-325-7504