Chicago State University (CSU) is a
state universityA public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
of the U.S. state of
IllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, located in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
History
Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867, largely through the initiative of John F. Eberhart, the Commissioner of Schools for
Cook CountyCook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
. Eberhart noted that Cook County schools lagged far behind their counterparts in the city of
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, especially in terms of the quality and competence of instructors. He convinced the County Commissioners to hold a teacher training institute in April 1860; its success convinced the commissioners of the need for a permanent school to educate teachers. In March 1867 the Cook County Board of Supervisors created a Normal school at Blue Island on a two year experimental basis. Daniel S. Wentworth was the first principal.
In 1869, the school opened as a permanent institution in
EnglewoodEnglewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
, then a village far beyond the outskirts of Chicago. After Wentworth died in 1883, he was replaced by Colonel
Francis Wayland ParkerFrancis Wayland Parker was a pioneer of the progressive school movement in the United States. He believed that education should include the complete development of an individual — mental, physical, and moral...
, a towering figure in the history of American education. Parker was an educational innovator who helped construct the philosophy of progressive education, which has decisively shaped American schooling over the past century. Dedicated to the proposition that the nature and interests of the child should determine curricular decisions, not vice-versa, progressive reformers from the 1890s forward tried to banish what they saw as oppressive and authoritarian standards of instruction. Parker urged teachers to grant pupils the freedom to learn from their environment, to let curiosity rather than rewards or punishments provide their motivation, and to advance American democracy by democratizing their classrooms.
John DeweyJohn Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
wrote in
The New RepublicThe magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
in 1930 that Parker, "more nearly than any other one person, was the father of the progressive educational movement."” Parker believed that education was the cornerstone of a democracy, and that to achieve this end rote memorization should be replaced with exploration of the environment. Parker's Talks on Pedagogics preceded Dewey's own School and Society by five years, and it is one of the foundational texts in the progressive movement.
By the 1890s, Cook County was unable to provide the requisite support for its Normal School. Since many graduates found employment in the Chicago Public Schools system, it was natural that the city would take over, though initially it was very resistant to the idea. In 1897 the Chicago Board of Education assumed responsibility for what was now the
Chicago Normal School. Shortly thereafter, Francis W. Parker, the school's renowned principal, resigned after the Board failed to implement the recommendations of a school system commission headed by
William Rainey HarperWilliam Rainey Harper was one of America's leading academics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Harper helped to organize the University of Chicago and Bradley University and served as the first President of both institutions.-Early life:Harper was born on July 26, 1856 in New Concord,...
of the
University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. Harper suggested raising the standards for admission to the Normal School, increasing the total number of teachers trained, and strengthening oversight of graduates once they were working in the public schools.
Parker was replaced by Arnold Tompkins. Tompkins was an Indiana Hegelian who introduced key reforms that helped mold the institution's philosophy. Tompkins declared his dissatisfaction with the practice school then used as a laboratory for student-teachers. He wanted instructors to gain real world experience in Chicago's public schools, and he encouraged their placement in poor, immigrant communities. From that point forward, the school would be characterized not just by its innovative pedagogical practices, but also by its commitment to expanding opportunity to underserved sectors of society.
Tompkins was succeeded as president by
Ella Flagg YoungElla Flagg Young was an American educator.-Biography:She was born in Buffalo, New York to Theodore and Jane Flagg in 1845. She didn't attend school until the age of ten, after teaching herself how to read and write at age 10...
, a pioneering educator in her own right. Young received a Ph.D. under
John DeweyJohn Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
at the
University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and after leaving Chicago Normal School served as Superintendent of the
Chicago Public SchoolsChicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
system. She attempted to expand the curriculum to three years, but was stymied by the Board of Education. After Young left to become Superintendent in 1909, William Bishop Owen became Principal of CNS.
In 1913, the school was renamed Chicago Normal College, with higher admissions standards and several new buildings gradually added to the campus. In 1926, the College moved to a three-year curriculum, with heavier emphasis placed on traditional academic subjects as opposed to pedagogy. The school was an increasingly attractive educational avenue for Chicago's immigrant communities, who could get inexpensive preliminary schooling before transferring to a university. However, when the Great Depression began in 1929, severe budget shortages forced the College to curtail its operations, and almost eventuated in its closing. In 1932, the Board of Education budget shrank by $12 million. To many, an obvious strategy for economizing was to close the Normal College, since there were no positions in the school system for trained teachers anyway.
The faculty and students campaigned vigorously to keep the College open. Pep rallies, publications, and the efforts of immigrant communities were all part of the mobilization in favor of continued operations. As the economy stabilized, the threat to dissolve the College receded, though it did not disappear. Meanwhile, interest in the school rose, as financial destitution forced many Chicago-area students to forgo residential institutions elsewhere for a commuter campus closer to home.
In 1938, the school again changed its name, this time to
Chicago Teachers College to reflect the recent adoption of a four-year curriculum. President John A. Bartky had ambitious plans for invigorating instruction through a new commitment to the liberal arts and a doubling of the time devoted to practice teaching. In addition, a Master of Education degree was offered for the first time. However, Bartky's reforms were interrupted by the outbreak of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which depleted the faculty and student body alike. Bartky himself enlisted in the Navy in 1942, and never returned to the college. In his absence, the Chicago Board of Education reversed most of his curricular innovations.
After the war ended, Raymond Mack Cook was hired as Dean. Cook's primary achievement was to convince the state of
IllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to take over funding of the College. The city was no longer able to fund the institution adequately, and in 1951 Governor Adlai Stevenson signed legislation that reimbursed the Board of Education for its operating expenses on a permanent basis. In 1965, Cook succeeded in convincing the state take responsibility for the College entirely.
As the demographic composition of the south side of Chicago changed, increasing numbers of African-American students began to attend the College. By the 1950s, nearly 30% of the student body was black. At the same time, three branches of Chicago Teachers College opened elsewhere in the city; these eventually became
Northeastern Illinois UniversityNortheastern Illinois University 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...
. During these years Chicago Teachers College and its branches educated a preponderance of the students who became Chicago Public School system teachers.
Once the state of Illinois took over control of the institution, the student body and programs offered rapidly expanded. The college experienced two more name changes, becoming
Chicago State College in 1967 and Chicago State University in 1971, a year before moving to a new campus. By the mid-1960s the college's infrastructure was deteriorating and tensions between the majority white student body and the mostly black surrounding neighborhood were on the rise. Like many campuses, Chicago State College experienced a burst of student activism in 1968 and 1969 as black students and faculty demanded greater attention to their needs and interests and closer relations with the neighborhood. The administration responded by creating an African-American Studies program and cultural center.
In 1972, the university moved to its new location at 9501 S. King Dr., between Burnside and Roseland. The state purchased the land from the
Illinois Central RailroadThe Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
and suspended classes for 2 weeks in November to complete the move.
In January 1975, 5,000 students signed a petition on a 45 feet (13.7 m) scroll requesting that President
Gerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
give the
commencementA commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions. The "commencement" is a ceremony in which degrees or diplomas are conferred upon graduating students...
address at graduation that summer. On July 12, 1975, President Ford gave the commencement address at the ceremony held in the Arie Crown Theatre at
McCormick PlaceMcCormick Place is the largest convention center in the United States. It is made up of four interconnected buildings sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about 4 km south of downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA. McCormick Place hosts numerous trade shows, including the Chicago Auto Show,...
and received an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Shortly thereafter President Milton Byrd announced his resignation. His replacement, Benjamin Alexander, was the institution's first African-American leader. Under Alexander's command the school received full 10-year accreditation for the first time in its history. Alexander pushed hard to foster multiculturalism, as the African-American portion of the student body swelled from 60% at the outset of the 1970s to over 80% by 1980. These shifting demographics encouraged a debate over whether CSU should be considered a predominantly African-American institution, akin to the HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) or whether it should retain a multicultural and multiracial identity. That debate has continued in some form ever since.
President Benjamin Alexander hired Dr. Dorothy L. Richey, a
Tuskegee University Tuskegee University is a private, historically black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
graduate to become the first woman appointed head of athletics at a Co-educational College or University in the United States. Her Teams excelled during her first year as Athletic Director in 1975.
The school struggled in the 1980s with flat enrollments, declining state budgets, and falling graduation rates. However, in the early 1990s President Dolores Cross helped introduce a sharp increase in enrollment and retention. She urged faculty to personally call advisees and students who might be having problems. Enrollment rose 40%, nearing 10,000. The Chicago Tribune dubbed Chicago State “Success U.”
In 1990,
Gwendolyn BrooksGwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was an American poet. She was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968 and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985.-Biography:...
, the well-known poet, was hired as a Distinguished Professor; she taught classes at CSU up until her death. Brooks protégé and English professor
Haki R. MadhubutiHaki R. Madhubuti is a renowned African-American author, educator, and poet. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, and served in the U.S...
established a writing center, now called the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing, which hosts a yearly conference and offers the only MFA degree in the country to focus on African American literature. Today it is directed by the poet Quraysh Ali Lansana.
Elnora Daniel became President in 1998 and she worked to increase federal and state funding and to create new programs. An Honor's College was established in 2003 and a College of Pharmacy in 2007. Daniel also oversaw the first doctoral program at CSU in Educational Leadership. The program produced its first graduates in 2009. Special funds were procured to finance a textbook buying program for African schools and two new buildings: the University Library and the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center.
The school has recently been the target of many controversies. After university president Elnora Daniel resigned under allegations of unjustified spending, the board of trustees began a search for her replacement. Several faculty members who served on the search committee resigned in protest feeling their concerns were not addressed. Part of their concerns include a graduation rate of only 16.2% (as of 2007) and inadequate infrastructure. On April 29, 2009, the board of trustees appointed retiring City Colleges of Chicago chancellor Wayne Watson as Chicago State's new president. The decision was protested by several students and faculty, who openly booed the announcement, claiming that Watson's appointment was motivated by political considerations rather than the good of the students and faculty. These issues prompted the Higher Learning Commission, the school's accrediting agency, to express "grave" concerns regarding Chicago State's future and indicate that its accreditation might be in jeopardy.
Athletics
The school's sports teams are called the Cougars and the team colors are green and white. CSU participates in the Great West Conference of the
National Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I. From 1994 until June 2006, CSU was a member of the Mid-Continent Conference, but withdrew and took independent status before joining the Great West Conference, in which it which began play in 2009-2010. Prior to gaining NCAA Division I status, the university enjoyed memberships in the
National Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsThe National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA) and NCAA Division 2.
Melvin Bland was the first CSU student athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Tyrone Everhart also was a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American wrestler the same year. Fred Evans as a sophomore became the first black swimmer ever to win a National Championship in 1975. The Chicago State University Ice Hockey Team produced 2 NCAA Division 2 All-Americans in the 1975-76 season. George Hansen and Bob Janecyk were selected in 1975-76 to the NCAA (College Division) West All-American Team. Janecyk was selected two more times designated as an NCAA (College Division) West All-American Team
goaltenderIn ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
for CSU in 1976-77 and 1977-78. He went on to play for the Chicago Black Hawks of the
National Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. The first NAIA District #20 Championship Team in any sport was the 1975 wrestling team, which captured the NAIA District #20 Championship coached by Dr. James G. Pappas. The Cougar Wrestling Team also won District #20 titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980.
In 1984, the CSU Men's Basketball Team captured third place at the NAIA National Championships. The team's performance throughout the tournament was as follows:
Chicago State (Ill.) 79, Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 62
Chicago State 105,
Kearney State (Neb.)The University of Nebraska at Kearney , founded in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney, is the Kearney, Nebraska, United States campus of the University of Nebraska system.-History:...
104 2OT
Chicago State 68,
Chaminade (Hawaii)Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private co-educational university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, a Roman Catholic religious order also known as the Marianists, Chaminade is located in the historic Kaimuki district of Honolulu. Chaminade offers...
66 (Quarterfinals)
Fort Hays State (Kan.) 86, Chicago State 84 OT (Semifinals)
Chicago State 86,
Westmont (Calif.)Westmont offers 26 majors, including: alternative major, art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, economics and business, education program, engineering physics, English, history, European studies, kinesiology, liberal studies, mathematics, modern languages , music,...
82 OT (3rd)
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics honors and All-Americans
- 1974 - Melvin Bland - All-American - Third Team Wrestling
- 1975 - Fred Evans - All-American - Men's Swimming & Diving
- 1976 - Fred Evans - All-American - Men's Swimming & Diving
- 1976 - Scott White - All-American - Men's Swimming & Diving
- 1977 - Fred Evans - All-American - Men's Swimming & Diving
- 1977 - John Ebito - All-American - Men's Swimming & Diving
- 1978 - Ken Cyrus - All-American - Second Team Men's Basketball
- 1979 - Chandler Mackey - All-American - Wrestling
- 1979 - Joseph Curtis - All-American - Men's Indoor Track & Field
- 1979 - Joseph Curtis - All-American - Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1979 - Mike Eversley - All-American - Second Team Men's Basketball
- 1980 - Chandler Mackey - All-American - Wrestling
- 1980 - Derrick Hardy - All-American - Wrestling
- 1980 - Ken Dancy - All-American - Second Team Men's Basketball
- 1981 - Eric Blackmon - All-American - Men's Swimming & Diving
- 1983 - Jon Jahnke Academic - All-American - Baseball
- 1983 - Sherrod Arnold - All-American - First Team Men's Basketball
- 1983 - Stanley Griffin - All-American - First Team Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1984 - Charles Perry - All-Tournament Team - First Team Men's Basketball
- 1984 - Denise Bullocks - All-American - Women's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1984 - Denise Bullocks - Outstanding Performer - Women's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1984 - Denise Bullocks - Scholar-Athlete - Women's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1984 - Learando Drake - All-American - Third Team Men's Basketball
- 1984 - Lionel Keys - All-American - Wrestling
- 1986 - Jimmy McGriff - All-American - Men's Indoor Track & Field
- 1987 - Chris Garrett - All-American - Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1987 - David Rogan - All-American - Men's Indoor Track & Field
- 1987 - David Rogan - All-American - Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1987 - Deanail Mitchell - All-American - Men's Indoor Track & Field
- 1987 - Deanail Mitchell - All-American - Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1987 - Denise Bullocks - All-American - Women's Indoor Track & Field
- 1987 - Denise Bullocks - All-American - Women's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1987 - Enos Watts - All-American - Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1987 - Ron Walton - All-American - Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center
The
Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation CenterEmil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Chicago, Illinois. Completed in 2007, the arena is home court for the Chicago State University Cougars men's and women's basketball teams...
is a 5,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Chicago, Illinois on the campus of Chicago State University. The arena hosts the Chicago State University Cougars basketball teams. It replaces the Jacoby D. Dickens Athletic Center, which only had capacity to seat 2,500 persons. Among sporting events, the convocation center houses concerts, conferences, and special city-wide events. The convocation center is unique among Illinois university athletic projects, because Chicago State University did not have to raise any money for the project.
Jacoby Dickens Center
The Jacoby D. Dickens Center (JDC) is home of the Chicago State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. The building was built in 1971 and was formerly known as the CSU Athletics Building until 1995, when it was dedicated to renowned Chicago businessman Jacoby D. Dickens. Inside the Jacoby D. Dickens Center is a 2,500-seat gymnasium, three swimming pools, a fitness center, eight locker rooms, three classrooms, a dance studio, an auxiliary and a multipurpose gymnasium. In addition, the building is home to CSU's athletic department and the university's Health and Physical Education Department.
Library
The University's library, dedicated in October 2006, features a state of the art
Automated Storage and Retrieval SystemAn automated storage and retrieval system consists of a variety of computer-controlled methods for automatically placing and retrieving loads from specific storage locations...
, which currently holds most of the library's material that was produced before 1991. The system is called ROVER (Retrieval Online Via Electronic Robot) and can retrieve five books in 2.5 minutes, on average; the average time for a student to retrieve five books is 2 hours. The system has a capacity of 800,000 volumes and its database is backed up in at least two offsite locations.
Notable alumni
Notable former students
Honorary degrees
External links