History
Training and Development | Human Resources

Roosevelt's founding, in 1945, as an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational institution of higher learning was a feat requiring considerable courage. The new school had no campus, no library, and no endowment. But its founders had an idea that enabled them to overcome great obstacles. They were determined to make higher education available to all students who could qualify academically. Considerations of social or economic class, racial or ethnic origin, sex, or age were, and remain, irrelevant in determining who is admitted.

The Roosevelt experiment was a success from the start. While insisting that its students meet the same high standards of academic excellence that characterize any first-rate university, Roosevelt has kept its doors open to the residents of the inner city, to students who work full-time to support themselves, to students who are the first members of their families to attend college.

Roosevelt is known as an outstanding metropolitan university for several reasons. Its main campus in Downtown Chicago and its suburban campus in Schaumburg are near convenient modes of transportation, which make it easy for working students to attend classes. The university provides numerous public services for the greater metropolitan area from which it draws the bulk of its students. Roosevelt offers programs and services that place the needs of its students uppermost in its priorities.

Class schedules are flexible (courses are offered from early morning until late at night as well as on weekends), and class sizes are small. The Roosevelt faculty (numbering more than 500 full- and part-time members) is accessible to students. An impressive number of the faculty publish books and articles, conduct important research, and perform in the world's greatest concert halls. But first and foremost, Roosevelt professors are dedicated teachers who enjoy teaching and excel at it.
Independent and unencumbered by tradition, Roosevelt has been free to pioneer with new educational programs and democratic decision making methods. Student representatives are voting members of the university senate; and faculty, alumni, and student representatives serve on the board of trustees.

For many students, Roosevelt University's appeal is its focus on traditional academic disciplines, out of which some innovative interdisciplinary programs have emerged. A Roosevelt education long has been characterized as being slightly ahead of the academic mainstream and the university's many new academic programs continue that tradition.

The College of Arts and Sciences has developed new centers of excellence in the social sciences, humanities and natural sciences, while programs in the Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration combine a solid liberal arts background with professional training in areas from accounting to international business. The College of Education, with its new doctoral program in educational administration and supervision, continues to serve metropolitan schools. The Chicago Musical College offers many rigorous performance programs along with studies in such areas as music business, jazz studies, and music education. The Evelyn T. Stone University College is a well-established college for adults who return to earn their degrees. Among its offerings are exceptional programs in hospitality management and computer science.

Roosevelt also has a number of specialized areas of study including affiliations with other academic, health, theatrical, legal and civic institutions. Exchange programs with international universities and schools provide a global dimension for both American and international students who come to study at the university. Current enrollment is approximately 6,700 students, of whom about one third are pursuing graduate studies. A large percentage of Roosevelt students also work full- or part-time.

Human Resources | Training and Development | New Hire Orientation