College of DuPage is a two-year community college in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The college owns and operates facilities in the Illinois communities of Addison, Carol Stream, Naperville and Westmont. The college serves students residing in Illinois' Community College District 502.
In 1967, the college was founded in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The chaparral is the college's mascot. Dr. Ann E. Rondeau is the college's president. With more than 29,000 students, the College of DuPage is the second largest provider of undergraduate education in Illinois.
The college is a member of National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and has won national championships in 11 sports. The campus has a variety of facilities covering a variety of disciplines including culinary studies, homeland security, health and arts.
On May 4, 2016, the current Board of Trustees named Dr. Ann Rondeau, a U.S. Navy educator, to the post of President. Her term began on July 1, 2016.
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History
College of DuPage was established after the Illinois General Assembly adopted the Public Community College Act of 1965 and the approval of DuPage high school district voters in a referendum. The college opened on September 25, 1967, under the leadership of the college's president, Rodney K. Berg, and Board of Trustees Chairman George L. Seaton. At the time, classes were held in office trailers and leased suburban sites throughout the newly established Community College District 502. Due to the college's students, faculty and staff having to drive from building to building for classes, the chaparral was adopted as the school's mascot. That year, The Courier, the school's student newspaper, published its first issue.
In 1968, the Glen Ellyn campus location was acquired. A year later, three interim buildings were constructed west of Lambert Road in Glen Ellyn. The Berg Instructional Center, the college's first permanent building, opened in 1973. WDCB, a public radio station owned by the college, was founded in 1977. Harold D. McAninch was appointed as the college's second president in 1979. In 1982, the college began publishing the Prairie Light Review, a literary magazine. The Student Resource Center (SRC) and Physical Education and Recreation Center opened in 1983.
The McAninch Arts Center was built in 1986. In 1990, the Seaton Computing Center was built and housed computer-specific classrooms for the Computer Information Systems, Computer and Internetworking Technologies, and Office Technology Information programs. A year later, the college opened new campus locations in Naperville and Westmont, Illinois.
Michael T. Murphy became the college's third president in 1994. In 2002, voters approved a $183-million bond referendum that provided funds for renovating and rebuilding the Glen Ellyn campus and off-campus locations. Funds from the referendum were used to build the Homeland Security Education Center, the Student Services Center, and the Culinary & Hospitality Center. In 2003, Dr. Sunil Chand replaced Murphy as the college's president. That year the College expanded with the opening of the Bloomingdale Center for Independent Learning. The Carol Stream Community Education Center opened in 2004 and the West Chicago Community Education Center in 2005. In fall 2005, College of DuPage converted from a quarter system to a semester system.
In 2006, College of DuPage and the Indian Prairie District 204 created the Frontier Campus, a magnet school for District 204 seniors and an additional college regional center. The college's Early Childhood Center and new campus roadways and parking lots were completed in 2007. The following year, the College received a maximum seven-year re-accreditation through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.
In January 2009, Dr. Robert L. Breuder became the college's president. The Health and Science Center and Technical Education Center opened that summer on the Glen Ellyn campus. The Technical Education Center is 178000 square feet (16,500 m2) and houses the Automotive Technology, HVAC/ELMEC, Architecture, Horticulture, and Interior Design programs, and in a new steel, glass and precast concrete panel building on the west side of campus. The building was awarded LEED Silver certification and was designed to support horticulture, construction trades, architecture, interior design, construction management, and automotive technology.
In May 2016, Dr Ann Rondeau was elected to become the sixth president of the College of DuPage.
The 475,000 square foot (44,100 m2) BIC Renovation (phase one completed 2011), and (phase two completed 2012) and new 65,000 square foot (6,000 m2) Student Services Center (SSC) (completed 2011) included the reorganization of faculty and administrative departments, expanded student commons, updated classrooms and labs. The addition of the new Student Services Center which now connects the SRC and BIC with a large naturally lit commons, a new coffee shop and 'one-stop-shop' student services offices and operations. The renovation and Student Services Center replaced the deteriorating BIC exterior with a new, modern panel and glass exterior and bright interior spaces. The transfer of the classes to the BIC enabled the construction of the next phase of the Homeland Security Education Center expansion on the west side of campus.
The Culinary and Hospitality Center (CHC) was completed 2011. It houses culinary kitchens and bakeries, a six-room boutique hotel run by students of the hospitality program, two gourmet restaurants open to the public, a culinary amphitheater and the college's Multimedia Services department. Waterleaf, one of the college's two restaurants, seats 150 people and is led by Executive Chef Nadia Tilkian.
Phase one of the Homeland Security Education Center was completed in 2011. The center houses the college's Criminal Justice and Fire Science Technology programs, as well as the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy and the COD police department.
Academics
College of DuPage offers transfer degree and technical education programs in various fields and disciplines. The college grants Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science degree (A.S.), Associate in Engineering Science degree (A.E.S.), Associate in Applied Science degree (A.A.S.), Associate in General Studies degree (A.G.S.), Associate in Fine Arts degree in Art (A.F.A.), and Associate in Arts in Teaching Secondary Mathematics (A.A.T.) degrees. Its main academic divisions are Business and Technology, Continuing Education/Extended Learning, Health and Sciences, Learning Resources, and Liberal Arts.
The college offers "3+1 degree" programs to earn a bachelor of science or bachelor of arts degree. The program requires students to take three years of classes at College of DuPage and a fourth year taught by a partner university on College of DuPage's campus. Partner universities include Benedictine University, Concordia University Chicago, Governors State University, Lewis University and Roosevelt University.
College of DuPage has a meteorology program that offers students credit for storm chasing. It is the first program in the country to offer storm chasing classes to undergraduates. Students in the department participate in community skywarn programs as advance spotters. The architecture program is one of the college's strongest programs and many graduates transfer to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Student life
The college offers over 60 academic and pre-professional clubs, culture and ethnic clubs, faith-based clubs, honors societies, literary and performing arts clubs, political clubs, and service oriented clubs. The Courier, a student newspaper, "Courier TV News", a student run newscast, The Chaparral a summer-themed magazine, and the Prairie Light Review, a humanities magazine are three student publications the college publishes. The college houses WDCB, a public radio station.
Athletics
College of DuPage is a member of National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The college has a men's baseball, basketball, cheer team, cross country, American football, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field team. It also has a women's basketball, cheer team, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball team.
The men's Ice Hockey team won the college's first NJCAA championship in 1980. The college has a total of 31 NJCAA championship titles.
The Men's track and field team has competed in both NJCAA Division III and Division I. In Division III, College of Dupage was national champion for outdoor track and field in 2002,2003,2006, and 2010. Several athletes from COD's track and field program have started their careers at COD. Tom Pukstys began his career at COD before going on to compete in first Olympics games in 1992, coming in 10th place. Troy Doris from Bolingbrook, Illinois, also started his career at COD. In 2016 Troy Doris appeared for Guyana in the triple jump, placing 7th.
National championships
- Men's Division III Golf: 1996, 1997, 1998
- Men's Ice Hockey: 1980, 1988, 1990
- Men's Soccer: 1993
- Men's Division III Tennis: 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005
- Men's Division III Basketball: 2002
- Men's Division III Outdoor Track & Field: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010
- Women's Division III Basketball: 2000, 2002
- Women's Division III Fast Pitch Softball: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004
- Women's Division III Outdoor Track & Field: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
- Women's Division III Volleyball: 1998, 1999
- Women's Division III Tennis: 2008, 2010
Facilities
Berg Instructional Center (BIC)
The Berg Instructional Center was opened in 1974. The structure spans four levels that houses many classrooms, workshops, labs, department offices as well as faculty offices, and conference areas. It was named after the College of DuPage's first president, Rodney K. Berg.
Culinary and Hospitality Center (CHC)
The Culinary and Hospitality Center (CHC) was completed in 2011. The center houses kitchens and bakeries, a six-room boutique Hotel run by students of the Hospitality program, two gourmet restaurants open to the public, a culinary amphitheater and the colleges TV station and video production departments. Waterleaf, one of the restaurant the center houses, serves brunch, lunch and dinner on Monday, Thursday and Sunday. Tuesday and Wednesdays students in the College of DuPage Culinary Program take over the restaurant space and provide their own brand of cooking and dinner service.
Early Childhood Center (ECC)
The Early Childhood Center was completed in 2007. The center serves more than 100 children and houses the Early Childhood Education and Care degree and certificate programs. This building is located across College rd. from the main campus. It has kindergarten, part-time preschool, a daycare and full-time preschool.
Health and Science Center (HSC)
The Health and Science Center was funded by the proceeds of the 2002 capital referendum and opened in 2010. The center houses the Basic Nursing Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Imaging, Health Science, Nuclear Medicine, Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiography, Respiratory Care, Surgical Technology, Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany programs. The HSC also houses a Nursing Simulation and Long-Term care lab, Dental Hygiene lab and Surgical Technology operating room lab. The building received LEED Gold certification.
Robert J. Miller Homeland Security Education Center (HEC)
Phase one of the Homeland Security Education Center was funded by the proceeds of the 2002 capital referendum and completed in 2011. It houses the Criminal Justice program, the Fire Science/EMS program, the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy and the COD police department.
The center has an Immersive Interior Training Lab, forensics and cybercrimes labs, an auditorium that doubles as a mock courtroom, a self-contained breathing apparatus lab, and a debriefing room.
The center also includes a Memorial to the September 11 attacks in the form of several exhibits in its lobby with the centerpiece being a steel beam recovered from the towers.
The McAninch Arts Center
]The McAninch Arts Center was built in 1986, and is named after the college's second president. The center has three performing spaces and gallery space for professionals, faculty, and student exhibits. A $35 million renovation to the center was completed in 2013. The renovation updated the major performance spaces, addressed significant infrastructure needs and improved several academic program areas. The MAC houses the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall, the 186-seat soft-thrust playhouse theater and the 70-seat black box studio theater. It also houses the Cleve Carney Art Gallery, classrooms for the college's academic programming and the 1,200 capacity outdoor Lakeside Pavilion. The facility has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since opening in 1986.
Natural Areas
The Russell R. Kirt Prairie, ecological study area and B.J. Hoddinott Wildlife Sanctuary are three natural areas maintained by College of DuPage on the Glen Ellyn campus. This year, tours were offered and the final one is scheduled for August 24.
Physical Education Center (PEC)
The Physical Education Center is where the athletic program is and it also holds classrooms for many other courses. It also has a fitness area on the 2nd floor which students and staff of the school as well as community members can join.
Seaton Computing Center
The Seaton Computing Center was built in 1990 and houses computer-specific classrooms for the Computer Information Systems, Computer and Internetworking Technologies, and Office Technology Information programs.
Student Resource Center (SRC)
The Student Resource Center holds the Library, Bookstore, Jack H. Turner Conference Center, Records, Learning Commons, Continuing Education/Extended Learning, Academic Computing Center and main cafeteria and the offices for the president.
The library has partnerships with various community-based and state and national library organizations. The Library's Philanthropy Center is a partnership with the Donors Forum of Chicago. The Library also has a residency in community college librarianship program, designed to offer a two-year intensive, mentored experience in community college librarianship to a recent library school graduate. The Library also provides resources and facilities for the College's Library Technical Assistance (LTA) certificate program. In January 2000, the library received the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries and Blackwells' Book Services.
Student Services Center (SSC)
The Student Services Center was completed in the fall of 2011, and is located in between the SRC and the BIC. Regarded as the "living room" of COD, the SCC holds the Admissions and Outreach, Campus Central, Counseling and Advising, Financial Aid, Academic Support, Registration, Records,Testing Center, Veterans Administrative Services, and the Cashier's Office. This building also holds the COD Board Room, Student Activities, the Veteran's lounge on the second floor, and Starbucks.
Technical Education Center (TEC)
The Technical Education Center was funded through proceeds from the 2002 capital referendum and was completed in 2010. It houses the college's Architecture, Interior Design, Horticulture, Automotive Technology, Computer-Aided Design, Construction Management, Electro-Mechanical Technology, Electronics-Integrated Engineering Technology, HVAC-R, Manufacturing Technology and Welding Technology programs. The building is LEED certified.
Other campuses
Besides the main campus in Glen Ellyn, the College of DuPage operates four other smaller campuses in Illinois including one in Westmont, one in Naperville, one in Addison and one in Carol Stream. All of the campuses provide many of the same services as the main campus including tutoring and testing.
Westmont campus
The Westmont campus is at 650 Pasguinelli Drive in Westmont.
Naperville campus
The Naperville Campus is located at 1223 Rickert Drive in Naperville.
Carol Stream campus
The Carol Stream Campus is located at 500 N. Kuhn Road in Carol Stream.
Addison campus
The Addison Campus is located at 301 S. Swift Road in Addison.
Controversy
In May 2008, the school board abruptly removed the college president, Sunil Chand. Faculty members and students protested a November 2008 board meeting to implement conservative activist David Horowitz's "Academic Bill of Rights", which takes control over curriculum away from teachers and gives it to the school board. The faculty association sent a letter to the board noting that the changes were never discussed and no complaints over curriculum have been filed by students.
The College of DuPage had a special fund for administrators called an "imprest fund." Any purchase made from the fund that is under the $15,000 is not subject to disclosure to the public or review by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees reportedly failed to review the itemized receipts for $26 million of expenditures that college administrators have spent over 16 months. In October 2014, The Washington Times awarded COD its weekly "Golden Hammer Award," given for waste, fraud, and abuse, in response to its management of this fund.
In 2014, COD President Robert Breuder sent an email to the college's trustees asking them to come up with a justification that would allow the State of Illinois' to disburse a $20 million grant that the legislature previously had approved. In the email, Breuder proposed associating the released funds with a planned $50 million teaching and learning center. The appropriation incident and Breuder's email led to an editorial in the Chicago Tribune that called the episode, "...a seedy little money grab by officials at the College of DuPage."
In January 2015, the board of trustees voted to give COD President Robert Breuder $763,000, which was defined as a retirement package. The Chicago Tribune wrote that "some trustees now acknowledge that the buyout was negotiated to terminate Breuder's contract, which had been secretly extended to 2019." A spokesman from the office of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said the administration had been watching the entire vote process carefully and had notified the Illinois Community College Board, the state authority over community colleges.
In December 2015, the Higher Learning Commission placed COD on accreditation probation, due to concerns about "operating with integrity and governance of the College."
Notable faculty and alumni
- Matt Armstrong, actor
- Aaron Bailey, football player
- Jim Belushi, actor and comedian
- John Belushi, actor and comedian
- Steven Best, animal rights activist, author, talk-show host, and associate professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso
- Andy Herren, part-time instructor, winner of Big Brother 15
- Maryann Krieglstein, social worker and community organizer; Human Services Professor emeritus and former Coordinator of the Human Services Program at the college of DuPage
- Werner Krieglstein, retired professor; COD's Teacher of the Year (2003); University of Chicago fellow and Fulbright Scholar; philosopher, author, and actor
- Bob McMillen, former arena football/linebacker. Head coach of Los Angeles Kiss
- Jon Morris, football player
- Lamorne Morris, actor
- Marisol Nichols, actress
- Bob Odenkirk, actor, comedian and writer
- Tom Pukstys, Olympian in the javelin
- Matt Rahn, offensive lineman for several Arena Football League teams
- Keenan Smith, meteorologist
- Paul Spicer, defensive end with five NFL teams
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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