| Roosevelt University | |
|---|---|
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| Motto | Dedicated to the enlightenment of the human spirit |
| Established | 1945 |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $76 million |
| President | Charles R. Middleton |
| Undergraduates | 4,500 |
| Postgraduates | 3,000 |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Campus | Downtown Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Colors | Green and White |
| Website | www.roosevelt.edu |
Roosevelt University is a private institution of higher education with full service campuses in Chicago's Loop and northwest suburban Schaumburg. It also offers classes in communities, schools, and corporations, and has the mission of being a metropolitan university and an asset to the surrounding communities.
Roosevelt University currently offers 128 Doctor's, Master's, Bachelor's degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences, business, education, and pharmacy practice.
The university includes the Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies (formerly known as the Evelyn T. Stone University College), a continuing education and professional studies school; Chicago College of Performing Arts, a music and theatre school; College of Pharmacy; Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration, a business school; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Education.
The lobby stairwell of the main building (430 S. Michigan Ave.) was featured in the Robert DeNiro movie "The Untouchables." [1] In the summer of 2005, the 10th floor Reading Room was used as a set for the film The Lake House, where the room doubled as an architect's office.
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History
The school was founded in 1945 when Edward J. Sparling, then president of the Central YMCA College in Chicago, refused to provide his board with the demographic data in his student body, fearing that it would provide the basis for a quota system to limit the number of blacks, Jews, immigrants, and women at the school. Sparling was fired and a number of faculty and students left with him, voting to start a new college with a vote of 62 to 1 for faculty and 488 to 2 with the student body. [2] The school had no library, campus, or endowment.
The new college was chartered as Thomas Jefferson College on March 28, 1945 and had financial backing from Marshall Field III, the Julius Rosenwald Foundation, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union and other organizations and individuals. Two weeks later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died, and with his widow Eleanor's permission the college was renamed Roosevelt College in his memory. In 1947, the Auditorium Building was sold to the university for one dollar and became the permanent home of Roosevelt University. The college was rededicated to both Franklin and Eleanor in 1959. Early advisory board members included Marian Anderson, Pearl Buck, Ralph Bunche, Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Gunnar Myrdal, Draper Daniels and Albert Schweitzer. In August 1996 the Albert A. Robin campus was opened in Schaumburg, started in large part by a donation from entrepreneur and immigrant, Albert A. Robin.
In July 2002, Charles R. Middleton became the fifth President of Roosevelt University.
Academics and majors
There are more than 60 undergraduate majors and pre-professional programs, 40 master’s degree programs, and selected doctoral programs.
Colleges
Departments and programs are organized in 6 colleges.
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration
- College of Education
- Chicago College of Performing Arts
- College of Pharmacy
- Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies
Programs and departments
- Adult Students
- Asian Programs
- Bachelor of Professional Studies/Bachelor of Liberal Studies
- Biological, Chemical, and Physical Sciences
- Career Services
- Communication
- Computer Science and Telecommunications
- Economics
- English Composition Program
- English Language Program (offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes)
- English Program
- External Studies Program
- History, Art History, and Philosophy
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Literature and Languages
- Mathematics and Actuarial Science
- MBA Program
- Paralegal Studies Program
- Pharmacy
- Political Science and Public Administration
- Psychology
- Scholars Program (Honors)
- Sports Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Training and Development
- Women's and Gender Studies
Institutes and centers
A strong supplement to the university's colleges is its centers and institutes that extend the learn and research opportunities available to students and faculty.
- Career Services
- Center for New Deal Studies
- Center for Tourism Studies
- Education Alliance
- Institute for Continued Learning
- Institute for Metropolitan Affairs
- Institute of Real Estate
- Mansfield Institute for Social Justice
- Metropolitan Institute for Teaching and Learning
- St. Clair Drake Center for African and African American Studies
- The Stress Institute
Campuses
Downtown Chicago Campus
The majority of all Chicago classes are held within Roosevelt's historic Auditorium Building at 430 S. Michigan Avenue just blocks from the Magnificent Mile. A second downtown campus building is the Gage Building, located at 18 S. Michigan Avenue. It is also the home of the Paralegal Studies Program and the School of Communication.
Neighbors include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, and Soldier Field. The 430 S. Michigan Avenue campus overlooks Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Michigan Ave., Columbus Drive, Lake Shore Drive, and Lake Michigan and the Center for Professional Advancement overlooks Millennium Park on Chicago's lakefront.
Albert A. Robin Campus, Schaumburg
Roosevelt University's campus in Schaumburg is the largest four-year university in Chicago's Northwest suburbs, serving roughly 2,500 students. The campus is located in the former regional office building of the Unocal Corporation. Roosevelt converted the building into a full-service campus in 1996. The Albert A. Robin Campus will be home to the Doctor of Pharmacy program, which is slated to accept the first matriculating students in 2011.
Student life
Student housing and residence life
Roosevelt University currently has two dormitories and one that is being rebuilt. The University Center of Chicago is the main dormitory. It was officially opened in the fall of 2004 and is located at 525 S. State Street. The UCC houses students from Roosevelt University, DePaul University, and Columbia College Chicago, totaling 1700 residents from these three schools combined. The newest dormitory is Fornelli Hall, located in the Pittsfield Building at 55 E. Washington Street. It opened in the fall of 2008. [1] It provides apartment-style housing for upperclassmen from Roosevelt and Robert Morris Universities. [2]
The Herman Crown Center was the main dormitory for Roosevelt until it was closed in the spring of 2008 for renovation. [3] It is located at 425 S. Wabash and housed nearly 200 residents. It connected to the Auditorium Building and provided direct access to classrooms, the university's Murray-Green Library, music practice rooms, the university's gym and fitness center: the Marvin Moss Student Center (MMSC), and other facilities including the Office of Student Activities, the Student Government Association, Student Organization office spaces, and the Academic Counseling Center. It is scheduled to begin demolition soon[when?] and will be rebuilt as a new 32-story tower.[4]
Traveling between campuses
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses and Elevated "L" trains. (the principal urban heavy rail and metro serving in Chicago) serve to both downtown Roosevelt locations.
In Schaumburg, PACE (the suburban bus division of RTA: the Regional Transportation Authority) also operates the bus lines to the Albert A. Robin campus.
Intercampus vans are also regularly scheduled to commute between the Chicago and Schaumburg campuses.
Groups and activities
There are many active student organizations at both of the Roosevelt University campuses.
- Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity: Roosevelt's largest on campus Greek organization
- WRBC-AM: Roosevelt's student radio station
- The Torch: Roosevelt's student newspaper (7,500/weekly)
- Oyez Review: Roosevelt's national and award winning literary journal.
- Student Government Association
- Alpha Gamma Delta Women's Fraternity: Alpha Gamma Delta is an international fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference. The Fraternity has begun the colonization process at Roosevelt and hopes to install it's 182nd chapter there later this year. For more information about the colonization, please visit: http://www.alphagammadelta.org/RooseveltUniversity/default.htm
- Gamma Theta Chi Sorority: Gamma Theta Chi is a multicultural sorority founded November 1, 2004. Its founding members are from Roosevelt University, DePaul University and Columbia College. The sorority is guided by its principals of community, diversity, friendship, and teamwork.
- Activist Alliance: Formed in the fall of 2007, Activist Alliance (AA) is a non-hierarchical/horizontal organization committed to bringing about social change in and around the University. Currently, AA is organizing a campaign to stop the University from contracting/investing in unethical/exploitative business practices, such as RU's contracts with Nike, Champion, Aramark, and Coca-Cola among others.
- Intramural Sports Club: Dedicated to returning a comprehensive athletics program to Roosevelt through student recognition and involvement.
- Feminists United (FU): Roosevelt's campus feminist organization committed to achieving equality for women and men
- RU Sociological Society (RUSS):Roosevelt University Sociological Society fosters the advancement of sociological study at undergraduate and graduate levels by providing outlets for students to present research, exchange ideas, and build relationships.
Notable alumni
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) |
- Tony Alcantar: American actor.
- Edsel Albert Ammons: Bishop of the United Methodist Church.
- David Applebaum: Israeli physician.
- Melissa Bean: Politician (U.S. Congressman, Illinois 8th, 2005).
- Anthony Braxton: Jazz composer and performer.
- Jesse Brown: U.S. Secretary of Veteran's Affairs (1993-97).
- Merle Dandridge: Broadway and Television Actress.
- Howard Wesley Johnson: Former chairman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Robert Lamm: of Chicago (band).
- Ramsey Lewis: Jazz musician, host, WNUA-FM radio.
- Michael Quigley: Politician, U.S. Congressman, Illinois 5th.
- Franklin Rosemont: Surrealist artist and labor organizer.
- Bobby Rush: Politician and Congressman, Illinois 1st, since 1993.
- Shel Silverstein: American author, musician, poet, and children's book author.
- Jim Skinner: CEO, McDonald's Corporation.
- Harold Washington: Late mayor of Chicago and first African American to hold the office.
- Berel Wein: Orthodox rabbi, scholar, lecturer, and writer.
- Ron Williams: Chairman and CEO, Aetna, Inc..
References
- ^ http://media.www.roosevelttorch.com/media/storage/paper817/news/2008/08/30/News/Row-Now.A.Go-3409536.shtml
- ^ http://www.fornellihall.com/
- ^ http://media.www.roosevelttorch.com/media/storage/paper817/news/2008/02/11/News/Hcc-Demolition.Begins.This-3201281.shtml
- ^ http://www.gazettechicago.com/index/?p=265
External links
- Official website
- OnLine programs website
- Biography of University President Charles Middleton [3]
- Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University[4]
- College and University Profiles[5]
- Encyclopedia of Chicago[6]
- Thomson & Peterson's College Close-Up[7]
- USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2006: Roosevelt University. At a Glance[8]
- NNDB: tracking the entire world (Roosevelt University)[9]
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