1860s
September 13, 1866
The Cook County Board of Commissioners considers a proposal to investigate “the advisability and practicality of establishing a County Normal School.”
September 2, 1867
Hember S. Rexford, town supervisor of Blue Island, Illinois, urges the Cook County Board to locate the normal school inside the Whittier School on Vermont Street. His proposal is accepted. The building is renovated, and classes begin for 300 students on September 2. Daniel Sanborn Wentworth is appointed school principal.
March 20, 1869
The Cook County Board approves a measure to relocate the normal school to Englewood, a village located six miles south of Chicago. Louis Beck donates ten acres of land, with final construction costs of the new building coming in at $47,000.
September 18, 1869
The cornerstone of the Englewood Normal School is laid at the corner of 68th Street and Wright (now Stewart) Avenue.
1870s
1870
Entrance exams are required of all incoming normal school students.
September 22, 1870
Senator Lyman Trumbull and a score of dignitaries formally dedicate the new normal school as classes open.
1875
Entrance exams for incoming freshmen are discontinued.
1880s
September 16, 1882
Daniel Wentworth passes away in Denver from the ravages of asthma at age 61.
July 2, 1883
Renowned New England educator Francis Wayland Parker assumes his duties as principal of the normal school. Amid conservative criticism, Parker adapts “free-form” pedagogy to the curriculum and institutes the first manual training classes.
1890s
February 10, 1896
The transfer of control of the Cook County Normal School is approved by the board of education thus becoming the Chicago Normal School under the aegis of the City of Chicago and the board of education.
May 29, 1899
Francis Parker submits his resignation to the board of education in order to launch the private “Francis Parker Academic School.”
1900s
June 25, 1900
Arnold Tompkins is appointed principal of the Chicago Normal School.
November 21, 1903
Ground is broken for the new normal school, known to succeeding generations of students as “The Dome” at 68th and Stewart. The new building opens in September 1905.
August 14, 1905
Arnold Tompkins passes away in Menlo, Georgia.
August 24, 1905
Normal school alumna Ella Flagg Young is appointed to succeed Arnold Tompkins as principal.
October 26, 1905
Restrictions barring students living outside of Cook County to enroll in the normal school are lifted.
July 29, 1909
Ella Flagg Young steps down to accept appointment as superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools.
August 1909
William Bishop Owen is appointed principal of the normal school.
1910s
January 1914
The Arts and Gymnasium Building opens five years after the laying of the cornerstone.
1920s
February 1926
The Chicago Normal School introduces a three-year course of study with 244 enrolled students for the first three-year class.
February 17, 1928
Dr. Owen, the longest-serving normal school principal, collapses inside the school and passes away at age 62.
February 1928
Butler Laughlin of Indiana University succeeds William Owen as president—the new title replacing principal.
1930s
December 9, 1931
A proposal to close the normal school as a necessary cost-saving move goes before the board of education but fails.
July 23, 1936
Verne O. Graham replaces Butler Laughlin.
May 25, 1938
The “Normal” is still the only tuition-free, four-year, degree-granting institution in the city. The Chicago Board of Education approves a proposal from the board president to scrap the antiquated normal school name in favor of a new designation, Chicago Teachers College CTC). With this change, the college became a four-year institution conferring upon graduates the bachelor of education degree.
Summer 1938
In anticipation of an enrollment surge, the board of education allocates $250,000 for expansion and construction upgrades to the Englewood campus.
July 6, 1938
John A. Bartky succeeds Verne O. Graham as president.
January 14, 1939
The CTC receives full accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
1940s
1948
For the first time in its history, CTC admits transfer students.
February 1948
Faculty member Raymond Mack Cook replaces John Swearingen (acting president) as the new dean of CTC.
April 1948
The CTC abolishes its controversial admission examinations as a student requirement.
1950s
Fall 1950
Overcrowding compels the board of education and the CTC to establish a North Side satellite campus in Schurz High School.
1951
The Illinois General Assembly agrees to provide for state support of the CTC in the form of reimbursement to the Chicago Board of Education for operating expenses (but not capital costs) of running the institution.
Fall 1952
The CTC introduces the first high school teacher training courses.
April 1953
The Schurz extension closes. A new branch opens at Wilbur Wright Junior College.
Fall 1954
Students from Wright Junior College and the Schurz extension relocate into the new CTC North Branch at Sabin Elementary School at 2216 Hirsch Street on the West Side.
April 5, 1955
After receiving approval from the Illinois legislature and Governor William G. Stratton, the board of education puts a bond issue before the voters of Chicago. Its aim is to raise $6 million to create and build a North Side teachers college with additional monies allocated for new public school construction. The referendum passes with 75 percent of the vote.
1956
Nationally scored examinations are again made a requirement for admission.
June 13, 1956
Dr. Benjamin Willis, superintendent of the board of education, unveils a five-year CTC facility expansion plan and the building of a future North Side campus to be situated on forty acres of land adjacent to the Chicago Parental School and the Bohemian National Cemetery in the Hollywood Park community.
February 4, 1957
Two new CTC North Branch campuses open: Foreman High School on the far Northwest Side and Richard T. Crane Junior College on the West Side.
December 26–27, 1957
The Teachers College Study Conference, underwritten by the Ford Foundation, meets in the Chicago Hilton Hotel to conduct curriculum planning and campus development for the future CTC North.
March 24–25, 1958
The Teachers College Study Conference reconvenes in Chicago to affirm and validate findings and recommendations set forth in December 1957.
1960s
March 9, 1960
The board of education approves Perkins+Will architectural rendering for the new North Side campus. The city budgets $6 million for construction.
March 31, 1960
Ground is broken for the new CTC North campus—the future Northeastern Illinois University. The college promises to be an innovative, if not technological, wonder. Instructors would, for the first time, have an opportunity to teach over television, learn over television, and work behind the scenes to create sophisticated audio-visual graphics.
June 6, 1960
The board issues RFP bids for construction services to build the new campus. Chell & Anderson secure the building contract.
June 23, 1960
Roy Newell Jervis of East Texas State Teachers College is appointed dean of the CTC North campus. Raymond Cook continues on (until his death in 1965) as dean of CTC South.
1961
Northeastern’s oldest Greek society, Lambda Sigma Alpha, is chartered.
September 6, 1961
The two North Side branches at Foreman and Sabin close. CTC North officially opens its doors with an enrollment of 1,364 students taking classes in the “trimester system” of scheduling.
May 23, 1962
At the first commencement ceremony at CTC North, Former Chicago Board of Education President R. Sargent Shriver delivers the commencement address in the Auditorium.
May 24, 1962
Campus dedication ceremonies held in the gymnasium for the new CTC North cap off commencement week. Mayor Richard J. Daley and Superintendent Benjamin Willis address a large gathering. It is the first dedication of a teachers college in the United States in 80 years.
July 10, 1962
Citing health concerns (but under pressure from Dr. Willis), Dean Jervis steps down.
September 12, 1962
Dr. Jerome Sachs of the Mathematics Department and a veteran CTC South professor is confirmed as the new dean of CTC North.
March 1964
The Illinois Board of Higher Education recommends the state acquire the college. Since 1961, the State of Illinois had provided most of the financing to the college.
February 17, 1965
By a five to two vote, approval is granted for the formal transfer of CTC South and North from the jurisdiction of the Chicago Board of Education to the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities (BOG) over the objections of Dr. Benjamin Willis.
July 1, 1965
The BOG formally settles on a new name for CTC North and South. The two campuses become Illinois Teachers College North and Illinois Teachers College South. The Illinois General Assembly approves the transfer on July 15 and the name change on August 15.
October 1965
In special ceremonies, Dr. Sachs is formally inaugurated as dean of the Illinois Teachers College North.
February 21, 1966
The BOG eliminates the title of dean and confers upon Dr. Sachs the new title of president.
1966
At the urging of Congressman William Levi Dawson, the South Side Center for Inner City Studies (CICS) is established in Bronzeville to further prepare teachers for schools in disadvantaged and minority communities.
August 1, 1966
The CICS moves into the historic Abraham Lincoln Centre at 700 Oakwood Boulevard.
1967
Illinois Teachers College North becomes Northeastern Illinois State College. Secondary teacher training programs are now offered, with new degree programs for students who do not wish to enroll in education curricula.
March 12, 1968
A new campus newspaper, the Print, replaces the Interim and publishes its first issue.
April 5, 1968
The faculty, backed by the Cook County Teachers Union, stages a walkout in an effort to secure collective bargaining rights.
June 3, 1968
Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali speaks to Northeastern students outside the F Wing.
July 1968
The College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education formally organize.
October 23, 1968
Programming for the new Commuter Center extension commences with the appointment of an Ad Hoc Building Committee by President Sachs. The architectural firm of Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum is approved for the design work.
November 21, 1968
Twenty students, including members of Northeastern’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, stage a sit-in and take control of Dr. Sachs’s office with a list of non-negotiable demands.
1969
The BOG purchases the Abraham Lincoln Centre at 700 East Oakwood Boulevard for Northeastern with the proviso it shall “maintain the facility and programs which would reflect a mission and accountability to the black community.” The building becomes the home of the Center for Inner City Studies on the South Side campus of Northeastern.
March 1969
Aqui Estoy (later renamed El Centro de Recursos Educativos, or Center for Educational Services, and eventually moved to West Town) opens as a field center for Puerto Rican students in the Humboldt Park community under the direction of Rosa Hernandez.
1970s
June 4, 1970
Ground is broken for the new 165,000 square-foot Science Building. The building opens in October 1972.
August 1, 1970
Future Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern delivers an address at Northeastern.
September 1970
Miguel Antonio Rios helps to found the Union For Puerto Rican Students.
September 16, 1970
The Northeastern Football Club is launched. The Golden Eagles play an eight-game schedule, beginning with a 21-8 victory over Prairie State. Home games are played at Winnemac Park.
January 19, 1971
Ground is broken for the new Classroom Building on the north side of the campus.
May 6, 1971
With the election of a nine-member board, Northeastern’s first alumni association launches.
July 23, 1971
By an act of the legislature, Northeastern Illinois State College becomes Northeastern Illinois University. “UNI” is adapted as the school’s official acronym as enrollment swells to 7,281 students.
1971–1972
Northeastern’s experimental University Without Walls program begins.
January 1972
Que Ondee Sola (May it Wave Alone), the campus newspaper serving the Puerto Rican student community, debuts.
March 16, 1972
Anthropologist Margaret Mead addresses the Northeastern student body.
Summer 1972
History Professor Dr. J. Fred MacDonald introduces the study of popular culture into the curriculum.
June 30, 1972
Associate Professor Charles Kane of the Physical Education Department is slain inside his office by a disgruntled student. Thereafter, Northeastern schedules an annual Charles Kane Golf Outing honoring his memory to benefit scholarship funding.
October 12, 1972
The Science Building is formally dedicated.
October 16, 1972
Suffering ill health, and deeply saddened by the Kane tragedy, Dr. Sachs announces his intention to step down as president effective the end of August 1973.
November 1972
The Faculty Senate approves a pass/fail grading option for students.
April 2, 1973
Governor Dan Walker is on hand to dedicate the new Classroom Building in a campus ceremony.
August 7, 1973
At the groundbreaking for the new student Commuter Center, President Sachs turns the first shovel of dirt.
August 30, 1973
The State of Illinois acquires the title to the Chicago Parental School and its grounds. Northeastern agrees to operate the school for the next two years.
September 1, 1973
Dr. James H. Mullen, president of Jersey City State College, is confirmed as Northeastern’s second president.
September 26, 1973
Actress Jane Fonda and anti-war activist Tom Hayden address the Northeastern student body about the military and political situation in South Vietnam. Fonda and Hayden were in the midst of a twenty-five-city Indochina Peace Campaign tour.
March 7, 1974
The national college “streaking” fad reaches Northeastern. Three men and one woman shed their clothes and race around the parking lots near St. Louis Avenue before a large throng of curious students who bypassed the chance to hear Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak speak in the Auditorium.
May 25, 1974
WZRD, Northeastern’s new FM station at 88.3 on the dial, goes on the air for the first time at 5:25 p.m. The tower and broadcast antenna are installed atop the Classroom Building.
May 29, 1974
Inauguration and investiture of Dr. James Mullen as president are held during commencement exercises at Arie Crown Theater.
Winter 1974–1975
Keeping with Dr. Mullen’s agenda to develop curriculum better suited to career development in business-related fields, Northeastern launches the new Department of Computer Sciences.
August 1975
Construction of the Commuter Center expansion wraps up. The addition features a dining hall, ticket office for student events and an auditorium. The Book Nook becomes the first occupant.
August 15, 1975
The parental school, having outlived its usefulness and lacking necessary state funding to remain open, closes. The buildings were razed and the grounds cleared for future construction under the guidelines of the new campus master plan.
September 1975
The new Division of Business and Management, a program of study chaired by Dr. Stanley Renas, schedules its first class.
November 20, 1975
By a five to four vote of the BOG, collective bargaining rights are granted to Northeastern faculty.
January 1976
Alumna and professor of dance Dame Libby Komaiko incorporates Ensemble Español, the world-renowned Spanish dance company in residence at Northeastern.
February 19, 1976
President Mullen submits his resignation letter after two unhappy years guiding Northeastern.
July 28, 1976
The BOG confirms the appointment of Dr. Ronald Williams, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at the Federal City College, to serve as Northeastern’s third president succeeding Acting President William Lienemann.
October 27, 1976
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council sponsor the José Greco Dance Company in a half-week residency at Northeastern. Their performance sells out and receives high praise.
Spring 1977
Northeastern introduces a criminal justice program into the curriculum.
May 12, 1977
Dr. Ronald Williams is inaugurated as president.
September 1977
The new five-story Northeastern Library is opened.
1978
Dr. John Cibulskis, professor of mathematics, develops the Math Lab and locates it in the Classroom Building. Cibulskis leaves Northeastern in May 1983.
May 15, 1978
The Northeastern Library is formally dedicated.
October 1978
The US Office of Education awards a $131,730 title grant to Northeastern to establish the Chicago Teachers’ Center.
1980s
March 1980
Northeastern’s acclaimed Jazz Ensemble is selected as one of three outstanding bands at the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival, the oldest and most prestigious jazz competition in the nation. Their appearance marks the second year in a row the Jazz Ensemble receives an invitation to compete.
September 21, 1981
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg addresses students in the Auditorium about “Internment, Constitutional Issues, and the Significance of the Federal Commission.”
October 26, 1981
Members of the Illinois legislature, the BOG, and the Illinois Board of Higher Education join with President Williams in formally announcing an approved plan to build a new physical education complex at the south end of the campus. A 1982 groundbreaking is announced, but completion of the building is seven years away.
1981–1984
The Northeastern Golden Eagles Football Club wins consecutive conference championships.
Summer 1983
Dr. Asad Hussain founds the annual Summer Institute of Islamic Studies.
July 1, 1983
The Illinois Board of Higher Education approves the formation of Northeastern’s new College of Business and Management.
Fall 1983
The long-awaited College of Business and Management opens.
December 29, 1983
U.S.A. Today names Northeastern one of the top teacher-training colleges in the country in their study “Teaching Teachers: The Best Schools.”
October 10, 1985
Gravely ill from cancer, President Williams participates in an anti-apartheid protest demonstration at the South African consulate with UNI students, staff, and faculty including Dr. Salme Harju Steinberg of the History Department.
December 11, 1985
President Williams loses his nine-month battle with cancer and passes away at age 58.
January 28, 1986
Northeastern holds a solemn memorial service for President Williams in the Auditorium.
July 24, 1986
Dr. Gordon H. Lamb, vice president of Academic Affairs at the University of Texas in San Antonio, is chosen by the BOG to succeed Acting President John Cownie.
Fall 1986
The Northeastern Illinois University Honors Program is implemented under the direction of Dr. Mohan Sood. Thirty students are enrolled in the first class.
November 7, 1986
Dr. Lamb is inaugurated as the fourth president of Northeastern. A concert follows the invocation ceremony.
December 1986
The UNI initialism is phased out and the NEIU initialism first appears on a December 18, 1986, press release and on the May 1987 convocation program.
May 8, 1987
The Northeastern Library is renamed and dedicated the Ronald Williams Library in memory of the late president.
June 12, 1987
Known for years as the “Beehive,” the iconic C Building is renamed the Jerome Sachs Administration Building in formal dedication ceremonies.
March 14, 1988
The Northeastern Independent publishes its first issue following the demise of the Print in October 1987—the result of a myriad of financial and operational problems.
May 24, 1988
The Apocalypse Literary Association hosts Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks for a poetry reading and Q&A session.
November 1988
Northeastern unveils a new logo and school colors. The old brown and gold color scheme is abandoned in favor of blue and gold. The women’s basketball team dons the crisp new colors at a game on November 19.
December 1, 1988
After years of planning and budgetary and construction delays, the new Physical Education Building is dedicated with former Chicago Bear Walter Payton on hand.
1989–1990
The Northeastern Golden Eagles basketball team joins NCAA Division II in a controversial and divisive move that engenders considerable campus debate and opposition.
1990s
Fall 1990
The University scraps trimester scheduling and converts to semesters.
1990–1991
The Golden Eagles begin Division I play. NCAA rules require Northeastern to support seven other sports programs that over time drains valuable financial resources away from academic programs.
October 1991
With the closing of the Chicago City Hall Municipal Reference Library, the Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Chicago Branch, is transferred to the Ronald Williams Library.
May 1993
President Lamb travels to Russia to initiate what will eventually become an exchange program between Northeastern and the Urals State Pedagogical University, setting in motion a broad program of international study later in the decade.
February 10, 1995
The Illinois General Assembly passes into law a measure to discontinue the BOG and transfer authority to independent boards of trustees at the five state-run institutions of higher learning under its jurisdiction.
March 9, 1995
Following nine stormy years as president, Gordon Lamb announces his intention to step down effective September 1.
September 1, 1995
Provost Salme Harju Steinberg is named acting president as the new board of trustees prepares to commence a search for potential candidates to fill the Lamb vacancy.
1996
Lisa Cooper Gavin, director of Alumni Relations, inaugurates the annual Class Gift program to fund an endowed scholarship program. Through July 2016, the Class Gift endowment has generated more than $72,000.
January 25, 1996
The Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees (BOT), chaired by Daniel L. Goodwin, meets for the first time.
September 1996
Information Commons, the makeover of the old UNIcorn recreation room in the basement of the Classroom Building into a computer lab, is completed.
September 19, 1996
Acting President Salme Steinberg is officially sworn in as Northeastern’s fifth president in Alumni Hall after the BOT ended their search and announced Dr. Steinberg as their unanimous choice.
January 1997
Construction begins on the new 110,000-square-foot Fine Arts Center.
September 18, 1997
By a vote of four to three from the trustees, Northeastern exits NCAA Division I sports, sparking anger and disappointment among a few students, parents and the Intercollegiate Athletics program. However, Northeastern receives widespread congratulations from Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Northeastern faculty, staff and most students who will now have access to the state-of-the-art Physical Education Building and lower fees every semester.
May 1998–June 1999
The Commuter Center completes a two-year renovation. The Student Government Association renames the Commuter Center the Northeastern Illinois Student Union.
September 16, 1999
“Northeastern Illinois University Day” in Illinois marks the ribbon-cutting ceremony and unveiling of the new Fine Arts Center.
2000s
February 27, 2001
The BOT signs off on a proposal to grant a bachelor’s degree to students majoring in women’s studies.
September 18, 2003
The BOT votes to approve the construction of a $17 million multi-level parking garage at the south end of the campus to resolve the decades-old parking shortage. The southern exposure of the garage opens in October 2004, and the remainder of the building two months later.
November 2004
The University renames the South Side CICS branch the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies, honoring the memory of the esteemed professor of history and education at CICS who had passed away in January 2004.
November 19, 2004
Faculty members, represented in collective bargaining negotiations by the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI), commence Northeastern’s first job action since the 1968 walkout over compensation, workload, and tenure issues.
December 7, 2004
The eighteen-day strike ends when Board Chairman Daniel L. Goodwin donates $400,000 ($100,000 per year) to be dispersed over the life of the new four-year contract. The agreement included a 3.5 percent across-the-board increase. The contract is ratified two days later.
Fall 2005
Northeastern enrollment hits 12,227—a high watermark in the history of the University.
September 2005
President Steinberg announces planning grants received from the State of Illinois and the federal government and from Congressman Rahm Emanuel for a new College of Education Building.
December 2005
Daniel L. Goodwin steps down as chairman of the BOT after a decade of service.
February 9, 2006
President Steinberg announces her intention to retire to the University community after what will be regarded as a successful twelve-year term in office. The trustees name her president emerita in appreciation.
February 27-March 6, 2006
Northeastern hosts the European Union International Business Conference in Alumni Hall.
October 26, 2006
President Steinberg receives the prestigious Amicus Poloniae Award from the ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United States for her leadership in international education partnerships.
November 16, 2006
The BOT elects Dr. Sharon K. Hahs, former provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, president of Northeastern. She begins her duties in February 2007.
Summer 2007
Professor Emeritus Bernard Brommel and President Emerita Salme Steinberg establish the Northeastern Founders Society to increase the future endowment of the University and to honor those individuals who provide gifts through estate planning during their lifetimes.
September 7, 2007
Dr. Hahs is formally invested as Northeastern’s sixth president in the Auditorium.
October 2007
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities presents Northeastern with the 2007 “Outstanding Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Member Institution Award.”
January 2008
The Student Government Association approves an application to charter a Northeastern chapter of Operation Rainbow Push.
April 17, 2008
Acting upon the suggestion of Dr. Elyse Mach of the Music Department, Northeastern renames the Fine Arts Center the Salme Harju Steinberg Fine Arts Center.
May 29, 2009
The Classroom Building is renamed and dedicated as Lech Walesa Hall, honoring the Nobel Laureate and president of Poland who helped bring about the downfall of communism in his native land. Walesa returns to Northeastern for a visit on January 29, 2010.
August 19, 2009
The Northeastern Illinois University Alumni Association and the Chicago Teachers College Association jointly sponsor and host a daylong “Welcome Home” reunion for all CTC and Northeastern alumni and faculty emeriti inside the Student Union Alumni Hall.
October 27, 2009
The conversion of the old A Wing begun in 2007 and completed in August 2009 is celebrated with a formal campus ribbon-cutting ceremony. The space provides a permanent home for the College of Business and Management.
2010s
February 25, 2010
Northeastern hosts the African International Business Conference.
May 2010
The “new” Northeastern Illinois University Alumni Association is launched.
September 30, 2010
The University honors professor emeritus and major benefactor Dr. Bernard J. Brommel by renaming the Science Building to Bernard J. Brommel Hall.
June 8, 2011
In recognition of her 44 years of service to Northeastern, work begins on the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs with a mission to promote and advance social justice, inclusivity, and diversity through educational and extra-curricular programs. The Pedroso Center opens in October.
November 1, 2011
Northeastern and UPI, the faculty union, avoid a second walkout and ratify a new four-year contract.
October 2012
The Alumni Association relocates out of the Beehive and into its new Alumni Center at the west end of the campus west of Lech Walesa Hall.
November 8, 2012
Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the new $28.5 million LEED-certified El Centro building at 3390 North Avondale Avenue adjacent to the Kennedy Expressway.
2013
Northeastern and President Hahs inaugurate “Decade of Dreams,” a new facilities master plan for the entire campus.
October 2013
Northeastern names a student area in the College of Business and Management in honor of the late Iranian prime minister Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh. The hall is designated Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh Servant Leaders Hall. At the same time, the Northeastern Foundation establishes an endowed student scholarship and lecture fund under his name.
October 17–18, 2013
The University welcomes back alumni and emeritus faculty in Northeastern’s first annual all-school reunion under the direction of the new Alumni Association, now serving more than 76,000 members.
February 11, 2014
The Chicago Teachers’ Center is restructured and renamed as the Center for College Access and Success.
August 2014
Funding for a new 360,000-square-foot Education Building once again receives final approval.
September 20, 2014
The new state-of-the-art El Centro building opens its doors to students.
October 1, 2014
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are held for El Centro with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in attendance.
November 24, 2014
The former B Wing is renovated to include the six resource centers in the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs.
May 14, 2015
President Sharon Hahs and University officials break ground for Northeastern’s first residence hall, called “The Nest.” Student housing is a critical component of Northeastern’s “Decade of Dreams” master plan.
September 2015
For the second year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranks Northeastern number one among Midwestern colleges in graduating its students with the least amount of debt in its “Best Colleges” issue. The publication again ranks Northeastern as the most ethnically diverse among public institutions.
November 6, 2015
Northeastern joins the Chicago Star Partnership to provide scholarships to high-achieving City Colleges of Chicago graduates.
November 30, 2015
The Pedroso Center expansion is completed.
January 1, 2016
Northeastern thanks Daniel L. Goodwin for his philanthropy and honors him by renaming the College of Education the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education for his generosity to the University as a major benefactor. Northeastern kicks off its “Goodwin Gift Challenge,” a $2.5 million challenge grant initiated by Mr. Goodwin on January 26 in Alumni Hall. By January 2017, the University donors met and exceeded the Goodwin Gift Challenge.
April–May 2016
The University mobilizes its resources in a lobbying effort to break a ten-month stalemate in Springfield that had dragged on since June 2015 when Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed the 2015–2016 state budget. The inability of the legislature and the governor to affect a compromise drained financial resources and raised the ominous possibility of staff reduction, furloughs, and the threat of closure.
July 6, 2016
President Sharon Hahs announces her intention to retire effective September 30, 2016.
July 26, 2016
Provost Richard Helldobler is named interim president. Dr. Helldobler joined Northeastern in 2013 as provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. The BOT awards Helldobler an eighteen-month contract through March 2018.
August 2016
The College of Business and Management receives accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools offering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.
August 19, 2016
A ribbon cutting opened Northeastern’s first resident’s hall “The Nest.” First-year students move in immediately after the inaugural ceremony with the assistance of members of the administration.
Fall 2016
Northeastern inaugurates a master’s degree program in social work under the direction of Troy Harden.
2017
The Northeastern community celebrates its sesquicentennial founding as the Cook County Normal School in a yearlong commemoration.
