Press Room

John Decker Receives Via Sapientiae Award

Emeritus Professor of Law John Decker will receive the university's Via Sapientiae Award at the May 2007 College of Law graduation ceremony.

The Via Sapientiae Award, established in 1961, is the highest academic award that the university can bestow upon a member of its community. This honor takes its name from the university's motto: "Viam Sapientiae monstrabo tibi…" (Proverbs 4:11), which translates from the Latin as "I will show you the way to wisdom." These words capture the institution's educational mission and values, and provide the criteria for evaluating the extraordinary contributions of those persons who have spent their professional lives in the university's service.

After earning his L.L.M. and J.S.D. from New York University, John Decker turned down several professional opportunities in favor of returning to his Midwestern roots. He began what eventually turned into a 35-year legal teaching career at DePaul University's College of Law in the Fall of 1971. At that time, there was only one class in criminal law and procedure, and it was a merged class covering both subjects in a single semester. But with the support of the faculty and administration, Decker developed a first-class criminal justice curriculum, sparking the start of DePaul's Criminal Law Program, of which he later became the director.

Decker also realized that the students had very little in the way of opportunities to hone their emerging legal skills with hands-on, real-world experience. He believed that they needed to learn how to translate what they learned in the classroom and apply it to the greater community. Through Decker's initiative and passion, an internship/externship program, which later became known as the Field Placement Program, soon developed and redefined the DePaul College of Law experience.

The Field Placement Program, also directed by Decker, offers externships with a variety of government agencies, non-profit organizations and members of the judiciary, allowing students to gain irreplaceable career experience while broadening their networking contacts. To date, the 35-year-old program boasts more than 2,000 externship placements.

The resounding response from student's who participated in the Field Placement Program was that their externship experience set the course for their professional career. There are countless alumni who credit Decker and his visionary program for their current successes. It was their first chance to really implement what they learned in the classroom; it allowed them to gain that elusive first legal experience, giving them an edge over graduates from other law schools. That is precisely what Decker intended the Field Placement Program to be. He aimed to show the students the way to wisdom, to success, to achieving their dreams, to contributing to the common good.

Perhaps most importantly, Decker had a personal approach to education-he took the time to get to know his students. He cared about their futures and helped each of them carve out their success. Just a quick look through his student evaluations yields a litany of testimonies declaring that John Decker was their best and/or favorite professor ever-at DePaul or otherwise. Students responded to an enthusiastic, engaging, intelligent professor who genuinely cared about them, their passions and their successes. Decker understood and respected his students, and based upon the profound number of alumni who still maintain friendships with him, it is obvious that the feeling is mutual.

As a scholar, Decker has written numerous books and articles on criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence, most notably ILLINOIS CRIMINAL LAW, which is referred to as the "bible" in the Illinois State's Attorney's Office. His scholarship ranges from practical books for the practicing bar to highly theoretical and analytical law review articles. And, for the past three years, he has been closely involved with the Criminal Law Edit, Alignment and Reform (CLEAR) Commission as the special advisor, doing his part to modernize the Illinois Criminal Code, adding clarity to its patchwork-like arrangement.

For 35 years, John Decker surpassed the call of DePaul University's motto to show his students the way to wisdom. The legacy left in the wake of his retirement will guide students for generations to come.

Yet, he did not merely show his students the way to wisdom. He challenged them to make it to wisdom's front door and unlock it themselves, teaching them the necessary tools that they would need through both education and experience, and encouraging them all along the way. He embodied the university's mission and values through his dedication to the College of Law's success, relevance and longevity, through his contributions to the greater legal community, and through his passionate commitment to his students and their individual achievements.

John Decker has served as an inspiration for countless law students and as a model for the faculty and staff who had the privilege of working with him. He is a leader, and he has demonstrated that leadership in each of the possible spheres in which a law professor can operate. He didn't excel in just scholarship, teaching or public service-Decker's extraordinary career spans all those arenas. He was a superb scholar, an outstanding teacher and an extraordinary administrator with the College of Law's Field Placement and Criminal Law Programs. In addition, his public service commitment has been truly remarkable, as demonstrated by his work with the CLEAR Commission.

Decker's passion, intelligence and dedication have left an indelible mark on the College of Law, the university as a whole, as well as on a vast number of local and state entities that have benefited from working with our students. For that, he undoubtedly deserved to be honored with the Via Sapientiae Award.