Governors State University
Governors State University is a public university in University Park, Illinois. The campus is located south of Chicago, Illinois. GSU was founded in 1969. It is a public university offering degree programs at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels. GSU has four colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Health and Human Services. History. Governors State University was established as a state-supported, upper-division institution of education on July 17, 1969, when Illinois Governor Richard B. Ogilvie signed into law House Bill 666 . Originally scheduled to open to students in September 1973, the four-year planning period was reduced to two years and GSU received its first class of 500 students in September 1971. The university utilized warehouse space as the temporary home during the campus construction. Under the university's first president, William Engbretson, academic staff created an experimental educational environment focused on a collaborative learning environment between students and faculty in class sessions called modules that met for eight-week sessions. GSU was one of the original "Universities without Walls" as well as a university that did not offer grades, but  competencies. In place of departments, it had interdisciplinary studies, and all professors held the rank of University Professor. The university transitioned from the experimental curriculum to a more traditional model after Engbretson stepped down and Leo Goodman-Malamuth became GSU's second president. GSU developed academic divisions and departments, professors with rank (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor), and renovated the open space main building to classroom and office space. Structured classes in a trimester schedule, along with traditional transcripts were other changes during the era. Following the original mandate to serve the underserved student populations such as veterans and  nontraditional students with some college credits but no degree, the university developed telecourses in the 1980s. The classes were held in one of GSU's two television studios then were made available via tape or as programming on cable channels. The first doctoral program was created in 2007 as a professional doctoral degree in physical therapy. GSU further developed other doctoral programs in nursing, occupational therapy, and education. In 2014, the state approved the university to expand curriculum for freshmen and sophomores. Along with welcoming freshmen and sophomores to campus, the university opened its first on-campus residence hall, known  as Prairie Place. The university created small class sizes for freshmen with courses taught by full-time faculty and individual sessions capped at 30 students. Campus. The Campus is located south of Chicago. It is within 30 minutes' drive from cities Kankakee and Joliet as well as northwestern Indiana. The main campus is located on a wooded landscape with several lakes and natural trails. Sustainability. In 2008, GSU renovated several parking lots, replacing asphalt with permeable pavers—interlocking bricks that allow rainwater to seep down, trapping heavy metals and pollutants before they enter storm sewers. GSU is also home to  one of the state's largest solar-thermal systems, which preheats water for the campus swimming pool and provides about one-third of the domestic hot water for the university's main building. On October 21, 2010, Warren Ribley, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, announced a $153,000 grant for the 50-kilowatt wind turbine to be located on the University Park campus. With the installation of an on-campus wind turbine, Governors State University will continue reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, and move toward its goal of becoming Illinois’ "greenest" university. The wind turbine  will give Governors State a clean, renewable source of energy, and also be incorporated into the university's academic programs. On October 18, 2011, GSU held a groundbreaking ceremony for the beginning of the renovation of the university's science facilities. The $22.6 million, three year renovation project will create state-of-the-art education facilities while providing more than 130 construction jobs. In addition to the positive impact the renovation project will have on the region's economy, the building renovation will better equip GSU to educate students for regional jobs in healthcare, computer science, scientific, and mathematics  research, and science and math education. The area to be renovated comprises approximately of space. During the renovation, crews will replace HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and lighting systems. Outmoded infrastructure and equipment will be replaced with modern facilities and equipment that will be energy-efficient and meet current codes and regulations. The project design calls for structural infill of existing atrium space, adding about of additional usable space. The renovated facilities will serve students and faculty in biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, nursing, communication disorders, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. University Park station. University Park station opened in 1977, located adjacent  to the GSU property along University Parkway. The station is the southern terminus of the Metra Electric District mainline and is away from the northern terminus at Millennium Station in downtown Chicago. Academics. GSU has the following colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Health and Human Services. The university as a whole is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The business programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the public administration program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs  and Administration (NASPAA). The university is also a member of the Illinois Council of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs. Students can choose from 22 bachelor's, 27 graduate, and 4 doctoral degree programs. The university also offers 22 certificate programs. The most popular majors at Governors State University include: Accounting; Business Administration and Management; Liberal Arts; Biology; Criminal Justice; Computer Science; Information Technology; Elementary Education and Teaching; Psychology; Health Administration; and Social Work. All of the university's programs have earned appropriate professional accreditation (if such accreditation exists), and are recognized by their respective professions. The university itself is accredited  by The Higher Learning Commission. Eighty-five percent of the faculty members at this school hold a Ph.D. or the highest degree in their discipline, and most of the classes have fewer than 30 students. Rankings. In 2012, "U.S. News & World Report" ranked three programs at the university: Awards. Governors State University was awarded the 2015 American Council on Education/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation. It is given to "colleges or universities which, in a period of great change in higher education, have responded to challenges in innovative and creative ways that allows the institution to thrive." In 2014 , GSU's Dual Degree Program was honored with the Student Success and College Completion Award by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. In 2014, the National Resource Center for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition also recognized the Dual Degree Program at GSU with an award during its annual conference. The NRC launched the new award for "...institutions that have designed and implemented outstanding collaborative initiatives enhancing significant transitions during the undergraduate experience. Award recipients ... have demonstrated the effectiveness of the initiative in supporting student success, learning and development at a variety of transition points beyond  the first college year and in responding to unique institutional needs." The university also received the 2010 Governor's Sustainability Award for significant achievements in protecting the environment, helping sustain the future, and improving the economy. The awards were presented by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) during a luncheon in Champaign. Student body. Fifty-one percent of Governors State's students are minorities and the average age of the students is 32.4 years old. Seventy percent of them are women. Athletics. Governors State University's athletic teams are the Jaguars. They compete at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics  (NAIA) level as a member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). Men's teams compete in basketball, cross-country, golf, and soccer; while women's teams compete in basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, and volleyball. The addition of the intercollegiate athletic competition in the fall of 2014 coincided with expansion of the university's academic offerings to a four-year curriculum and admission acceptance of GSU's first freshman class. GSU was accepted into membership by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for the 2015–16 school year. Initially competing as an NAIA, the university gained membership in the  Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) starting in the 2016-17 athletic season. GSU's athletic program began with seven sports, men's and women's basketball, cross country and golf, and women's volleyball. The university also announced plans to grow the athletic department, adding baseball, softball and men's and women's soccer in the coming years. Governors State's expanded athletics to field varsity men's and women's soccer starting in the August 2019. Notable people. Notable alumni. The university has more than 40,000 graduates who live in the United States and elsewhere.