Welcome back and happy 2018. I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with friends and family, and that you have returned for the spring semester feeling rested.
I want to first update you on our spring enrollment numbers that surpassed our goal. To date, we have 382 new students, a 19.4% increase over last spring. The largest growth area was new transfer students, where we improved enrollment by 37.6%. This is a proof point of our dedicated efforts to improve relationships and articulation agreements with community colleges, such as our recently signed agreement with Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. At Harper, we now have degree pathways for students to graduate with a Roosevelt degree through courses offered on Harper’s campus.
Our Building a Stronger Roosevelt strategy continues to move forward and most recently, on the real estate front, the final stages of the Gage move have been completed. In addition, the real estate task force is in the process of negotiating an offer from a potential buyer. I will continue to keep you updated on the sale of Gage and am hopeful that we may close on this property later this calendar year.
I continue to be impressed by the achievements of our faculty and staff. Earlier this month, Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, CEO of the Auditorium Theatre, was selected as Dance Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune; Andrew Anderson, artist faculty in double bass, was selected as the Illinois American String Teachers Association (ILASTA) Studio Teacher of the Year for 2017-18; and Collete English Dixon, executive director of Roosevelt’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, will receive the Commercial Real Estate Executive Women (CREW) 2018 Industry Achievement Award in February.
Last week, I was honored to take part in Rainbow PUSH’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Celebration. The Rev. Jesse Jackson took time to meet with me and Provost Lois Becker after the event, and we discussed the many ways Roosevelt and Rainbow PUSH can collaborate on future projects in our community. This is a great opportunity for all of our faculty, staff and students, so stay tuned for more information on ways to get involved.
On a final note, I received an inspiring note from a recent graduate, Mary Mocny (MA, ’17), who talked to me about her experience at Roosevelt. Mary emphasized how Roosevelt University “is an amazing example of equal opportunity in higher education,” and that her experience here emphasized the importance of every American having access to education. Mary recently became Ms. Wheelchair Illinois 2018 and is an advocate for people with disabilities in higher education. Mary is another testament to our mission of graduating students who are grounded in social justice.
Lastly, please mark your calendars for the State of the University on Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. in Schaumburg and Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. in Chicago. I welcome your attendance and participation as we continue to build a stronger Roosevelt.