National Louis University

National Louis University

National Louis University, Chicago
Motto Sapientia Dignitas Temperanta [1]
Motto in English
 Wisdom Dignity Judgement
Type Private
Established 1886
Endowment $29.8 million (as of February 2014)[2]
President Nivine Megahed, Ph.D.
Students 4,780
Undergraduates

784 full-time, 609 part-time

[3]
Postgraduates

1,425 full-time, 1,962 part-time

[3]
Location Chicago, Illinois, United States
Colors Platinum and blue
Website www.nl.edu

National Louis University (NLU) is a private non-profit American university.[4] NLU has locations in and near Chicago, Illinois, as well as in Wisconsin, Florida and Nowy Sącz, Poland. Many courses and programs are also offered at-a-distance. Since its founding in 1886, NLU has played a historic role in education, when it helped found the National Kindergarten Movement, and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and stressed the importance of academic and professional training in childhood education theory and practice.[5][6]

History of the University

National Louis University (NLU) began in 1886, when Elizabeth Harrison[7] founded the school to train "Kindergarteners", young women teachers who began the early childhood education movement.[8] The school's requirements became a model for education colleges nationwide.[9] In 1893, the university published Harrison's book, The Kindergarten as an Influence in Modern Civilization, in which she explained, "how to teach the child from the beginning of his existence that all things are connected [and] how to lead him to this vital truth from his own observation . . .." [10]

1917

The university's name was changed to the Chicago Kindergarten Training School (1887), Chicago Kindergarten College (1893),[11] the National Kindergarten and Elementary College (1912) and then the National College of Education (1930). The "National" part of the university's name came about when the school became the professional school of the National Kindergarten Association. The university championed the concept of kindergarten and early education teaching in America and was one of the first teacher's colleges in the country to offer a four-year program culminating in the bachelor of education degree.[4][12]

In 1913 the National Kindergarten and Elementary College campus moved to 2944 South Michigan Avenue, where it remained until moving to Evanston, Illinois in 1926.

In the 1920s, the university partnered with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jane Addams to provide educational opportunities to the largely poor, immigrant population served by Hull House.[8][13] In 1954, the university's graduate school was accredited to offer masters and doctorate level degrees. The university organized its general liberal arts offerings into the Michael W. Louis College of Arts and Sciences in 1982, and began its business and management school in 1989, offering both bachelors and master of business administration degrees.

In 1990, National Louis united the name of National College of Education with that of trustee and benefactor Michael W. Louis, the son of Henrietta Johnson Louis. Louis’ significant gift spearheaded the transition from college to university and enabled the university to greatly expand its programs. NLU now encompasses three colleges — National College of Education, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Management and Business. Together, they offer more than 72 academic programs, with degrees extending to the doctoral level.

In 1999, the historic 22-story Peoples Gas Building at 122 S. Michigan Avenue, built in 1910, became the flagship location of NLU. Designed by Daniel Burnham, the university's new home housed faculty and administrative offices, a library, classrooms and computer labs.

In 2006, the university closed its former main site in Evanston, Illinois, replacing it with its current location in Skokie, Illinois.

In 2011, the university became the first in the USA to participate in a Groupon discount on course registration fees when a three-credit graduate-level course was offered for a 60-percent discount on the usual $2,232 fee.[14]

Programs

In 2014, the university merged its College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Management and Business into one new entity, the College of Professional Studies and Advancement (CPSA). CPSA consists of three schools: The School of Health and Human Services, the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and School of Business and Management.

Faculty Reduction

From 2011 to 2013, the university reduced its number of full-time faculty to half (more than 60 full-time faculty members) through a combination of early retirements and lay-offs.[15] On April 18, 2013, the American Association of University Professors released a report saying that the university "had no acceptable financial or educational justification for either the layoffs or a related reorganization leading to the closure of four academic departments and 14 academic programs.".[15] The university's president, Nivine Megahed, said the university " had been "facing serious financial pressures" and the cuts " enabled the university to stabilize a multiyear decline. ".[15] On June 15, 2013, the AAUP censured National Louis for violating AAUP standards of academic freedom and tenure.[16][17]

Downtown location

NLU - 122 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago

The university owns and occupies the second through sixth floors of the downtown Chicago Peoples Gas Building on Michigan Avenue in the Historic Michigan Boulevard District, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago. It was in borrowed rooms in the then fledgling Art Institute (in its earlier home on Michigan Avenue at Van Buren) that the university held its first classes.[4]

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval: Latest Status Info". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  2. ↑ ValuesRevisedFeb142014.pdf "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2013 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2012 to FY 2013" Check |url= value (help) (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  3. 1 2 "The Higher Learning Commission". ncahlc.org. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "National-Louis University". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  5. ↑ Snyder, Agnes. 1972. Dauntless Women in Childhood Education, 1856 - 1931. Washington, D.C.: Association for Childhood Education International. p. 98
  6. ↑ "Early Childhood Education: Preparation of Teachers." Encyclopedia of Education. The Gale Group, Inc, 2002. Retrieved, 27 Jul. 2010 from http://www.answers.com/topic/early-childhood-education-preparation-of-teachers
  7. ↑ "Elizabeth Harrison (American educator) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. 1927-10-31. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  8. 1 2 "National-Louis University | History". Nl.edu. 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  9. ↑ Robert McHenry, ed. (1980). Famous American Women: A Biographical Dictionary from Colonial Times to the Present. Merriam-Webster, Inc. p. 179. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  10. ↑ "The kindergarten as an influence in modern civilization : Harrison, Elizabeth, 1849-1927". Internet Archive. 2001-03-10. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  11. ↑ "Facts about kindergarten: Harrison, as discussed in Elizabeth Harrison (American educator)". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  12. ↑ "Alice Putnam." Encyclopedia of Education. The Gale Group, Inc, 2002. Retrieved 27 Jul. 2010 from http://www.answers.com/topic/alice-putnam
  13. ↑ "Elizabeth Harrison-Chicago Kindergarten Movement". Illinois.edu. 1997-07-26. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  14. ↑ Lauren Hepler (September 6, 2011). "University Uses Groupon Deal to Lure New Students". The Slatest's. Slate. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  15. 1 2 3 Peter Schmidt "AAUP Slams Reduction of Full-Time Faculty at National Louis U." The Chronicle of Higher Education April 18, 2013
  16. ↑ http://www.aaup.org/file/National_Louis_0.pdf
  17. ↑ "AAUP Censures 2 Institutions and Removes 2 Others From Censure List". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 30 January 2015.

External links and sources

Coordinates: 41°52′49″N 87°37′29″W / 41.8804°N 87.6247°W / 41.8804; -87.6247

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