It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome back our community of educators and staff members for the 2018–2019 academic year. I hope your summer break was both restful and reenergizing. To honor the beginning of the new school year, I encourage all faculty and staff members to attend Convocation today, Friday, August 24, 2018 from 2–3:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Theatre.
The beginning of a new academic year is a time of renewal and opportunities to build friendships and act on inspiring ideas. This year, I call on each of you to build on our strong sense of community and support one another as we look to create an environment where change is embraced. Our financial situation remains serious and the outlook shows that we must continue to make difficult choices to get to budgetary balance. Through our Building a Stronger Roosevelt plan, I am confident that we will surpass these challenging times and the University will emerge much stronger. However, we must work together, and that is why mindfully approaching this year with a sense of community and appreciation for teamwork will make any challenges we meet easier to face.
Despite the challenges we are facing, Roosevelt remains steadfast in its commitment to provide a pathway for excellent education for all, with an emphasis on social justice. In the spirit of this continued legacy, we are thrilled to be hosting the third annual American Dream Reconsidered Conference, with this year’s theme focused on civil rights. We welcome as our keynote speakers the Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States; and Common, Grammy, Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning recording artist and founder of The Common Ground Foundation. I would also like to acknowledge the generosity of our conference title sponsor BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois and the keynote sponsor for Eric Holder, Mesirow Financial. Stop by the Auditorium Theatre ticket office today to get your tickets for the Holder and Common events. For a full listing of events, please visit roosevelt.edu/americandream.
A special welcome to our new faculty, including Ralph Martire, the newly appointed Arthur Rubloff Endowed Professor of Public Policy, and Meng Yu, the Robert Miner Endowed Chair in Computer Science. And a special note of congratulations to 2018 faculty award winners Norbert Cordeiro, Kelly Wentz-Hunter, Marjorie Jolles, Daniel Majerczyk and Erin Mackinney.
This summer, our Executive Master of Hospitality and Tourism Management program was ranked among the nation’s 30 best online graduate hospitality degree programs by BestMastersDegrees.com, and Roosevelt was also selected as one of 33 colleges and universities to participate in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Inclusive Excellence Initiative.
Our alumni continue to make news across the country! Samuel Weiser (MM, ’18) takes his bass voice to Washington, D.C. this fall to join other talented vocalists on the Kennedy Center stage, and critically acclaimed jazz vocalist and CCPA alumna Rose Colella (BM, ’02) performed at the legendary Triad Theatre on July 26. Harry Petrakos (MBA, ’12) is another example of a successful graduate who credits his career success to Roosevelt.
The Auditorium Theatre recently concluded its 14th season of Hearts to Art, an arts summer camp for young people who have experienced the death of a parent. We are now just weeks away from the start of the theatre’s exciting 2018-19 season, which includes Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alan Menken, special events presented by National Geographic, and a Halloween screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is also my honor to introduce you to the theatre’s new interim CEO, Rachel Freund.
I would like to conclude by thanking our dedicated faculty, staff and administration for your commitment to serving one another and embracing the University’s mission of social justice. Inclusion is at the core of Roosevelt’s legacy and we do not discriminate based on one’s religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, economic status, ethnicity, disability, national origin, or veteran or familial status. I believe strongly that it is every American’s right to attain their American Dream through the pursuit of higher education. Please plan to join me at the upcoming American Dream Reconsidered Conference.
With warm regards,
Ali R. Malekzadeh, PhD
President