Founding and Legal Authorization
In December 1978 a diverse group of visionaries began to plan a new, urban, non- denominational institution of higher learning in Chicago. These founders recognized a need to expand educational access in the city, and had a unique vision for doing so.
East-West University was incorporated in Wisconsin as a non-profit corporation on February 22, 1979, and was legally recognized by all three states (Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana) that make up the greater Chicago metropolitan area. The Internal Revenue Service awarded East-West University 501(c)3 status, making it tax-exempt and eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable gifts.
The University received approval and operating authority from the Illinois Board of Higher Education in May 1980, and the University’s first class began on September 15, 1980. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission certified the University in June
1980, and the United States Department of Education did so in July of 1981, making the University students eligible for all types of financial aid. In November 1981 the University was authorized by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (now a part of the Department of Homeland Security) to enroll non-immigrant students from other countries and certify student visa applications.
East-West University is listed in all comprehensive higher education directories and guides. The University has been regionally accredited by the Higher Learning
Commission since December, 1983, and is currently on probation, preparing for a review in November 2016.
Philosophy
East-West University represents a unique development in the annals of higher education institutions in the city of Chicago and its suburbs. The University is established primarily to preserve and extend and to integrate and transmit knowledge of human beings concerning themselves, the universe, and their Creator. It strives to develop in its graduates the wisdom derived from human heritage, the spirit of inquiry that leads to discovery, and the sense of dedication which spends itself in the service of humankind. It inspires the students to pursue natural and supernatural truths and imbibe the urge to live a fuller and more fruitful life.
Mission
East-West University is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence by all through relevant, effective and convenient education, and service to humankind with a global, multi- cultural and future oriented perspective. It is both comprehensive and pluralistic in terms of clientele, academic programs, educational delivery systems, research and publication projects, and sources of financial support.
Purposes
The following are the purposes in support of the University’s philosophy and mission:
To Provide relevant, Effective and convenient
Education:
The founders of East-West University believe there will always be a need for colleges and universities which offer relevant, diversified, and attractive academic programs at convenient times and places, which employ effective modes of educational delivery, and which adopt a policy of low tuition and opportunities to seek financial aid. To meet the needs of students coming from different racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, the academic programs of East- West University encompass many aspects of human life. They include both liberal and professional education as well as studies related to the arts, family, and practical living so intellects are sharpened, perspectives broadened, and effectiveness in life and in vocations increased.
To foster Equal Educational Opportunity for all Racial, Ethnic and Socio-Economic Groups:
The principle of equality of educational opportunity and of human worth is the centerpiece of all academic and fiscal planning of East-West University.
To Offer Programs in Liberal Arts and Sciences Along With Job and Career Related Professional Education Geared to the Service Economy of Modern Times:
Higher education plays an important part in the trend towards increasing consumption of professional services. Indeed, it is virtually the only source of personnel for such services.
The production of services uses few raw
materials and is remarkably clean in its environmental effects. Services, particularly of the professional type such as health care, business and engineering professions, entertainment and recreation, the arts, religion, government and education at all levels, are uniquely related to human welfare and to the development of human beings. They touch profoundly the lives of individuals and determine the range of personal opportunity.
To Cultivate Dedication to Serve Humankind With a Global, Multi-Cultural and Future- Oriented Perspective:
Also worthy of serious thought is a global, multi-cultural, and future-oriented perspective of higher learning that is often neglected in universities and colleges. We are living in an increasingly interdependent and interconnected world in which exponential growth is causing a serious shrinkage of space and resources. Astonishing advances in scientific and technological innovations transgress, indeed in some cases obliterate, national boundaries. National interest can no longer be defined and attained in isolation from the global interest. If humankind is to survive in this fast changing world, we need a profound reshaping of higher education, so an international intellectual community can be created which has the ability to adapt to an uncertain future and which can innovate, improvise, and solve problems with no precedent. As its name connotes, East-West University strives to meet these goals in its educational, research, and informational programs. Its international faculty resources focus on building bridges of harmony and cooperation among nations and people of the East and of the West for a better
understanding of the human family
The Locale and Constituency of The University
The locale of East-West University is the City of Chicago and its suburbs extending beyond the State of Illinois into the States of Wisconsin and Indiana – one of the largest metropolitan areas of the world. Not only is this area the merging point of the eastern and western United States, but it has become a confluence of the distinctive features of the western world and the eastern world communities. Almost 22% of the population of the City of Chicago, over half a million people, are either foreign-born or native-born of foreign or mixed parentage. About 36% of
Chicagoans, 5 years and over, speak a language other than English at home. There are literally hundreds of thousands of west and east Europeans, Italians, Greeks, Turks, Africans, Arabs, Iranians, Pakistanis, Indians, Southeast Asians, Chinese and Japanese, as well as African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans,
Latin-Americans and others living here together – an incredibly rich and vital constituency worthy of pride for any great university.
Location and Campus Facilities
The Chicago campus facilities of East-West University consists of the East building located at 816 South Michigan Avenue, the West building at 819 South Wabash Avenue, and
the Student Life Center (SLC) located at 829
South Wabash Avenue, in the South Loop of the downtown area. The three buildings are connected by an enclosed walkway. Michigan Avenue is one of the most imposing thoroughfares in America. Grant park and Lake Michigan are located to the east of the campus and the towering buildings to the west and the north form a setting that is attractive and memorable. The architectural
grandeur and beauty of downtown Chicago is world-renowned. Chicago’s Museum Campus, comprising the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium, is a short walk to the southeast of the campus. The Chicago Public Library Cultural Center, Millennium Park, the Art Institute, Buckingham Fountain, Orchestra Hall, Soldier Field, theaters, the financial district, federal and state office buildings, and fine restaurants are all within easy walking distance.
Student Life Center
The Student Life Center provides academic and recreational facilities, meeting and conference rooms, informal gathering places, a restaurant and 70 apartments for college
students affiliated with a promising institution of higher learning: East-West University (EWU). Recreational facilities include the full- size basketball court, a cardio and strength training fitness center as well as a yoga room.
Academic facilities include the University library, tutoring center, an open computer lab and two classroom spaces, one traditional and another computer lab-based. Conference facilities include the Riaz H. Waraich Auditorium for lectures, Conference Rooms East and West for small group meetings as well as the 17th Floor Multipurpose Room and terrace for receptions.
The Student Life Center provides free open wireless on all main floors (floors 1-6) for members of the University community.
Student housing called Flats at East-West University is located on floors 7-16 of the Student Life Center. Apartments are furnished with a bed, desk, desk chair, dresser, wardrobe
as well as a refrigerator, freezer and microwave. Utilities are included within the license agreement (including cable TV, Internet, heat, water, garbage, and electricity). Other amenities available to residents include lounges, on-site laundry, vending machines and bicycle storage. License agreements are valid for 9 months (late September-mid June). Summer housing is also available. Applications are available online at www.theflatsstudenthousing.com. The Flats Student Housing Office can be contacted at
312.939.0112 or theflats@eastwest.edu.
Student Populations
East-West University serves all those who are desirous and capable of undertaking higher education. The student populations that the University is specifically committed to serve include among others: students who are seeking quality education to pursue excellence in their lives; students from low-income families who are motivated to enroll with the help of state and federal tuition grants, loans, and institutional scholarships; active
employees of business and industrial concerns who want to enroll in conveniently offered programs with the help of financial assistance or employer provided tuition reimbursement; mature and experienced persons who have acquired competencies needed for a
successful life and are now seeking to earn a degree; students from various ethnic and immigrant communities; and foreign students
Characteristics of The Instructional System
The more important characteristics of the University’s instructional system are the following:
Courses are offered in the day and evening to fit time preferences of the majority of students.
The instructional methods are reviewed periodically, so students have the benefit of effective learning settings.
Academic support services help instructors incorporate technological and pedagogical innovations and resources in their teaching.
Students and faculty are encouraged to adopt the spirit and practice of learned inquiry and contribute to research and publications as far as possible.
The existence of administrative core group, faculty council and curriculum committee ensures participatory academic governance.
The University’s annual schedule is comprised of three quarters of 11 weeks each and a summer session which varies in duration.
Research and publication programs, institutes and centers of different area studies and national and international level conferences and symposia organized on a continuing basis over time are other salient features of the University’s educational delivery system.
Small class sizes.
The University’s organization includes students, faculty, staff, administrators, directors and trustees, and interested community members working together in a closely integrated manner and interacting in
university governance. The receptiveness to each other’s evaluation in terms of expectancies and commitments made creates a high level of accountability in the development and implementation of plans related to the instructional system.
Student Bill of Rights
All students enrolled at East-West University may rightfully expect that the faculty and administrators of the University will maintain the conditions which facilitate learning. Students are encouraged to exercise their right to free inquiry in a reasonable and peaceful manner.
Statement of Academic Freedom
As an essential element of living up to the philosophy, adhering to the mission, and pursuing the purposes of East-West University as stated in its publications, the University endorses in principle the Statement of Academic Freedom adopted by the American Association of University Professors in 1940, inclusive of later amendments. More specifically:
Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.
Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching matter which has no relation to their subject.
College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinion of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.
The institutional policies and regulations applicable to any and all of the above areas are discussed in East-West University publications and provide the interpretative and legal basis for institutional actions.
Governance and Administration
Board of Directors of the Corporation Ultimate custodianship of the University’s interests is vested in a seven-member Corporate Board of Directors, which includes the founders of the University Corporation. The board functions in accordance with the provisions of its Articles of Incorporation, its by-laws, and all pertinent statutes. Directors may attend meetings of the Board of Trustees as non-voting observers.
Board of Trustees
The operation and development of the University and the regulation and management of its affairs are governed by the 13-21 member Board of Trustees. Nominations to membership of the Board of Trustees may be made by any current Director or Trustee of the University. The Board of Trustees has direct accountability
for the operations of the University through its powers to appoint and supervise the Chancellor of the University. Other functions of the Trustees include mobilizing resources and building the assets of the University on a continuing basis, approving policies and strategic plans, and the annual budget for the University’s operation and development. The incumbent trustees of the University represent
a wide variety of backgrounds, demonstrate exceptional professional caliber, and bring a
wide experience of community involvement and public interest work.
The Chancellor
The Chancellor is the Chief Executive Officer of the University and an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees and of all Committees of the Board. Among the Chancellor’s responsibilities are:
Supervising the day-to-day operation of the University in accordance with the policies approved by the Board of Trustees.
Enforcement of University rules and regulations.
Management of fiscal matters. Appointment, supervision, evaluation and removal of all academic and administrative personnel of the University.
Initial approval and presentation to the Board of Trustees of the policies and procedures of all academic and administrative committees and councils of the University.
Preparation of reports on the state of the University required by various agencies. Managing the University’s relations with other educational agencies and institutions.
administrative organization
The organizational structure of the University integrates relationships and functions of employees in a way designed to support the institutional mission. The organizational chart illustrates this organizational structure and fundamental accountability, authority, and responsibility relationships.
A team decision-making approach ensures extensive communication among top and midlevel executives and the faculty, improving the quality of decisions, facilitating team allegiance, and educating team members concerning the intricacies of each major operating unit of the University. it also provides peer regulation of performance expectations and timeliness. Key decision- making groups are comprised of selected members of the administrative and academic staff of the University and include:
The Administrative Core Group, which oversees University management issues, and makes or reviews
recommendations to the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees.
The Faculty Council, which adopts and revises academic policies, programs, curriculum, and faculty personnel policies.
The Curriculum and General Education Committee, which makes reccomendations to the Faculty Council on all curricular matters and the
General Education program.
The Standing Committee on University Planning, which creates, tracks, and adjusts the strategic plan.
The Development and University Relations Committee, which coordinates the functions of the offices
of development, grantsmanship, public relations, and publications.
The Student Success Committee, which works to enhance student persistence, retention, and graduation.
The General Assembly of the University consists of all full-time members of the academic and administrative staff and the Chancellor. It meets at least twice a year for planning retreats. It makes policy recommendations for action by the Chancellor for purposes of the University’s efficient operation and development. It may also appoint advisory committees on academic programs, and recommend policies regulating student work, fiscal resources, administrative organization, and other aspects of institutional governance.
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