Dear Roosevelt Community,

It is with heavy hearts that the University announces the passing of esteemed President Emeritus Theodore “Ted” Gross (1988-2002). Ted passed away at his home in Evanston, Illinois, on August 16, 2022. He was 91. Ted leaves behind his wife of twenty-one years, Jody, and two children—Donna, who is a location scout for movies and television programs in Los Angeles, and Jonathan, professor of literature at DePaul University in Chicago. He is also survived by a granddaughter, Shiri Nicole Gross, along with extended family members Prasad and Amy Ravi, their two children, Torin and Ethan, and Beth Prullage who lives in Massachusetts.

Early in Ted’s presidency, he envisioned a metropolitan University — “it would be a single institution, with a single faculty, teaching on two separate campuses. And in the course of teaching and learning, it would bridge the great divide between suburbs and city.” (Chicago Tribune 2000, John McCarren)

For Roosevelt’s 75th anniversary, Ted shared on the “75 Years of Belonging” Presidents Panel: “In 1988, when I came to Roosevelt, I had spent all my career, practically, in public education. The notion of coming to a university that’s private, in which one could carve out one’s own destiny was particularly attractive.”

He added: “I was also drawn to [Roosevelt] because of Chicago. New York was so huge. There was a distance between leaders and the people. In Chicago, it seemed that the business community and the public’s leader community were very much closer to education and cared about education.”

The President Emeritus’ care for Roosevelt included several institutional additions, including the development of Roosevelt’s permanent campus in Schaumburg in 1996 – which, at the time, marked the first new comprehensive University campus to be established in Illinois since the late 1960s. Ted was also instrumental in the creation of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate. He led the development of an honors program, for which the Theodore “Ted” Gross Endowed Scholarship in Honors continues to provide financial support to students today. And, during his tenure, he increased enrollments to 7,500. A fundraiser extraordinaire, Ted began and grew Roosevelt’s endowment to $35 million, and he led a highly successful $53 million capital campaign.

Ted’s vision and leadership changed the trajectory of Roosevelt University, which he reflected upon in his memoir, The Rise of Roosevelt University: Presidential Reflections. (Southern Illinois University Press). He also authored over a dozen books and several articles on education and literature. His major works include: The Heroic Ideal in American Literature, Dark Symphony: Negro Literature in America, and Academic Turmoil: The Reality and Promise of Open Education. Prior to his presidency at Roosevelt, he served as a faculty member or administrator at the City College of New York, the State University of New York at Purchase, the Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Nancy in France.

In honor of his many years of service, a reception will be held in the Fainman and Ida B. Wells lounges, on Thursday, October 13 at 4 p.m., followed by a tribute in Ganz Hall. To make a charitable contribution in memory of Ted, visit the Theodore “Ted” Gross giving page.

With Warm Regards,

Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I want to emphasize how much I appreciate your hard work and service this academic year. I would like to give a special thanks to those who have been on our campuses in order to teach or serve students while following the strict return-to-campus guidelines. I know it has not been easy, and you have done a wonderful job.

Yesterday, many of you attended the Administrative Assembly meeting in which I shared, in full transparency, the details of how Roosevelt’s enrollment has been impacted, much in part due to COVID-19. Specifically, we are projecting a large deficit for FY23 due to lower-than-anticipated enrollments and other lost sources of revenue, from conference services to on-campus housing and dining services. Also, for the next fiscal year, there is no federal aid to support the budget as there has been for two years. With overall FY22 enrollment declines and anticipated fall FY23 enrollment declines, measures are now necessary to prevent the deficit from increasing.

I shared during the Administrative Assembly meeting that we will need to enact new cost-saving measures now to ensure the long-term financial viability of the University. I presented the outline of actions to be taken this summer: specifically, eliminating most of the vacant positions; some staff layoffs; temporary cuts to retirement fund contributions; and other operational budget cuts, including looking for efficiencies in restructuring divisions.

We are also working hard to increase revenues as much as possible to support the budget. Two trustee task forces are working with our leadership team, faculty and staff to increase enrollments in the next 2-3 years and find another university for us to acquire. These efforts will start to pay off in FY24 and will help us achieve a balanced budget going forward. However, we do need to get through the difficult FY23 year, thus the need for the cost-cutting measures this summer.

Make no mistake, this is a shared sacrifice, and for the measures to be effective, we must all contribute to the actions outlined. Know that I understand and care about how these financial decisions will affect each of you — I do not take these matters lightly. It is my hope that taking aggressive action now will provide us the opportunity to return to normal business operations later next year.

Thank you for your time, talents and continued service to the University.

With Warm Regards,

Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President

• Office of International Programs: 312-341-3531 or international@roosevelt.edu.
• TimelyCare – counseling and mental health support for students.
• Employee Assistance Program – emotional support and one-on-one advice for employees.

Dear Roosevelt Community,

Welcome back to the start of a new spring semester. I hope you feel rested, reinvigorated and ready to begin 2022. I look forward to seeing you on campus this spring.

Let’s celebrate the start of the semester together during Welcome Week. There is a full schedule of activities that commence with the grand opening of the Laker Union at noon on January 19. Stop by the third floor of the Wabash Building to greet your friends and colleagues, grab some snacks and enter exciting prize drawings.

The Office of Equity, Engagement and Inclusion will be hosting an event to honor Dr. King’s legacy on Thursday, January 20 at 1 p.m. featuring Michael Thompson. Michael is a local attorney, advocate and community organizer who will talk about living a life of service. Students can also give back through a service event with the Night Ministry. Let’s come together as a community and show our support for these important events.

I’m pleased to share several new administrative appointments. Dr. Andrae M. Marak will join Roosevelt as the next provost and executive vice president of academic affairs on March 1. Dr. Marak most recently served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences & Graduate Studies at Governors State University. Dr. Marak’s announcement can be read here.

Thank you to Mablene Krueger for stepping in as interim provost and executive vice president of academic affairs when we needed her. Effective March 1, Mablene will serve as vice president of strategic planning and partnerships. Working closely with the Executive Council, she will identify new opportunities for growth while continuing to serve in her current role as COO of the Schaumburg Campus.

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Michael D. Ford, who, in addition to his normal assignments, will assume the duties of chief diversity officer at Roosevelt. Latoya Laing will continue to serve as general counsel as well as deputy chief diversity officer alongside Dr. Ford.

Also, Arlene Regnerus has been officially appointed as CFO and vice president for finance and administration effective immediately. Arlene was previously the chief financial officer at Robert Morris University for five years and most recently served as interim vice president for finance. Please join me in congratulating Michael, Latoya and Arlene.

At the December board meeting, Joseph Nocera was officially elected to the Board of Trustees. Joe is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In addition to his client service roles, he leads the PwC’s Cyber & Privacy Innovation Institute. Joe’s announcement can be read here.

Black History Month is quickly approaching. Save the dates for thought-provoking and celebratory events this February. To kick off the month-long celebration, we will welcome a panel of Black nonprofit leaders to discuss how we can make an impact in our communities on Thursday, February 10, at 12 p.m. To close out the month, alum and artist faculty Adrian Dunn will honor Black music with the RIZE Orchestra on Thursday, February 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Ganz Hall. More information about Black History Month can be found here.

In closing, thank you for your patience as we work to overcome this wave of the pandemic. A new semester represents an opportunity for fresh perspectives and recommitment to our Roosevelt University community. I’m grateful for your ongoing dedication.

With Warm Regards,

Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President

Dear Roosevelt Community,

I am writing to share that after six years of service, Jamar Orr, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, has accepted a new role with Robbins Schwartz LLC. Mablene Krueger will serve as interim vice president of student affairs effective November 25, along with her current roles as COO of the Schaumburg Campus and interim provost and executive vice president of academic affairs.

After arriving as a student conduct specialist in 2015, Jamar was promoted to assistant dean of students in 2016 and assistant provost for student affairs and dean of students in 2018, culminating in his current role. Jamar oversaw Residence Life and Summer Housing; Student Rights and Responsibilities; the Office of Equity, Engagement and Inclusion; Student Health Services; the Office of Title IX Compliance and the Dean of Students Office.

As vice president, Jamar built robust student support services and a welcoming campus culture. He led the creation of the student union on our Chicago Campus and created the first Welcome Week as an extension of orientation. In partnership with University Advancement, Jamar helped raise funds for the Student Emergency Assistance Fund and diversity, equity and inclusion programming.

During the pandemic, Jamar made the health and well-being of students his top priority. He worked closely with students to launch a virtual health program, TimelyCare, that offers 24/7 support. He also established guidelines for contact tracing, the COVID-19 student testing program and the COVID-19 student code of conduct.

At Robbins Schwartz, Jamar will be an associate attorney in the education practice group. He will serve as external legal counsel for colleges and universities as well as K-12 school districts.

Hilda Ramos, assistant vice president of student affairs, has also accepted a new role effective November 5. Since joining Roosevelt in 2017, Hilda has been instrumental in improving the residential experience and expanding our on-campus community. As an account manager at StarRez, she will support marketing and sales initiatives for the company’s housing management software.

Thank you to Hilda and Jamar for their leadership, dedication and student advocacy. They will be greatly missed.

Please join me in wishing Hilda and Jamar all the best in their future endeavors.

With Warm Regards,

Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President