The Future

Responsibility and Excellence

In reviewing the many documents pertaining to the history of Cook County Normal School - Chicago Teachers College - Chicago State University, we have traced many diverse themes. There appears, however, one common thread represented in the school's motto, though the origin remains obscure: responsibility. It appears in the logo currently in use at Chicago State University, and it was a prominent part of the seal of Chicago Teachers College. It was also utilized in documents as far back as the turn of the century in characterizing the educational stance of the Normal School. It is a consistent theme by which to review the past and it is appropriate to stand as the foundation for the institution's future. To it, in recent years, can be added the dimension of excellence, for that is the other side of the coin for any institution of higher education in tomorrow's world.

Of course, excellence is an elusive concept for no matter how highly a given program may be rated, there will always be room for improvement. Evaluation of program quality, however, is possible through the establishment of goals and assessment of progress against baseline data. Accordingly, specific priorities have been defined for the years ahead and objectives have been established in both academic and student support areas. These are reflected in the new and expanded program requests submitted each year to the Board of Governors. Among these goals, tile following have high priority at Chicago State:

Business and Administration: To expand the evening and weekend course offerings and to secure accreditation for the College from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business;
Nursing: To upgrade faculty qualifications and modify the curriculum with a near term objective of accreditation by the National League of Nursing;
Allied Health: To provide the necessary resources to establish professional and clinical foundations in Medical Records Administration, Dietetics, and Radiation Therapy Technology;
Corrections: To expand undergraduate course offerings in the evening and increase the number of Ph.D. holders CM the faculty;
Academic Skills Development: To provide more extensive support for the remediation program to enhance student competencies in reading, writing and mathematics;
Student Support Services: To provide a more comprehensive approach in career and personal counseling to complement classroom activities;
Research and Development: To increase the availability of funds for research at Chicago State and to focus University resources to gain maximum benefit for priority programs for which State appropriated funds are not available;
Planning, Management and Evaluation: To develop the University's capacity for long-range planning, budgeting, management and information systems on a comprehensive basis;

This institution has traditionally emphasized teacher education and will continue to provide substantial academic opportunities in this area at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. To this base, a wide range of programs in the natural and social sciences, in the arts and humanities, and in cultural studies has been added. The other professional programs, those in business, nursing and allied health, are now important and growing segments of the University. Additional community and urban needs are addressed through classes in adult and continuing education, non-traditional study, and numerous special programs. In the years ahead, Chicago State University will continue to develop quality academic programs for a diverse urban clientele. In doing so, the University will continue to work closely with Chicago's community colleges, business and industrial groups, other four-year institutions, professional schools, hospitals, governmental agencies, and community groups to develop appropriate programs that speak directly to urban needs.

In all of its program areas, the University attempts to meet its students where they arc, providing opportunity for students who are ready to move rapidly into demanding academic work and for others who have found it difficult to acquire the basic tools for learning. Each year the University's student clientele, attracted by the variety and strength of its program offerings, has continued to increase and

diversify. The University's students are multiracial, reflecting the demographic mix in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. All of the University's students are commuters, with a significant number older than the traditional college student. In addition, many have family responsibilities and find it necessary to work, either part or full time. Further, a large number come to the University needing additional training in basic academic skills and requiring extensive remedial work to enable them to succeed in college level courses.

These characteristics have broad implications for both the content and the delivery of the University's programs. Because many students are working adults, a large demand exists for evening courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, particularly in the business areas and in the Corrections program. A second consequence of the atypical student profile is the need many students evidence for alternative educational delivery systems. Those who have a large store of personal and professional life experience to draw upon are not always best served by the traditional classroom lecture. Therefore, the Board of Governors Degree, the University Without Walls program, and the Individualized Curriculum program are maintaining high enrollment levels and serving well as educational alternatives for many students. The third consequence, the educational underpreparation of many urban high school graduates, requires the University to maintain an extensive program of remediation for those who need to develop basic learning skills. We do not foresee significant modification in these three exceptional educational demands in the years ahead. In meeting these imperatives the University both fulfills its responsibility and builds a foundation for continued excellence.

Ultimately, the excellence of any academic institution is measured by the quality of the instruction delivered by its faculty, the research which it sponsors, and the level of service provided to its community. At Chicago State a good deal of attention has focused on the improvement of classroom instruction in recent years, and this will likely be a continuing concern in the future. All the departments in the University have, in recent years, upgraded their hiring standards for new faculty, and the tenure review procedure has been strengthened considerably through the efforts of the Faculty Senate. A Masters degree is a basic requirement in almost all departments for newly hired teachers and a number, particularly in the sciences, require an earned doctorate. The department chairpersons and deans deserve considerable credit for achievements in this area, for Chicago State finds it exceedingly difficult to attract and hold high quality faculty, for two basic reasons. First, the salaries within the BOG system are not competitive in many of the professional areas where the University is seeking to build new programs.

Secondly, faculty who have earned doctorates have research interests which require space, equipment, and financial support which is simply not available at a teaching-mission institution. In spite of these handicaps, significant progress has been made in recent years.

Additionally, during the administration of President Alexander the racial composition of both the teaching and administrative staff has come into a more proper balance since 1974. And, in spite of the competition for qualified minority professionals by other institutions, Chicago State has achieved its affirmative action goals without a sacrifice in the quality of the staff. Today there are six minority academic department chairpersons, three blacks and three Latinos. Also, of the total 26 chairpersons, seven are females. Another change is in the number of minorities who are full professors. In 1974, only three full professors were minorities, whereas today ten have achieved that rank, including eight blacks, one Latino and one Oriental. The administration, too, has now a broad representation of males and females, racial diversity, and impressive academic qualifications, though there is still considerable concern about the management skills of many who have moved from the academic ranks. Improvement in the administrative and management areas will become an increasing concern in the immediate future, as decision-making procedures are manualized and streamlined.

As we enter the decade of the 1980s, few institutions in the country arc projecting enrollment growth which will trigger program expansion. Most, in fact, are in holding patterns and many have begun to cut back in programs and services, as the college age population

diminishes within the next five years. To date, Chicago State University is one of the few institutions nationally to experience a continued growth each year in enrollment, however slight the increase may be. That can be attributed to the provision of relevant new academic options for students entering the emerging new careers of an urban society. It is through the continued careful planning of these new programs that the institution will continue to grow in the years ahead. A brief description of the programs offered in each of the major academic units will place these priorities in the context of the mission, goals and scope of the University.

The units of instruction now organized as the College of Education has its roots in that very first class taught in the leaky boxcar on a Blue Island railroad siding in 1867. Today, with the achievement of the ten-year accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the College of Education is, in many ways, stronger than ever before. In addition to offering degree programs through its nine departments, the College provides continued leadership

in the educational community by direct service to local school districts and systems all over northern Illinois. The shift in emphasis nationally from the preparation of undergraduates for careers in teaching to the provision of teaching specialties and graduate education is clearly evident in this College. Among programs which have, in recent years, undergone considerable enhancement are those in Reading, Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Bilingual-Bicultural Education, Occupational Education, Home Economics, and Educational Administration and Supervision. Programs for which continued development is anticipated include the masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction and the masters program in Physical Education. It is clear that the future of the College of Education does not lie in quantitative growth but rather in the qualitative dimension of the program it offers to pre-service and in-service teachers.

Since its inception as a distinct unit within the new University in 1972, the College of Arts and Sciences has seen its enrollment climb steadily, increasing to 1,368 majors during the 1977-78 year. The College contains thirteen departments whose students graduate with degrees at both the bachelors and masters level. In addition to offering its own degree programs through the various departments, the College supplies the general education component for the other professional units of the University and encourages research among faculty and students, particularly as such research applies to the institution's urban mission. An example of this is the externally-funded biomedical undergraduate research program that has stimulated research in biology and the physical sciences in the last four years. The inter-departmental program in pre-medical education has seen approximately one hundred of its students register in professional medical schools during the last five years. Many of the departments in the College of Arts and Sciences continue to prepare their students for further study in specific knowledge areas, whereas others such as the program in Corrections, lead to specific career opportunities for students. A number of career oriented programs have been developed in the College in recent years, and these programs frequently combine internships or other on-the-job training opportunities with the required course work which emphasizes theory and the study of general principles. The integration of such internships into traditional academic programs is a high priority for those in the College charged with planning and curriculum development.

Having completed its fifth year as a distinct unit within the expanding multipurpose University, the College of Business and Administration is, in terms of its student majors, the fastest growing academic unit at Chicago State. The College provides courses which strike a balance between theory and practice in order to prepare stu

Groundbreaking for construction of the last classroom ("B") building in the Phase I Master Nan was begun in May 1977. (I to r) Allan DeGiulio, former Vice President for Academic Affairs; Arthur J. Elbert, former Vice President for Administrative Affairs; and Elmer I.. Washington, Vice President for Research and Development.

Groundbreaking for construction of the last classroom ("B") building in the Phase I Master Plan was begun in May 1977. (L to R) Allan DeGiulio, former Vice President for Academic Affairs; Arthur J. Elbert, former Vice President for Administrative Affairs; and Elmer Washington, Vice President for Research and Development.

dents for entry level managerial positions or advanced study. In addition to allowing students to concentrate in one of five areas (Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Management and Marketing), the College offers courses as a service to other units in the University and to special students in such areas as business law. The Business Laboratory Program within the College encompasses a variety of career-related work experiences, cooperative education placements, and semester-long business internships for enrolled students. In 1979, for the second succeeding year, a summer seminar was conducted in Europe for students seeking course credits in International Finance. The College has recently embarked upon a program of self-study and improvement which will result in accreditation by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. A major factor in this effort is the constant upgrading of faculty credentials and the fine tuning of the curriculum offerings with specific human resource needs of the city's business and industrial sector.

The College of Nursing was sufficiently well developed after two years to warrant a dean in 1974 and administrative status as a College when the University was reorganized by President Alexander. The curriculum now covers four years and includes a general education core as well as a professional nursing major. The College prepares undergraduate majors to function as professional nurses upon successful completion of the program. It also enables registered nurses who are

diploma graduates of three-year hospital schools or of two-year associate degree colleges to obtain a baccalaureate degree with one or two years of additional study. The College's program is comprised of liberal arts, sciences, and professional education, and each component of the program helps to produce nurse-practitioners prepared for beginning leadership positions, expanded roles in health care delivery, and advanced study in nursing. Enrollments in this College have exceeded projections, and the emphasis for the future will revolve around development of faculty credentials and capacities, expansion of program resources to embrace curricular offerings, with an immediate objective to gain accreditation from the National League of Nursing. It is hoped that by 1982, the College will be approved to offer a B.S. degree in Physician's Assistantship as an additional option for its students, though this has not received priority approval from the State.

Chicago State University's newest academic unit is its College of Allied Health. The Board of Governors approved the development

of allied health programs in 1976-77 and a dean was secured by January 1978. It is planned that the College will offer a variety of programs in the allied health sciences, with professional enrollments limited to the junior and senior levels. Two existing programs were transferred into the College in September 1978: The B. S. in Dietetics and the B. S. in Medical Records Administration, with program directors hired in each area. Like many other instructional units in the University, this College will rely, to a considerable extent, on clinical or internship experiences to complement classroom instruction. Several hospitals and health care institutions have begun discussions with the College toward becoming clinical training sites for students in the University's allied health programs. A community allied health advisory committee is being formed to help the dean determine future manpower needs in the region's health professions. Within the next five years it is expected that the College will develop additional baccalaureate degree programs in Medical Ultra Sound, Occupational Therapy, Radiation Technology, and Creative Therapy, and possibly a masters program in Medical Records Administration. With the future of allied health professions on the upswing, it is clear that the opportunity exists for the College to develop its programs both to expand the career opportunities for students as well as meet society's urgent needs.

Chicago State University is approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education to offer a wide variety of graduate level courses. For the most part, such courses are offered during the late afternoon and evening hours and on Saturdays to afford maximum accessibility to those living and working in the south metropolitan area. Administrative responsibility for the graduate programs rests with a dean who also

serves as chairperson of the Graduate Council. This body is composed of one delegate elected by and from the graduate faculty of each department which offers a program at the masters level, plus two delegates chosen by and from the Graduate Student Council. In 1977-78 a systematic review of all graduate programs on a five year rotating cycle was begun, as prescribed by Board of Governors policies. The Graduate Division thus plans, together with the departments, new programs of graduate study, revises existing programs, monitors and evaluates graduate program offerings in all aspects, establishes standards of admission to graduate programs, prepares completion documents, and certifies 'students' eligibility for the masters degree. Four new programs in the College of Education initiated in 1977-78 brought to sixteen the number of graduate level degree offerings at Chicago State University.

While it is the faculty of any institution which brings it to a level of academic distinction, excellence cannot be achieved without the delivery of high quality academic support and student development services. This is especially true of an institution such as Chicago State. The academic support services are among the major functions of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and include the library and learning resources, records and registration and the remediation program. In fulfilling its mission, the Library and Learning Resources unit seeks to provide the University, and to a lesser extent, the community at large, with adequate collections of all relevant learning resource materials, systematically maintained to support all academic units. At Chicago State, the Douglas Library follows the policy of the state regarding the common use of automated systems of circulation and will, in the near future, expand its participation in the Illinois State Libraries Cooperative, the Ohio Collegiate Libraries Center Automated Cataloging Project, and the Plato IV Computer Assisted Instruction Project. Relative to remediation, at several points in this chapter we have noted how crucial this is at the University for those students who need to correct academic deficiencies. The curricular and counseling approaches adopted have proven to be successful and will increase in importance to the University.

The recent years have seen a revitalization of purpose for the Division of Student Affairs at Chicago State University. The basic philosophy of the division is founded on a concern for the total development of the individual student in both academic and extracurricular terms. It is the intention that through a structured and comprehensive program development effort, the students at the University will be better enabled to cope with the demands and pressures of the college experience. The programs within the Division strive to prepare students for the world of work as well as the role of responsible cit

The many informal learning situations, such as concerts and lecture series, complement the formal classroom experiences and assist students to clarify professional and personal goals and objectives. In recognition of the non-traditional student profile of a large percentage of the University student body, the Division of Student Affairs is rethinking its programming priorities and reformulating its service delivery system to more accurately reflect the needs of the current students. There will be an overt effort in the next year to allign student affairs' goals more closely with those of academic affairs to ensure greater compatibility between the two divisions, thus making better use of available resources and enhancing support services for all students.

In these times when resources to meet expanding demands on higher education are becoming scarce, it is imperative that any academic institution function at maximum effectiveness and efficiency. To increase the availability of funds and to plan resource utilization to gain maximum benefit for the University's priority programs, President Alexander organized the Division of Research and Development in the Fall of 1976. The Office of the Vice President for Research and Development has the chief responsibility for coordinating all faculty research and staff training activities which require external support. The Vice President also supervises the public relations activities of the University and acts as the supportive information arm of the University in general. The Office of Research Services coordinates all federal and state agency funding relations and is responsible for the growth of external grants and contracts to a level exceeding $5 million annually by 1979. The CSU Foundation, an independently chartered, tax-exempt charitable agency incorporated in Illinois, devotes its efforts toward projects which gain support in the private sector.

The Administrative Affairs Division is responsible for management activities in the areas of fiscal operations and physical plant, personnel services, budgets, security and transportation, institutional research and data processing. These wide-ranging responsibilities are administratively coordinated through the Office of the Vice President for Administrative Affairs, A number of cost-saving innovations have been implemented in recent years, including the installation early in 1977 of a new JC-80 computerized energy management system for all campus facilities. The Accounting unit in the Office of Business Operations houses a Burroughs L8000 mini-computer, with information services provided through the Cooperative Computer Center in Elmhurst, Illinois.

These are the ways, then, through which Chicago State University is carrying out the broad purposes of its mandate. Those whom we serve expect us to be the best possible university, academically,

administratively, and as an institution providing a variety of educational services to the people of Chicago and Illinois. Our publics expect us to become better stewards of the tax dollars which arc entrusted to us. They expect innovative and practical solutions to the academic problems of students who come to us to study. Since we have students for only a few hours each day, we must build a highly interactive learning environment which defines a responsible role for all those who choose to participate. Thus, the by-word for all we do at Chicago State University, as it has been for those who went before us at Cook County Normal School and Chicago, Teachers College, remains responsibility. It is this responsibility that binds us in the present with those who went before.

Governor James R. Thompson signing higher education appropriation package prior to commencement, July 1978. These bills included no tuition increases for students in public institutions of higher education. Gov. Thompson Signing Bill

Toward the end of the academic year 1978, on May 21, an event took place on the Chicago State University campus that signaled the successful accomplishment of the long period of transition from the teacher training school in Blue Island to the multipurpose university at 95th Street and King Drive. On that bright, sunny, spring afternoon, the cornerstones from the Cook County Normal School and Chicago Teachers College were unveiled in a permanent setting in the flagpole courtyard at the new campus. The cornerstones, one from the original Normal School structure erected in i 869, and the other from the Dome building which had been added in 1901, had been salvaged when the campus at 6800 South Stewart was demolished five years before. The project to have the stones renovated and placed at the University was initiated by the Chicago State University Alumni Association, and the monument stands today for all to see as testimony to what the new age owes to those who have gone before. They also remind all who will stop to reflect that the past and the present are but a prologue to the future, with even greater achievements to come in the days ahead.

Cornerstones from the original Normal School structure erected in 1869, and from the Dome building which was added in 1901, sit in the flagpole courtyard at the new campus. In the background is the Raymond Mack Cook Administration Building.

To those of us immediately involved in the day-to-day life of the University, the problems sometimes appear to be endless, but such is the case within an institution on the move. As the President often reminds us, excellence is within our grasp, if we will but choose to make it happen. The problems notwithstanding, Chicago State University's future appears bright. Functioning under its mandate from the Board of Higher Education to serve the needs of an urban society, it has indentified priority programs and established programmatic objectives. There is much in our past of which we can be proud, as far back as the tentative beginning of the pioneers in 1867, but we dare not get lost in nostalgia. The immediate task is to locate ourselves within the spectrum of the present, learning from the past but looking to the future. Chicago State has served its community under the authority of the County, the City and now the State of Illinois, often in the midst of crisis and never too sure of its future. But the needs of the future are real and tile demands of the present are upon us. It is our responsibility to offer our best to meet both, for the measure of excellence is ours to decide by our own action and commitments.

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