City: Chicago, IL

Category: Education

Telephone: (312) 341-3500

Address: 430 S. Michigan Ave.

Description: Cheered for being one of the more flexible Chicago universities in terms of schedules, Roosevelt has a large group of part-time students who work full time—some students don’t even start at Roosevelt until they’ve worked a bit first, judging by the average undergrad age of 24. There are about 4,400 students divided between full-time and part-time, undergrad and graduate programs at the Chicago campus; another 2,000-plus attend classes at the Schaumburg campus (847-619-7300), which was added in 1996. In fact, when it comes to area colleges, Roosevelt is relatively young, founded by Edward J. Sparling in 1945. Sparling left his position as president of the YMCA College in Chicago in protest of the school board’s demand that he supply a demographic breakdown of the student body. Fearing the board would use the information to limit the number of blacks, Jews, immigrants, and women admitted to the school, Sparling decided he’d start his own independent institution that was open to all. Sixty-two of the 63 YMCA College faculty followed him. They named their school in honor of human rights champion Franklin Roosevelt, who died in office soon after the school was chartered; Eleanor Roosevelt remained supportive throughout her life. The school continues to attract a diverse population to its six colleges and 126 degree programs. The Music Conservatory and Theatre Conservatory are highly regarded, with their performances attended nearly as much by the general public as by the college community. Athletics on campus have recently made a return after a long drought. There are currently six men’s and six women’s teams of Roosevelt Lakers, who participate in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, with aspirations to join NCAA Division III competitions. Watch for a new addition to its historic Auditorium Building—a center for academics, student life, and housing that will top out at an impressive 32 stories, making it the second-tallest university facility in the country.