Roosevelt University - President Charles Middleton In the News

Roosevelt University's support of immigrant students, social justice earns national recognition
Posted: April 14, 2008

Roosevelt University will be recognized for its work on behalf of immigrant communities by the American Immigration Law Foundation, a national non-profit dedicated to increasing public understanding of immigration law and policy. The foundation cited Roosevelt for its strong support of immigrants, including making undocumented students eligible for full-tuition assistance and voicing public support of progressive federal immigration legislation. The foundation's Public Service Award will be presented to Roosevelt University on April 14, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. at the Chicago Hilton & Towers.

"Despite graduating from high school, immigrant students are often unable to attend college because of their document status and financial situation," said Chuck Middleton, President of Roosevelt. "I believe all qualified students should have an opportunity to attend the college or university of their choice. This is a matter of fairness and equality for everyone, regardless of their immigrant status."

In a climate where Illinois is one of only 10 states that allows undocumented students to receive in-state tuition, Roosevelt has pledged to provide full scholarships to all qualified 2009 and 2010 graduates of Chicago's Social Justice High School, regardless of immigration status. Middleton said this program is an effort to "break the cycle" of rejection by offering the students an opportunity to receive Roosevelt diplomas. Each semester, approximately two-thirds of Roosevelt graduates are the first members of their families to earn a college degree.

"Roosevelt University is no stranger to facing issues of social injustice, and we're proud to honor this national leader for its trailblazing work on behalf of immigrant communities," said Benjamin Johnson, executive director of the American Immigration Law Foundation.

In 2007, Middleton took a public stance in support of Illinois Senator Richard Durbin's federal Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The act is a narrowly tailored, bipartisan measure which would permit a select group of undocumented students to become permanent residents if they came here as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and attend college or enlist in the military for at least two years.

The cornerstone of Roosevelt's commitment to social justice is its Mansfield Institute for Social Justice. The Institute recently received a $300,000 grant to further develop Roosevelt's social justice programming as it continues to integrate social justice studies and service learning into its core curriculum.

"Any discussion of immigration and social justice in higher education must include the situation that the nation's Hispanic communities are facing," said Heather Dalmage, director, the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice. "Nearly half of Latinos in higher education begin at community colleges but do not continue on to obtain a bachelor's degree."

Roosevelt has also reached out to the Hispanic community through scholarship programs and targeted events such as a Latino Campus Visit Day. Earlier this year, it hosted the Border Film Project that displayed photographs taken by both American Minutemen and migrants at the Mexican border.

Roosevelt University's Chicago and Schaumburg campuses are comprised of 50% minority students and women make up 68% of the student body. The campuses strongly reflect the underrepresented communities in the populations they serve. The Chicago Campus student body is largely African-American and Hispanic; whereas the Schaumburg Campus has significant numbers of Asian/Pacific Island and Eastern European students, reflecting the changing make-up of the Northwest suburbs.

Roosevelt's history of diversity stems back to Edward J. Sparling, who founded the University in 1945 after refusing to enforce admissions quotas for immigrants, women, blacks, and Jews at a Chicago college.

Roosevelt University administrators elected to American Council on Education boards
Posted: February 12, 2008

Two Roosevelt University administrators have been elected to leadership positions with the American Council on Education (ACE), the major coordinating body for all of the nation's higher education institutions.

At the ACE annual meeting in San Diego, President Chuck Middleton was elected to the ACE Board of Directors and J. Michael Durnil, vice president for Governmental Affairs and University Outreach and assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees, was elected to the Executive Board of the ACE Council of Fellows.

ACE represents more than 1,600 college and university presidents and more than 200 related associations. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research and program initiatives.

"ACE is one of the nation's most important higher education organizations. Having two of our senior administrators serve on ACE boards is a major accomplishment and clearly demonstrates that Roosevelt University is valued nationally for its leadership and expertise," said James J. Mitchell III, chairman of Roosevelt's Board of Trustees.

As a member of the ACE Board of Directors, Middleton will contribute to critical discussions on the nation's most pressing higher education challenges, working closely with other presidents and educational leaders. The new ACE Board chair is Andrew K. Benton, president of Pepperdine University.

Middleton has served as President of Roosevelt University since July 2002. Prior to joining Roosevelt, he was vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University System of Maryland, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Bowling Green State University and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

As a member of the Executive Board of the ACE Council of Fellows, Durnil will help coordinate the activities of the ACE Fellows Program, which is the nation's premier higher education leadership development program in preparing senior leaders to serve American colleges and universities.

Since 1965, more than 1,500 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program and more than 300 Fellows having gone on to serve as chief executive officers of colleges or universities and more than 1,300 having served as provosts, vice presidents and deans.

Durnil was an ACE Fellow in 2004. During that academic year, he was at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, focusing on diversity issues and global and international initiatives related to higher education.

As vice president for Governmental Affairs and University Outreach and assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees at Roosevelt University, Durnil is responsible for all aspects of governmental and external relations. He manages the overall operation and coordination of the activities of the 80-member Board of Trustees, and leads the Office of University Communications, which is responsible for the image and reputation of the University.

He joined Roosevelt in 1993 as the dean of Student Life, and was promoted to assistant vice provost for Student Affairs and then associate vice president for Student Services. He also served as campus executive officer for Roosevelt's Schaumburg Campus and vice president for Administration before being promoted to his current position.

Roosevelt University President Chuck Middleton Is New Chairman of the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
Posted: January 14, 2008

Roosevelt University President Chuck Middleton was elected to a two-year term beginning on Jan. 1, 2008 as chairman of the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities (FIICU), the oldest private college association in the nation and the voice of Illinois private higher education.

The Springfield, Ill.-based federation advocates for 58 Illinois private colleges and universities and their students through information sharing, government relations and public affairs.

"I am delighted that Dr. Middleton will be serving as our board chairman," said David Tretter, president of the federation. "He is an innovative and strategic thinker who during these times of economic uncertainty will help raise the awareness of the many benefits of private higher education in Illinois."

Middleton, Roosevelt's president since 2002, previously was vice chairman of the federation. He succeeds the Rev. Michael J. Garazini, S.J., president of Loyola University Chicago, as chairman.

"Private colleges and universities in Illinois award 59 percent of all master's degrees in the state and 42 percent of all bachelor's degrees," Middleton said. "They are an essential part of Illinois' outstanding higher education system. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the federation to insure that our students are adequately supported by the state."

According to the federation, Illinois independent colleges and universities employ approximately 65,000 faculty and staff and annually generate $9 billion in economic vitality at the state and local levels. Half of all Illinois students at four-year colleges are enrolled at a private institution.

As president of Roosevelt, a 7,200-student university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Middleton heads one of the nation's most diverse universities. According to a 2006 study in the New York Times on diversity of undergraduate students, Roosevelt University ranks 10th nationally in private institutions.

Middleton has been a university professor or administrator for 38 years. Prior to joining Roosevelt, he was vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University System of Maryland, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Bowling Green State University and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

A fellow of Great Britain's Royal Historical Society, Middleton's academic expertise is in modern British history from the late 18th Century to the early 19th Century and he has an interest in the history of sport in America.

Middleton earned an AB degree with honors in history from Florida State University and both an MA and PhD in history from Duke University.

Middleton is active in educational and community organizations. In addition to being chairman of the federation, he is a fellow of the Institute for International Education (Midwest), chair of the Committee on Institutional Effectiveness for the American Council on Education (ACE) and a member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, American Historical Association, North American Conference on British Studies, and the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

He also serves on the boards of the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Committee, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, N. Y., the Center on Halsted, the Chicago Loop Alliance, the Chicago Central Area Committee, the Near South Planning Board, the Point Foundation, and the Chicago Historical Museum Community Advisory Council for "Out at CHM." He is a member of Rotary One, the Economic Club and the Executives Club.

For more information about the federation, go to http://www.federationedu.org/

Roosevelt University President joins Senator Durbin in support of the Dream Act
Posted: October 24, 2007

Roosevelt University President Chuck Middleton today joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin in support of the DREAM Act. Roosevelt University, founded in 1945 on the principles of social justice, was among the first institutions of higher education to admit students without regard to gender, race or religion.

In a news release issued by Senator Durbin's Office, Middleton says:

"The DREAM Act is an equitable solution that will work to support future generations of a well educated and engaged citizenry. It is the 21st century extension of our founding principles that provided higher education to individuals without regard to gender, race or religion in 1945. Using higher education as a pathway for citizenship promotes a sensible, pragmatic and equitable solution to a divisive problem. I look forward to standing with Senator Durbin on this issue."

The DREAM Act stands for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act. The DREAM Act (and its predecessor, the CARE Act) has had strong bipartisan support since its introduction in 2001.

The DREAM Act is a narrowly tailored, bipartisan measure which would permit a select group of undocumented students to become permanent residents if they came here as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and attend college or enlist in the military for at least two years.

Social justice is deeply rooted in the history of Roosevelt University and is reflected in both its mission and strategic plan. Through a variety of ways, including the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice, the University applies the values of the two great Americans for whom it is named, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Middleton has long been a proponent of providing educational opportunities for undocumented students. Last year he announced that the cost of attending Roosevelt University would be covered for all 2009 and 2010 graduates of Chicago's Social Justice High School if they successfully graduate from high school and qualify academically. Many of these students will be the first members of their families to earn college degrees.

In April he appeared on Chicago's public television station, WTTW, to discuss why higher education should be available to all qualified students regardless of whether they are documented or not. He said that individuals who earn college degrees generally have better, higher paying jobs and are prepared to be leaders in their communities.

Coming out to 'become ourselves'
Medill Reports
Posted: October 11, 2007

by Peter Holderness

Proudly declaring himself "the only 'out' president in the United States," Roosevelt University President Chuck Middleton welcomed students and faculty to "share stories of how we became our full selves" at the Chicago school's National Coming Out Day event Thursday. Middleton said that being open about homosexuality is critical; "Because we are out, we make a difference and build our abilities to change the world.."

Approximately 20 students sat rapt as professors and other speakers described coming out in an earlier era and urged everyone to "speak up, speak out, and be proud of yourselves," in the words of RU instructor Carrie Brucke. "This is about becoming whole people," said Carlos Rios, secretary of campus LGBT association RU Proud. "Coming out prepares us to face the biggest challenges of our lives with honesty."

National Coming Out Day was first celebrated Oct. 11, 1988, to mark the first anniversary of the National AIDS Quilt project and a massive march on Washington for gay rights and AIDS awareness. This year's theme, "Talk About It," resonated with students and faculty who said that much has changed for gay and questioning students over the past 19 years.

"When I got into education I promised myself that I would never go back in the closet, even if that inconvenienced my career," James Gandre, the Interim Dean of the College of Education, told students. "I committed myself to being out and proud because I wanted to always be visible and available for students... I have never regretted that decision."

"Roosevelt University, my church, and the RU Proud group have given me strength, clarity, and a voice," said John Coleman, an MBA student at Roosevelt. Coleman attends Church 4 Me, a Metropolitan Community Church currently based at The Center on Halsted. He described the importance of faith and community in his journey.

"From the moment I walked into church I felt that I belonged, I saw myself in this congregation," Coleman said of his first trip to a MCC community in San Francisco more than 10 years ago. "The church helps me stay grounded and proud of who I am."

Thomas Minar, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Roosevelt University, described the importance of his faith in his coming out story, starting with his graduation from New Trier high school "way back in 1981." It was uncomfortable to be different at New Trier, Minar said, but he always felt at home in his family's church, First Congregational Church of Wilmette.

"I was confirmed there as a little boy," he told students on Thursday, "and I was able to return to marry my partner Frank there on our 10th anniversary. There was so much support and love from my church community, and it meant the world to me to have my church wedding there."

"The church has been important to me my entire life," Minar said, "and people should know that coming out and being honest with ourselves does not mean we have to turn our backs on our faiths or our churches."

President discusses what's ahead for Roosevelt's Schaumburg campus
Daily Herald
Posted: August 24, 2007

By ERIC PETERSON

Five years ago, Roosevelt University President Charles Middleton began forging the 21st century identities of both the Chicago and Schaumburg campuses he oversees.

Now at the start of his second five-year contract, Middleton foresees the university getting even better at meeting the rapidly changing needs of its students, even as the two campuses become more distinct from each other.

Middleton's new plans include the ability to get a three-year pharmacist degree at Roosevelt, as well as making the Schaumburg campus feel more like a traditional university and less like the converted office space it is.

More color will be added to the corridors soon, while the central courtyard has already been torn up to add more recreational opportunities like the quad of a typical campus, Middleton said.

Such cosmetic changes arrive only after the practical changes of the past five years, including the addition of wireless Internet connectivity to a building that had none when Middleton arrived.

But even the improvements to come are crucial to the role the Schaumburg campus plays in the Northwest suburbs, he said.

"The way I think of Roosevelt in the suburbs is that Roosevelt is the university of the suburbs," Middleton said.

As such, the Schaumburg campus is unique nationwide in both the type of area it serves and the educational mission it fulfills, he added. For example, there's no one-to-one Los Angeles equivalent of Roosevelt, he said.

But as Roosevelt finds itself serving a growing immigrant and minority population in the suburbs, it already has a perfect role model — itself.

"Those are the people Roosevelt has always served in the city," Middleton said.

Both Middleton and the university he serves have similar beliefs in the transforming power of education, he said, which can now be delivered to first-generation Americans in the suburbs less likely to move for college.

"I would like to see even greater recognition of the university as a place to be successful," Middleton said.

One of the ways this is hoped to be done in the near future is through a new pharmacist degree. Students must complete a two-year pre-pharmacy program before embarking on the typically four-year program Roosevelt hopes to make possible within three years.

"There's a huge need for pharmacists throughout the country," Middleton said. "Pharmacists make six figures and are often the only health-care provider people see on a regular basis."

Roosevelt is looking at such a program because it would be unique in the area.

"It's an expensive proposition," he explained. "There's a need for more (pharmacists), but there's not a limitless need."

Looking ahead to the next five years, Middleton reflects with a laugh on the advice he once received about the job of a university president.

"Someone once said, to be a university president you must have the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the stomach of a goat."

And Now There Are 3 — Colleges champion diversity among students and professors, but few are willing to hire openly gay presidents
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Posted: August 10, 2007

By PAUL FAIN

With Sean T. Buffington's appointment as president of the University of the Arts late last month, the number of openly gay university presidents in the United States appears to have increased by 50 percent, from two to three. "We have a long, long way to go," says Charles R. Middleton, president of Roosevelt University, one of the small group, which also includes Ralph J. Hexter, president of Hampshire College. Mr. Middleton, 62, says a "Plexiglas ceiling" has prevented the appointment of more gay presidents.

Such barriers may seem out of place in higher education, which has long been at society's leading edge in encouraging tolerance, diversity, and personal freedom. But while gay and lesbian scholars are taken for granted throughout most of the academy, the presidency is a uniquely politicized position.

College governing boards steer away from unconventional lifestyles when hiring for the top job, say presidents and other experts familiar with the hiring process. Boards are also dominated by a well-heeled, older generation that is more likely to be uncomfortable with a gay chief executive. (About 84 percent of trustees at four-year institutions are 50 or older, according to a recent Chronicle study.)

Mr. Buffington, 38, says his sexual orientation was a "nonissue" during the hiring process at the Philadelphia institution, as well as during his 13 years as an administrator at Harvard University. "The board and the search committee were interested in my experience and my ideas," says Mr. Buffington of his appointment, adding that his personal life is "not relevant to the job I've been asked to do."

Hampshire's Mr. Hexter says Mr. Buffington's employers have been ahead of the curve. The hiring of a gay president would be a "very big issue" at many universities, he says. "You would need a very courageous board of trustees."

He says Hampshire has "fully embraced" him and his longtime partner, Manfred Kollmeier, who lives with him in Hampshire's presidential residence. At Roosevelt University, in Chicago, Mr. Middleton says he and his partner, John S. Geary, chairman of the department of foreign languages and literatures at Northeastern Illinois University, have felt welcome since arriving there in 2002.

It is no accident, Mr. Middleton says, that all of the openly gay presidents are at private universities, where they are shielded from state politics. (The University of California at Santa Cruz did briefly have an openly lesbian chancellor.) "The three of us are at very special places," says Mr. Middleton. "The real test will be who will be the first person to be head of a public university."

The "shockingly low" number of gay and lesbian college presidents is a disgrace, says Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"There's no shortage of gay people in academia," he says, attributing resistance at the president level to "outright homophobia or that people won't come out because they think it will hurt their prospects for advancement."

Skittish Trustees

College presidents must mingle with everyone from 18-year-old college freshmen to 80-year-old athletics boosters. And few presidential job skills are as important as wooing prospective donors and, for public-college presidents, state lawmakers. If trustees and search committees are skittish about hiring gay presidents, experts say, these are the two groups that give them pause.

The pressure to keep so many constituencies happy is enormous, says Anne J. Duffield, a founder of the Presidential Practice, a consulting firm in Philadelphia that grooms presidents. As a result, boards often make the safe choice in choosing a president.

"They're not going to take any risks," Ms. Duffield says.

The question of whether a board worries about lawmaker or donor backlash over a gay president is specific to the institution and region, experts say. The consensus is that a private university in a major city is far more likely to hire an openly gay president than would a public university in the South or Midwest. Boards of religiously affiliated institutions or in more socially conservative small towns and states might not want to alienate local donors.

Gay Pride

But in urban areas like Philadelphia or Chicago, hiring a gay president may be less of a problem. In June a contingent of 40 students, faculty, staff, and alumni from Roosevelt, including Mr. Middleton, marched in the city's annual gay-pride parade.

The personality of an institution is a key factor in whether it might be willing to hire an openly gay college president, says Rita Bornstein, president emerita of Rollins College and an expert on academic presidencies. She says alumni, donors, and trustees typically share the prevailing values of the institution and its surrounding area.

Roosevelt University's Board of Trustees knew Mr. Middleton was gay when they recruited him, says Donald S. Hunt, a trustee who led the search committee.

"The board raised it," Mr. Middleton says, in large part to reassure him "that they didn't care."

However, he says higher education on the whole is typically conservative in governance and decision making. The records of universities "are more mixed than their rhetoric," he says. For example, he says, universities talk about supporting affirmative action but often do not practice it.

Ms. Bornstein says boards worry about anything that could harm fund raising. Women and racial and religious minority groups have also struggled to crack the top tier of higher-education administration. In 2006, 86 percent of college presidents were white and 77 percent were male, according to a study conducted by the American Council on Education. When Ms. Bornstein was named president of Rollins, in 1990, she says she faced doubts that a Jewish woman could do the job in the mostly Christian area around Winter Park, Fla.

"I had alumni call me and tell me I'd never be able to raise money," Ms. Bornstein says.

Mr. Hunt, who is a retired bank executive, says he had a conversation with Roosevelt's board chairman about Mr. Middleton's being openly gay. "Neither of us had any hesitation about it," he says.

Although he thought hiring Mr. Middleton "conceivably could be an issue with some trustees," he was not worried about the reaction of students, faculty, alumni, or donors. In the end, "it never became an issue," he says, even for other trustees.

Another Generation?

Self-selection contributes to the lack of openly gay college presidents, experts say. Many up-and-coming administrators who are gay may give up on becoming presidents to avoid unpleasant examinations of their lifestyles. Others might stay completely in the closet or steer clear of discussing their private lives.

Robert V. Witeck is an author and public-relations executive in Washington who advises businesses on gay issues. He says an increasing number of gay corporate executives are able to be open about their identities. But these trendsetters draw extra attention, particularly to their lifestyles.

"They have to be squeakier than everybody else," Mr. Witeck says.

One potential problem that looms for gay administrators who want to be presidents is the important social role played by many presidential spouses. A gay president's partner playing host to donors at the presidential mansion could test the open-mindedness of trustees, local officials, or the news media.

Ms. Duffield's firm coaches presidents to prepare to have their private lives thoroughly studied. "It's not just the presidents who are under scrutiny," says Ms. Duffield. "It's their partners and spouses."

Presidents sometimes receive substantial home upgrades as part of their compensation. Hiring deals often include jobs or salaries for a president's spouse. These perks become more sensitive with a gay president, as was the case for Denice D. Denton, chancellor of the University of California at Santa Cruz. Ms. Denton's partner was hired by the University of California system. That job and improvements in the president's residence, particularly a $30,000 dog run, were widely attacked. Ms. Denton committed suicide in June 2006.

Presidents often become the scapegoats during hard times on a campus, says Mr. Hexter. A gay president's private life can be an attractive target. "The knives are just that much sharper," he says.

Despite the challenges, Mr. Middleton and Mr. Hexter say they anticipate that they will be joined by more gay presidents in coming years.

Mr. Hexter says had he been told as an undergraduate at Harvard University in 1971 that there would be so few openly gay college presidents in 2007, he "would've thought you were crazy."

"It may take yet another generation," he says.

Leading By Example
GayCityNews
Posted: April 12, 2007

By: MANNY ROMERO

Dr. Charles R. "Chuck" Middleton is one of two openly gay university presidents in the United States. Since July 2002, he has served as the fifth president of Roosevelt University, with campuses on South Michigan Avenue, just west of Grant Park and Lake Michigan, in downtown Chicago and in northwest suburban Schaumburg.

"I'm actually six months older than the university," said Middleton, who earned a B.A. degree with honors in history from Florida State University and holds both an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Duke University. "I think I'm the only university president who can say that. Maybe I should keep that to myself."

Middleton's academic expertise is 18th and 19th century British history. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is the author of "The Administration of British Foreign Policy, 1782-1846."

Beginning his career as a university professor 36 years ago, Middleton has served as an administrator in recent years at an array of institutions. Prior to joining Roosevelt, he was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Bowling Green State University in Kentucky, and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Maryland.

"I really enjoy working in higher education," he said. "Today's colleges challenge individuals to look at the world and learn about its complexity and they help students evolve along with it."

Roosevelt University (http://www.roosevelt.edu) was founded in 1945 as an independent, non-sectarian, co-education institution of higher learning. Its founders 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 from the start irrelevant in determining who was admitted - a policy still not widespread at that time. Originally named Thomas Jefferson College, the new school was renamed Roosevelt College in recognition of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's democratic ideals and values.

As president of Roosevelt University, Middleton takes great pride in serving one of the most diverse private universities in the U.S.
"We welcome everyone who's here and who wants to be here," he says of Roosevelt, which currently has 7,400 students and more than 500 faculty members. "It's important to provide an atmosphere that will help maintain that passion in students who want to learn. We provide the best education for everyone who's there."

Building on Roosevelt's historic commitment to social justice and student success, Middleton is proudest of his successes in working closely with faculty, staff, and the board of trustees to develop and implement a comprehensive university plan that focuses on providing quality education to its students and a healthy work environment for its faculty and staff.

Middleton and Ralph Hexter of Hampshire College, a small liberal arts institution in Massachusetts, are the only university presidents who are openly gay.

"For whatever reason, fear of getting fired or fear of total acceptance, it's a shame more academic leaders can't take that step," Middleton said.
Middleton and his partner John Geary have been together for more than 25 years. Geary is a professor of Spanish and Portuguese and chair of the department of foreign languages at Northeastern Illinois University, also in Chicago.

"We met at the University of Colorado, Boulder, when we were both on the faculty there," he said. "Times were different then. Gay issues were not discussed as openly as they are now. That's not to say things are great in today's world. I think we as a community are just beginning to be heard."

Gay discrimination in professional fields vary; however, said Middleton, "It's not easy to compare levels of difficulty and struggle between groups with any certainty, especially when everyone wonders at some level whether they personally have the ability to succeed or even get a job in their field of expertise."

In higher education, Middleton said, there are still challenges presented to openly gay professionals who want to move up in the administrative ranks.

"Despite their liberalism on so many issues, and despite a more accepting atmosphere on campus than exists in many other places, the fact is that there still are many people who are uncomfortable with or even hate LGBT individuals," he said. "This too often leads to subtle unacceptance of a sort that is analogous to that faced by other groups, even in these generally progressive places called campuses. Some of it is based upon discomfort with us...but some is just outright hostility that makes its way into both subtle and covert comments and resistance to giving opportunity to members of our community."

To illustrate, Middleton presents the following example: "A candidate for a job, a gay man, is politely interviewed, and many like his work, on a non-gay topic, though they are a bit uncomfortable with his personal manner of presentation, which is expressive in ways not normally found in such interviews. In the hiring discussion, held in confidence, there is a discussion of his sexual orientation as a factor in his being a colleague in the unit and how students might respond to his lecturing style. There are many disclaimers on why that is not important. Then in a secret ballot the other candidate is hired instead."

"I have heard these conversations with regard to both gay men and lesbians, but I have never heard them with regard to people of color or straight women," Middleton said. "Or perhaps, I should state that when I was closeted I heard them a lot; now, at least in my presence, they don't happen. What always surprised me when fear kept me silent was how many people who are progressive in every way, or so I thought, could be so harsh to another human being for these reasons."

Middleton's contributions since coming out as a gay man and engaging in community work were acknowledged in November 2006, when he was inducted into Chicago's Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame.

As an out gay man, Middleton is active both in professional academic circles and in community organizations throughout Chicago. He serves as a Fellow of the Institute for International Education, a group founded in 1919 to increase ties between American universities and high education institutions worldwide, and a member of the American Council on Education. He is involved with the American Historical Association and the North American Conference on British Studies and is active in the National Association - as well as Illinois Federation - of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Middleton serves on three leading city planning organizations - the Chicago Loop Alliance, the Chicago Central Area Committee, and the Near South Planning Board - and is also a member of leading civic groups, including the city's Rotary One, the Economic Club, and the Executives' Club. He is on the board of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, New York.

Middleton is also active with the Chicago LGBT community's Center on Halstead, the Point Foundation, which provides scholarships to promising LGBT college students who lack family support, and at the Chicago Historical Society is on the Community Advisory Council for "Out at CHS."

"I think it's important to serve as a mentor to members of our community," he said, "especially when you are shaping the lives of future leaders. College campuses serve as training ground for the real world. Unfortunately, the real world can be even more challenging and less accepting of us. That's why it's important to get involved."

Chuck Middleton inducted into Gay Hall of Fame
Posted: October 20, 2006

Roosevelt University President Chuck Middleton, the nation’s first openly gay university president, will be inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame on November 14 at the 16th annual induction ceremony to be held in the Chicago Cultural Center.

Joining Middleton as an inductee into the Hall of Fame will be Mayor Richard M. Daley along with eight other individuals and three organizations. The ceremony, free and open to the public, will at 5:30 p.m. in the Sidney R. Yates Gallery at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph Street.

Middleton, an historian, educator and university leader, was selected “for the inspiration his professional achievements have provided and for his active support of sexual-minority interests in academia and society.”

In addition to his work at Roosevelt, Middleton is involved in a number of civic organizations, including secretary of the Board of the Center on Halsted and a member of the Chancellor’s Council of the Point Foundation which provides scholarships for LGBT students who have been abandoned by their families. He also is a life member of both the American Historical Association and its Committee on Lesbian and Gay History.

He holds a M.A. and Ph.D. in History from Duke University and an A.B. with honors from Florida State University.

The Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.

Roosevelt University is a private, independent university offering academic programs in business, performing arts, education and the liberal arts and sciences at comprehensive campuses in the Chicago Loop and northwest suburban Schaumburg.

Chuck Middleton was the commencement speaker at Prairie State College’s 47th annual commencement on Saturday, May 20, 2006 in Chicago Heights.
Posted: May 30, 2006

Roosevelt University and Prairie State College have a long-standing relationship as many Prairie State graduates transfer to Roosevelt’s Chicago Campus. Last July, President Middleton and Prairie State President Paul McCarthy signed a dual-admissions agreement between their two institutions, making it easy and seamless to earn associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.

President Middleton Receives Educator of the Year Award
Posted: 7/1/2005

Chuck Middleton, President of Roosevelt University, received the Educator of the Year award from the Illinois State Crime Commission at its ninth annual dinner on June 29.

President Middleton was recognized "for his leadership through the University in promoting justice for those in the community who need assistance."

For more than 16 years, Roosevelt University's Department of Human and Community Renewal, directed by Michael Elliott, has provided ex-offenders job readiness training and education classes at all levels so that ex-offenders can make a positive re-entry into society. Ex-offenders who go through Roosevelt's programs often are hired for living-wage jobs, thereby drastically reducing recidivism.

In accepting the award, President Middleton said he was "very proud of those at Roosevelt whose work is being celebrated by this honor."

The Illinois State Crime Commission is an organization devoted to fighting crime in Illinois.

President Middleton Appointment Announcement
Posted: April 3, 2002

To: The Roosevelt University Community
From: James J. Mitchell III, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
RE: New President

I am pleased to announce that Charles R. "Chuck" Middleton, a scholar of British history and currently vice chancellor for academic affairs in the University System of Maryland, has been appointed the fifth president of Roosevelt University, effective July 1.

Dr. Middleton, 57, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society in Britain, succeeds Theodore L. Gross who is retiring as president and who will assume the new position of chancellor to enable him for the next academic year to concentrate on teaching and raising funds for Roosevelt's Chicago School of Real Estate.

Chuck Middleton has a proven track record of academic accomplishments, administrative leadership, and the ability to confront new challenges facing higher education. We are certain he will lead Roosevelt University toward greater academic excellence and, at the same time, become an important civic leader in metropolitan Chicago.

Dr. Middleton has a passion for higher education that reflects Roosevelt University's mission of equal opportunity and social justice. "We are all transformed by education," he said. "It is about access, success and empowerment. I know both from my personal experience as an undergraduate student and from working with college students for over 30 years that earning a college degree fundamentally transforms people."

Dr. Gross, 71, has been president since 1988. During his 14-year tenure as president of Roosevelt University, Dr. Gross has expanded and improved the university's academic programs, facilities and financial position. He led the transformation of Roosevelt University from an urban university with a satellite suburban campus into a metropolitan university with comprehensive campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg.

Dr. Gross will be invaluable in providing a seamless transition to Dr. Middleton's leadership. We had a broad array of talented people apply for the presidency. The university is fortunate to bring in a new president who will be able to build on the enormous accomplishments of President Gross.

Dr. Middleton is a magna cum laude graduate with honors in history from Florida State University. He also earned a M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University.

Dr. Middleton has been in his current position since 1999. As vice chancellor for academic affairs, he is responsible for policy development in faculty affairs, information technology, research, graduate education, and student affairs. The University System of Maryland is the 12th largest university system in the nation. A proven consensus builder, Dr. Middleton is able to bring faculty, administrators, staff and other groups together on complex projects.

The newly named Roosevelt University president was provost and vice president of academic affairs at Bowling Green State University in Ohio from 1996 until 1999. Under his leadership, a downward trend in student enrollment was reversed and the technology infrastructure was modernized. As provost, he served as chief academic and chief operational officer of the university and as acting president in the president's absence.

Prior to joining Bowling Green, Dr. Middleton was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado in Boulder for eight years. He was responsible for 750 faculty members, 35 departments and a $100 million budget. During his tenure as dean, he led the college's efforts in a capital campaign, raising $42 million, and he created and funded recruitment programs for talented minority students.

Dr. Middleton believes that his experiences as dean at Colorado helped prepare him for the activities of a university president. "Deans engage in both internal and external affairs," he said. "They challenge the faculty, students, staff and administrators to attain excellence, and they are involved in fundraising and public outreach."

During his career, Dr. Middleton has been a history professor at Colorado and Bowling Green and is currently a professor of history at the University of Baltimore. He is the author of the 1977 book The Administration of British Foreign Policy, 1782-1846.

Dr. Middleton also has written over 60 papers, essays and reviews on British history, American higher education and the history of sport in the 20th Century. He is the co-author of a monograph titled One Hundred Years of Arts and Sciences: A Centennial Reaffirmation.

He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and holds life memberships in the North American Conference on British Studies, Southern Conference on British Studies, American Historical Association Committee on Gay and Lesbian History, and Phi Kappa Phi. He is currently chair of the National Forum of System Chief Academic Officers.