University Center adds WIU as 19th member

Western Illinois University became the 19th member of the University Center of Lake County in action taken by the Executive Committee of the Center's Governing Board on April 27, 2011.

WIU will offer doctoral and education specialist programs in educational leadership.

“We're always pleased when another public institution is able to join us in helping to meet Lake County's educational needs,” said G. Gary Grace, Executive Director and Dean of the University Center.

Affiliation with the University Center will enable WIU to link via videoconferencing two small cohorts of students already enrolled in the doctoral program and studying in Moline and Palatine. While that cohort progresses, WIU will begin recruiting students to enroll in the Ed.S. program, which prepares candidates to apply for superintendent/chief school business official certification through the Illinois State Board of Education and which serves as the pre-requisite for the doctoral program. They expect a strong response.

"Following a needs assessment conducted by WIU's educational leadership department and analyzing data from two Lake County teacher surveys, Western determined there were numerous principals and teachers who were interested in both the University's superintendent certification program, as well as our doctoral program," noted WIU Provost Jack Thomas. "We offer numerous undergraduate degrees via distance learning options, and it made sense to offer two graduate-level degree programs to Lake County area educators who had expressed a need for these types of programs. We look forward to working with the University Center of Lake County to serve placebound graduate students in their region."

For more information about this program, contact the University Center at 847/665-4000 or visit its website: www.ucenter.org.

The University Center's other member institutions are: Benedictine University, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Concordia University Chicago, DePaul University, Dominican University, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Kendall College, National-Louis University, North Park University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Olivet Nazarene University, Saint Xavier University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Springfield, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Each offers selected programs.