Roosevelt University - Vanguard Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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A SHORT HISTORY OF ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY The history of Roosevelt University is in essence the history of an idea -— an idea which did not originate at any one time but which grew up out of centuries of man's struggle for freedom and growth, out of man's longing to develop to his highest capacities to fulfill his destiny. As man's desire for self-improvement has grown so have educational facilities been born and a measure of a society has been taken from the quality and scope of its educational opportunities. Throughout history barriers to the learning process have been many and stubborn. As each one is pene- trated the ideal toward which man strives becomes a greater reality. Roosevelt University is the product of the deter- mination of a group of free men to maintain a free and dem- ocratic educational institution. To be meaningful any history of Roosevelt University must start back in 1936 when as the new president of Cen- tral YMCA College of Chicago, discriminations against mi- nority groups were brought to my attention. As each one appeared the faculty and staff, in deep conviction, worked toward their elimination so that from 1936 until 1945 all students, regardless of race, color and creed, were admit- ted to the college on equal terms, and all activities, academic, physical and social, were open to every student alike. Competence was made the only criterion for faculty additions, and all were given complete freedom to teach and to learn. By 1943 and 1944, with the war in progress, national trends began to affect the enrollments of this institution which admitted students only on the basis of ability. Mi- nority groups found their way to this college where they had a chance and bv the Fall of 1944 pressure began to come from the Board of Directors of the college and the Board of Managers, not only to reduce the number of Negro, Japanese and Jewish students, but to curtail discussion of contro- versial subjects within the classroom. By the Spring of 1945 demands for reduction in the numbers of minority groups were formalized and I, as pres- ident of the institution, was asked to modify the policies of freedom of opportunity and academic freedom, or resign. On April 16, 1945, I sent the following message to the Board of Directors: Since coming to Central YMCA College as president on July 26, 1936, the faculty, the college staff, and I have stood to- gether for academic freedom, and equal educational opportunities for everyone, regardless of race, color, or creed. Page 3

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During this past year the college board took action seeking to limit academic freedom, and members of the board, in- dividually, tried to influence me to bring about a change in the entrance policy, limiting certain minority groups, particularly, Negroes. Realizing that the college cannot further develop under these auspices, and under these circumstances can no longer remain true to its pledge of academic freedom and equal educational opportunities for all, and being personally unwilling to compromise on these principles, I hereby submit my resignation as President of Central YMCA College. On April 17, 1945, a ten dollar check was sent to the State of Illinois applying for a charter for Thomas Jeffer- son College, which within a week became Roosevelt College in honor of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who died on April 12, leaving us the heritage of the Four Freedoms. Before funds were secured to make Roosevelt College more than a name 62 of the 79 members of the faculty of Central YMCA College resigned and the student body almost unanimously declared their intention to follow the faculty. This in reality made the creation of Roosevelt College pos- sible for only through the dedication of a group of men to an ideal could our institution have been born and developed. Marshall Field, through the Field Foundation, and Edwin Em- bree, through the Rosenwald Fund, saw the need and the dream. Each one gave $75,000 to help make the dream a reality, en- abling Roosevelt College to take its first breath after be- ing born. In addition, thousands of public spirited citi- zens moved by the vision and the need rose up to add their moral and financial support to this new venture. In so short a history there is not space to tell the story of the struggle to obtain that first building on Quincy and Wells, to get classrooms ready for opening on September 17, 1945, amid war-time restrictions, to recount the inconveniences tolerated by the faculty and by the 1,200 loyal students who registered that first Fall. Roosevelt College did open on September 17, and was dedicated at the first Roosevelt College dinner on Novem- ber 16, 1945, by Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt with the words: Roosevelt College of Chicago was founded to provide educational opportunities for persons of both sexes and of various races on equal terms' and to 'maintain a teaching Page 4