Northeastern Illinois University

"Northeastern Illinois" redirects here. For the region, see Chicago metropolitan area.

Northeastern Illinois University

Former names	Cook County Normal School (1867–1896) Chicago Normal School (1896–1938) Chicago Teacher's College (1938–1965) Northeastern Illinois State College (1966–1971) [1]
Motto	Excellence. Access. Diversity. Community.
Type	Public university
Established	September 2, 1867; 157 years ago (1867-09-02) [2]
Accreditation	HLC
Academic affiliations	CUMU
Endowment	$21 million (2023) [3]
Budget	$154 million (2025) [4]
President	Katrina E. Bell-Jordan [5]
Provost	R. Shayne Cofer (interim) [6]
Academic staff	450 (fall 2023) [7]
Administrative staff	506 (fall 2023) [7]
Students	5,734 (fall 2024) [8]
Undergraduates	4,226 (fall 2024) [8]
Postgraduates	1,508 (fall 2024) [8]
Location	Chicago , Illinois , United States 41°58′48″N87°43′05″W / 41.980°N 87.718°W / 41.980; -87.718
Campus	Urban, 67 acres (27.1 ha) [9]
Newspaper	The Independent [10]
Colors	Blue and gold [11]
Nickname	Golden Eagles
Mascot	Goldie the Golden Eagle [12]
Website	www.neiu.edu

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. NEIU serves approximately 9,000 students in the region and is both a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park with two additional campuses in the metropolitan area. NEIU has one of the longest-running free-form community radio stations, WZRD Chicago 88.3 FM.

History

El Centro Campus

The university traces its history to Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University), which as Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867 to train elementary and high school teachers. In 1949, Chicago Teachers College (CTC) established the Chicago Teachers College (North Side) branch. The school relocated to the present site at North Park, Chicago in 1961 and changed its name in 1965 to Illinois Teachers' College: Chicago North when control of CTC passed into the hands of the State of Illinois.

In 1967, the Illinois Legislature acted to remove the title of “teachers college” from all state colleges and universities and the college became Northeastern Illinois State College.

In 1971, the school became Northeastern Illinois University after it was granted university status and was given a mandate by the Illinois Legislature "to offer such courses of instruction as shall best serve to qualify teachers for the schools of the State; and to offer such other courses of instruction, conduct such research and offer such public services as are prescribed by the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities or its successor."

In January 1996, Northeastern Illinois University established its own board of trustees.

In 2014, NEIU was censured by the American Association of University Professors for violating a professor's academic freedom in a tenure denial case. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

In September 2016, Northeastern first began to offer on-campus housing for its students. It was constructed on land that was formerly a University parking lot.

Initial plans to expand and construct new dormitories on land seized through eminent domain from the neighborhood were delayed because of strenuous objections from the neighborhood, social activists, some of the faculty, students, and alumni. Beginning the pursuit of the neighborhood land in 2014, the properties were acquired by the University through eminent domain in 2016. Construction is still several years away due to decline in student enrollment. In the meantime, long time residences and businesses have been displaced, and the affected buildings sit empty. ^[16]

Academics

Bernard J. Brommel Hall

Undergraduate and master's degrees are offered in four colleges:

• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Business and Technology ^[17]
• Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education
• College of Graduate Studies and Research ^[18]

Campus

NEIU comprises the following instructional buildings:

• Lech Walesa Hall: It has the College of Education, Graduate College, and the International Programs of the university.
• Bernard J Brommel Hall: It has the College of Arts and Science departments.
• Salme Harju Steinberg Fine Arts Center: It has the Communication, Media & Theatre, and Music & Dance departments.
• The Nest: It is NEIU's residence hall. Inside the residence hall students have access to a fitness center and a study area.
• Ronald Williams Library: It is NEIU's Library. The library consists of five floors with multiple computer labs, audio labs, and a cafe.
• El Centro: This campus is located in Chicago’s neighborhood of Avondale. The facility offers courses for four programs. It accommodates a student lounge, study spaces, meeting rooms, gathering spaces, computer labs, and a library resource center.
• Jacob H. Carruthers Center of Inner City Studies (CCICS): This campus is located in Chicago’s neighborhood of Bronzeville. The center is the only facility that offers the Inner City Studies and Urban Community Studies programs. Additionally it offers courses for five other programs.
• Alumni Center: It is a meeting place and resource center for all NEIU alums. The center has pictures and memorabilia from famous alums.
• Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh Servant Leaders Hall: It is located in the College of Business and Technology. The hall is the first and only hall in the world named after Mohammad Mossadegh, premier of Iran from 1951 to 1953. This hall was named and established on October 5, 2013. ^[19]

Athletics

NEIU baseball jersey

Northeastern Illinois competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for 20 years until joining the higher profile National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1988. After a transitional season at the Division II level, NEIU moved its athletic program to Division I.

The Golden Eagles played as independents until finding a place in the short-lived East Coast Conference for the 1993–94 season. Northeastern Illinois were then invited to join the Mid-Continent Conference, now known as the Summit League, where it would play for the next four years. The University eliminated all intercollegiate sports in 1998.

The Northeastern Illinois Golden Eagles men's basketball team played from 1988 to 1998 and held home games in the Physical Education Complex.

Chief among the highlights of this era was the baseball team's 1996 Mid-Continent Conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid, where they beat Northern Illinois in a play-in series to reach the tournament. Men's basketball player Andrell Hoard won the ESPN National Slam Dunk Competition, but lost the conference championship to Valparaiso University by one point in a nationally televised game where ingloriously the Golden Eagle's Mascot committed a technical foul by body slamming the other mascot at center count like a linebacker on national TV, making ESPN's daily highlights. The women's basketball coach Denise Taylor was chosen to lead the Utah Starzz of the WNBA in 1997, and women's basketball player Delores Jones was a participant in the 1998 WNBA draft.

The school's football team was a charter member of the Division III Illini-Badger Football Conference, where it won five conference titles before dropping the sport in 1988.

In 1977, a men's club soccer team was formed by students from local soccer organizations around Chicago to compete against college varsities from surrounding region. This club, guided by player/coach Frank Hermantz, won all of its games. Varsity status was not granted, however, and the team parted ways.

In 2005, a group of students created a new NEIU baseball club. The Eagles were made up of 24 current students who competed against other collegiate baseball clubs in the Midwest including programs at Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The university also offers women's volleyball, women's soccer, men's soccer, aikido, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ice hockey, and women's softball. All intramural sports clubs are created and organized by students with the support of the campus recreation department and registered through IMLeagues.

NEIU offers a course called Judo and Self Defense. In 2019, the Golden Eagles Tomodachi Judo Club was formed by students and a faculty member.

Notable faculty

• Sarah Hoagland
• Libby Komaiko
• John R. Powers
• Leo Segedin
• Conrad Worrill

Notable alumni

• Muhammed al-Ahari, Islamic essayist and scholar^{[ citation needed ]}
• Lorrainne Sade Baskerville, social worker and activist ^[20]
• Michael Angelo Batio, guitarist ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Maria Antonia Berrios, former member of the Illinois House of Representatives ^[21]
• Bob Biggins, former member of the Illinois House of Representatives ^[22]
• Candy Dawson Boyd, writer and activist ^[23]
• Walter Burnett, Jr., Chicago alderman ^[24]
• Ana Castillo, writer
• Danny Crawford, professional basketball referee ^[25]
• John C. D'Amico, member of the Illinois House of Representatives ^[26]
• Georgiann Davis, sociology professor at the University of Mexico who specialized in intersex topics and the sociology of diagnosis
• Miguel del Valle, former Chicago City Clerk and former Illinois State Senator
• Don Digirolamo, Academy Award-winning re-recording mixer
• Sara Feigenholtz, member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Jesse Fuentes, Alderperson for Chicago City Council's 26th ward
• Calvin L. Giles, former member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Luis V. Gutiérrez, first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest
• Alan Hargesheimer, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Robert Jordan, veteran journalist and retired news anchor for WGN-TV in Chicago
• Richard J. Koubek, 11th President of Michigan Technological University
• Margaret Laurino, former Chicago alderman
• Iris Y. Martinez, Illinois State Senator
• Tim McIlrath, singer of Rise Against
• John Pankow, actor
• Art Porter, Jr., saxophonist ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Delia Ramirez, member of the US House of Representatives for Illinois's 3rd congressional district
• Warner Saunders, newscaster, WMAQ-TV in Chicago
• Christopher J. Schneider, award-winning professor at Wilfrid Laurier University ^[27]
• Ed H. Smith, former Chicago alderman ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Juliana Taimoorazy, Assyrian activist, founder and current president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council ^[28]
• Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Princeton University professor of African-American Studies, activist, and 2021 MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient
• Karen Yarbrough, Cook County Recorder of Deeds, former member of the Illinois House of Representatives ^[29]

References

1. "Northeastern History | NEIU". www.neiu.edu.
2. "Timeline | NEIU". www.neiu.edu.
3. "Northeastern Illinois University Foundation Financial Statements - June 30, 2023" (PDF).
4. "Northeastern Illinois University 2024-25 Internal Budget" (PDF).
5. "Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees Selects Katrina E. Bell-Jordan, Ph.D., as Eighth University President | NEIU". www.neiu.edu.
6. "R. Shayne Cofer named Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs | Northeastern Illinois University". www.neiu.edu.
7. "Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System – Northeastern Illinois University" . Retrieved January 17, 2025.
8. "Fall 2024 Data Digest Enrollment: 1-Year" (PDF). Retrieved November 23, 2024.
9. "About Us – Northeastern Illinois University". www.neiu.edu.
10. "The Independent (1988-present) | NEIU Student Newspapers | Northeastern Illinois University". neiudc.neiu.edu.
11. "University Color Palette | NEIU". www.neiu.edu.
12. "Goldie Landing Page | NEIU". www.neiu.edu.
13. Flaherty, Colleen. "Sending a Message". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
14. Button, Keith. "AAUP censures Northeastern Illinois U over tenure denial case". Higher Ed Dive.
15. Cortezsays, Leticia (2014-06-14). "AAUP Censures Northeastern Illinois University". ACADEME BLOG. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
16. "NEIU Prevails After 2-Year Fight to Seize Private Land for Student Housing". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on 2018-03-18. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
17. "College of Business and Technology | Northeastern Illinois University". www.neiu.edu.
18. "Our Colleges and Departments | Northeastern Illinois University".
19. Viebke, Moa (2013-08-27). "Northeastern to Name Hall After Late Iranian Prime Minister". Roshan. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
20. "Lorrainne Sade Baskerville". Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
21. "Maria Antonia Berrios". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
22. "Bob Biggins". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
23. Yolanda Williams Page (January 2007). Encyclopedia of African American women writers. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 43–45. ISBN   978-0-313-33429-0 . Retrieved 2 June 2013.
24. "Walter Burnett, Jr". City of Chicago. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
25. "Dan Crawford". Basketball Reference.com. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
26. "John C. D'Amico". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
27. "Christopher Schneider". Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
28. Snell, Joe (March 21, 2018). "Juliana Taimoorazy builds bridge between Assyrians, non-Assyrians". The Assyrian Journal. Retrieved August 26, 2020. In 1990, she immigrated to the U.S. with refugee status and earned her Masters degree from Northeastern Illinois University.
29. "Karen Yarbrough". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 4 October 2013.

External links

• Official website