A diverse learning environment doesn’t happen by accident. Northeastern Illinois University has built a strong foundation on diversity so its students can engage with those of different cultures, interests, beliefs, lifestyles, and socio-economic statuses. Then, once students leave, they can use their mindset of inclusion to impact the world for the better.
The student body at NEIU is a microcosm of diversity. Roughly 60 percent of NEIU students are of Hispanic, African American, Asian, and Native American descent, and more than 100 countries are represented on campus. In fact, U.S. News & World Report listed Northeastern as the most diverse student population among Midwest universities in 2017, and the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Ranking recognized Northeastern as the 22nd most diverse university in the nation. To further assist its diverse students, NEIU is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).
Diverse Centers of Learning
Of course, NEIU didn’t become this diverse overnight. Much of the university’s growth has come intentionally, as it has built centers to provide higher education to underserved members of the Chicago community.
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) was founded in 1966 at Northeastern to provide educational opportunities to urban communities. Students can earn a degree in Urban Community Studies, which gives them unique opportunities to be engaged or employed in the African American community in which they reside and beyond.
“On a global level, many of our corporations now understand that their workforce must be diverse. It must be. Our students are ready to meet the opportunities and challenges of a multicultural world.”
DR. GLORIA J. GIBSON, PRESIDENT
Then, just three years after building CCICS, the college’s El Centro campus opened to serve a growing Latino community. Besides traditional degree programs, the campus offers outreach and skills instruction, such as English as a Second language and computer literacy. Planting seeds of empowerment through this center, the university is hopeful that faculty, staff, and students will help advance its mission of engagement in a dynamic multicultural world.
Preparing Students for a Diverse World
Why does diversity matter so much at the university level? As NEIU students experience a culture of inclusion and equity during their university experience, it shapes how they see the world, treat others, and approach important issues. Students then take those experiences into any industry they work.
That’s why NEIU takes pride in its culture of diversity and in its urban settings. Northeastern’s professors encourage respectful expression of ideas and differences in thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Students come to school hungry to contribute to their communities, and NEIU gives them opportunities to do that while they are in school so they are ready to continue when they enter the workforce.
Metropolitan Chicago is an ideal place for hardworking students to learn, live, play, and launch their careers. Especially at NEIU, students will find world class faculty and staff, beautiful apartment-style living with modern amenities, recreational opportunities as well as close access to nearly any industry that one would expect in an urban environment.
Company: Northeastern Illinois University
Original Name: Cook County Normal School
Headquarters: Chicago, IL
Industry: Higher Education
Locations: Four in the Chicago-area Locations
neiu.edu
