Central YMCA College

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Central YMCA College was a college operated by the YMCA in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was founded prior to or in 1922. [1] and was accredited in 1924. [2] It was closed in 1945 after the university president and a large majority of the faculty and students left to form what became Roosevelt University.

YMCA worldwide organization

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries from 120 national associations. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by Sir George Williams in London and aims to put Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy "body, mind, and spirit".

United States federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Contents

Central YMCA Community College opened in the fall of 1961 and operated until June 1982. It was sometimes called Central YMCA College for short, but had no formal connection to the earlier institution.

Closing of the school

In 1945, Edward J. Sparling, then president of the College, refused to provide the Central YMCA College board with the demographic data of his student body. He feared it would provide the basis for a quota system to limit the numerous blacks, Jews, immigrants, and women enrolled at the school. When Sparling was fired, most of the faculty and students left with him; they voted to start a new college with a vote of 62 to 1 for faculty and 488 to 2 with the student body. [3] [4] [5]

Black people is a term used in certain countries, often in socially based systems of racial classification or of ethnicity, to describe persons who are perceived to be dark-skinned compared to other populations. As such, the meaning of the expression varies widely both between and within societies, and depends significantly on context. For many other individuals, communities and countries, "black" is also perceived as a derogatory, outdated, reductive or otherwise unrepresentative label, and as a result is neither used nor defined.

Jews ancient nation and ethnoreligious group from the Levant

Jews or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and a nation, originating from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah. Jewish ethnicity, nationhood, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish people, while its observance varies from strict observance to complete nonobservance.

This College was originally called Thomas Jefferson College. After the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the college was renamed in his honor. It later achieved university status. [6] In August 1945, Central YMCA college closed down. [2] [7]

Presidents

1944 racial and religious counts

In November 1944, of the approximately 2500 students at Central YMCA College, ethnic and religious minorities included the following: [8]

Japanese people ethnic group native to Japan

Japanese people are a nation and an ethnic group that is native to Japan and makes up 98.5% of the total population of the country. Worldwide, approximately 129 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 125 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live outside Japan are referred to as nikkeijin(日系人), the Japanese diaspora. The term ethnic Japanese is often used to refer to Japanese people, as well as to more specific ethnic groups in some contexts, such as Yamato people and Ryukyuan people. Japanese are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world.

Student activities

The College did not offer student athletics due to racial discrimination, as there were restrictions on Negro usage of YMCA athletic facilities. [8]

The school newspaper was the Central YMCA College Central News.

Central YMCA Community College

Central YMCA Community College, which is sometimes called Central YMCA College, was founded in Fall of 1961. [9] It closed in June 1982. [10]

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References

  1. DR. A. F. GILMAN, CHEMIST FORTY YEARS, RETIRES;Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1963); Jun 28, 1942; pg. W3
  2. 1 2 North Central Association quarterly, Volumes 63-64, p1544
  3. Roosevelt University - Our History
  4. Roosevelt University History
  5. Tempo; Barbara Sullivan; Chicago Tribune Apr 4, 1985; pg. D1
  6. Ben Segal, "Color and the Chicago YMCA", The Crisis, Jul 1945, pg 197
  7. American Council on Education, College Study in Intergroup Relations, Volume 1, Council on Cooperation in Teacher Education, p 156
  8. 1 2 3 Oral history - Interviews with Edward J. Sparling [ permanent dead link ]
  9. "Central Y Buys New Building, Expands Program Chicago"; Daily Defender (Daily Edition) (1960-1973); Jan 28, 1965; pg. 8
  10. Jack Houston, "MacCormac assuming Y's English classes", Chicago Tribune; May 27, 1982; pg. N2