Northeastern Illinois University

Northeastern Illinois University
Motto	Excellence. Access. Diversity. Community.
Established	1867 (1949 as branch college)
Type	Public
Endowment	$2.65 million [1]
President	Dr. Sharon K. Hahs
Admin. staff	1,762 (2008)
Undergraduates	9,314
Postgraduates	2,913
Location	Chicago, Illinois, USA
Campus	Urban, 67 acres (27.1 ha)
Student/Faculty Ratio	18:1
Colors	Gold and Royal Blue
Nickname	Golden Eagles
Mascot
Website	www.neiu.edu

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public state university located in Chicago, Illinois. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park with three additional campuses in the metropolitan area. Tracing its founding to 1867, it was first established as a separate branch of a public college in 1949. NEIU continues to meet the demand for quality, affordable education along with annually serving 12,000 students in the region.

The school ranked top both in the most ethnically diverse university and for students with the least amount of debt upon graduation in the Midwest region according to U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges 2011. In addition, NEIU ranked among top universities in Top Degree Producers according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education across the nation. Also, NEIU is a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution.

NEIU has one of the longest running free form community radio stations, WZRD Chicago 88.3 FM.

History

The origins of the school can be traced to Cook County Normal School (now Chicago State University), which was founded in 1867 in Englewood, Illinois. That school became known as Chicago Teachers College after three name changes.

In 1949, a branch of Chicago Teachers College was established on the North Side of Chicago. Chicago Teachers College (North Side) relocated to the present site of the university in 1961. The school changed its name again in 1965 to Illinois Teachers' College: Chicago North after the state of Illinois assumed control of the college.

In 1967, the college became an independent institution as Northeastern Illinois State College.

In 1971, Northeastern Illinois was granted university status. It was given a mandate by the Illinois Legislature "to offer such courses of instruction as shall best serve to qualify teachers for the schools of the State; and to offer such other courses of instruction, conduct such research and offer such public services as are prescribed by the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities or its successor."

In January 1996, Northeastern Illinois University established its own Board of Trustees.

The Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees named Dr. Sharon K. Hahs as President of NEIU effective February 1, 2007.

The school's demographics are: 49% White, 25% Hispanic, 12% African American, 10% Asian and 4% other.

Admissions

Students eligible for admission must meet the following requirements:

High school class rank in the top half of their graduating class or ACT composite of 19 and above or SAT combined score of 890 or above. If the student is 18 years of age or older, they may be considered upon successful completion of the GED. The ACT or SAT is also required if the student is under 21 years of age.

Alumni

Each year NEIU graduates approximately 1,800 new alumni.

Undergraduate programs

Science Building (renamed in 2010 to Bernard J. Brommel Hall)

Ronald Williams Library

Fine Arts Center

College of Arts and Sciences

• Anthropology
• Art
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Communication, Media and Theatre
• Computer Science
• Earth Science
• Economics
• English
• Environmental Studies
• French
• Geography
• History
• Justice Studies
• Mathematics
• Music
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Social Work
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Women's Studies

College of Business and Management

• Accounting
• Business Administration
• Finance
• International Business
• Management
• Marketing

College of Education

• Bilingual/Bicultural Education
• Community Health and Wellness
• Early Childhood Education
• Elementary Education
• Health and Wellness
• Human Resource Development
• Inner City Studies
• Music Education (K-12)
• Physical Education
• Secondary Education
• Special Education

Graduate programs

Graduate College of Arts and Sciences

Biology (M.S.) Chemistry (M.S.) Communication, Media and Theatre (M.A.) Computer Science (M.S.) Earth Science (M.S.) English (M.A.) Literature Composition/Writing Geography and Environmental Studies (M.A.) Gerontology (M.A.)

History (M.A.) Latin American Literature and Culture (M.A.) Linguistics (M.A.) Mathematics (M.S.) Applied Mathematics Secondary Education Mathematics Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers Music (M.A.) Political Science (M.A.) Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language (M.A.)

Graduate College of Business and Management

• Accounting (M.S.A.)
• Business Administration (M.B.A.)

Graduate College of Education

Bilingual/Bicultural Education (M.A.T. and M.S.I.) Counseling (M.A.) Community Counseling School Counseling Rehabilitation Counseling Educational Leadership (M.A.) School Leadership Higher Education Leadership Chief School Business Official Exercise Science (M.S.) Family Counseling (M.A.) Gifted Education (M.A.)

Human Resource Development (M.A.) Inner City Studies (M.A.) Language Arts (M.A.T.) Elementary Secondary Language Arts (M.S.I.) Elementary Secondary Reading (M.A.) Special Education (M.A.) Initial Certification (LBS 1) Early Childhood Special Education

Other Academic Programs

• Academic Development
• Community Outreach Programs
• Distance Education
• Honors Program
• International Programs
• McNair Scholars Program
• Nontraditional Degree Programs

Athletics

NEIU Baseball Jersey

See also: Northeastern Illinois Golden Eagles men's basketball

Northeastern Illinois competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for 20 years until joining the more high-profile National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1988. After a transitional season at the Division II level, NEIU moved its athletic program to Division I.

The Golden Eagles played as independents until finding a place in the short-lived East Coast Conference for the 1993-94 campaign. Northeastern Illinois were then invited to join the Mid-Continent Conference, now known as the Summit League, where it would play for the next four years.

Chief among the highlights of this era was the baseball team's 1996 Mid-Continent Conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid. Men's basketball player Andrell Hoard won the ESPN National Slam Dunk Competition and women's basketball coach Denise Taylor was chosen to lead the Utah Starzz of the WNBA in 1997.

Whether the University should really be investing in such an expensive venture as intercollegiate athletics was a constant question among administrators and faculty members for the better part of a decade. Northeastern Illinois chose to discontinue its sports programs after the 1997-98 season.

Many years ago, the school's football team was a charter member of the Division III Illini-Badger Football Conference, where it won five conference titles before dropping the sport in 1988.

Even earlier, in 1977, a men's club soccer team was formed by students from local soccer organizations around Chicago to compete against college varsities from surrounding region. This club, guided by player/coach Frank Hermantz, won all of its games. Varsity status was not granted, however, and the team parted ways.

In 2006 a group of students created a new NEIU baseball club. The Eagles, coached by Lou Berrios, are made up of 24 current students who compete against other collegiate baseball clubs in the Midwest including programs at Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

In addition to the baseball club, the University also has other programs such as women's volleyball, women's soccer, men's soccer, aikido, Brazilian jujitsu, ice hockey, and women's softball. All sports clubs are created and organized by students with the support of the campus recreation department.

Notable faculty

• Sarah Hoagland, Philosophy
• Conrad Worrill
• John R. Powers
• Libby Komaiko, Dance

Notable alumni

• Muhammed al-Ahari, Islamic essayist and scholar
• Lorrainne Sade Baskerville, Social worker and activist
• Michael Angelo Batio, Guitarist
• Maria Antonia Berrios, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Ursula Bielski, Occult Author
• Bob Biggins, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Walter Burnett, Jr., Chicago Alderman
• Prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Chanh, President of the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League
• Cary Capparelli, President of Omni Communique Inc.
• Dan Crawford, Professional basketball referee
• John C. D'Amico, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Jesse Davis, Saxophonist
• Miguel del Valle, Chicago City Clerk; former Illinois State Senator
• Sara Feigenholtz, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Calvin L. Giles, Former member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Luis V. Gutiérrez, first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest.
• Alan Hargesheimer, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Margaret Laurino, Chicago Alderman
• Iris Y. Martinez, Illinois State Senator
• Art Porter, Jr., Saxophonist
• Ed H. Smith, Chicago Alderman
• Karen Yarbrough, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Tim McIlrath, singer of Rise Against

External links

• Official website
• Campus map
• Ronald Williams Library

Coordinates: 41°58′51″N 87°43′01″W / 41.98071°N 87.716969°W / 41.98071; -87.716969