06/16/2026
Celebrating a truly historic milestone - the retirement of Professor James Ciecka after 56 years of dedicated service to the Department of Economics at DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business.
Jim joined DePaul in 1970 and, over the course of his tenure, helped shape the department into what it is today, quite literally.
He served as chair of the Department of Economics from 1989 to 1995 and he had a hand in hiring every single one of his colleagues. That is a legacy that goes far beyond research and teaching.
His scholarship in forensic economics and work-life expectancies has been published widely and respected throughout the field, but his greatest contribution may be the culture, standards, and people he helped build and bring to this institution over more than five decades.
We are so proud to have called Jim our colleague, and we are deeply grateful for everything he has given to our students, our department, and DePaul. We wish him a retirement that is richly deserved!