President's Perspective

The idea of the city has always had a central place in America. When John Winthrop was sailing to America in 1630 to found what would become the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he gave a sermon in which he famously declared, “We shall be as a city upon a hill,” a phrase that has echoed throughout American history. Of course, the city has long been a source of contestation in America as well, and the critics of American cities are legion. Still, I think Roosevelt University’s place in the heart of Chicago is one of its many strengths. It enriches all that we do and provides unique opportunities for our students and alumni.

The idea of the city has always had a central place in America. When John Winthrop was sailing to America in 1630 to found what would become the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he gave a sermon in which he famously declared, “We shall be as a city upon a hill,” a phrase that has echoed throughout American history. Of course, the city has long been a source of contestation in America as well, and the critics of American cities are legion. Still, I think Roosevelt University’s place in the heart of Chicago is one of its many strengths. It enriches all that we do and provides unique opportunities for our students and alumni.

For instance, many of Roosevelt’s courses take advantage of our location and use Chicago as a springboard for thinking about important issues. “Writing Urban Nature” in our Sustainability Studies program utilizes the city itself as the classroom, with visits around Chicago ranging from a hike through the lakefront parks to a canoe trip down Bubbly Creek. “Activism & Community Engagement” in the sociology department places students in community-based paid internships that take advantage of our connections to Chicago and also provide us with an opportunity to give back to the city.

I would also like to draw attention to one more course that is particularly related to this year’s conference—a new honors class built around the conference itself: “The American Dream… Reconsidered.” Taught by Professor Andrew Trees, the course is one of our experiential learning courses that give students a chance to explore professional opportunities beyond the confines of the classroom. Chances are you have already seen the handiwork of these students without realizing it. They helped create the social media campaign for publicizing the conference across our various platforms and also provided live Instagram coverage of each of the panels. As you page through this issue of the review, know that you will be reading their session recap’s for this years panels. And if you listen to the University’s “And Justice for All” podcast, you’ll hear these students who offered thoughtful critiques of the American dream in one of this semester’s episodes. They also met with Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was kind enough to share advice and life lessons she has gleaned from her many years of struggling on behalf of social justice. This course is an excellent example of the kinds of experiential and immersive learning opportunities that are so valuable to our students.

Being part of a great city like Chicago helps make all of this possible. I do not want to ignore that cities are also beset with worrisome problems. In fact, if anyone is looking for insightful criticisms on the shortcoming of Chicago and of cities in general, I would invite you to watch recordings of two of our panels from this year’s conference: “Race and the City” and “A New Deal for the City.” Both panels grapple with the ways our cities fall short of being the kind of “cities on a hill” that we would all like them to be. Still, I am grateful for the ways in which Chicago enriches all of us at Roosevelt.

And it is fitting that we have a tribute in this issue to former Roosevelt president Ted Gross, who recently passed away. Ted saw our urban setting as a key aspect of the Roosevelt experience, and we are the beneficiaries of his vision.

The conference inspired me as I hope it inspired you. 

I am incredibly proud of our students, and I am confident that their hard work and passion will play an important role in creating a more just and equitable future.