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. Joseph Collins is the college's acting interim president. College of DuPage has more than 29,000 students and 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.
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.
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.
College Of Dupage Homeland Security Video
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 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, 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, swimming, tennis, track & field, diving and ice hockey team. It also has a women's basketball, cheer team, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball team.
National championships
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.
- 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
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.
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.
Physical Education Center (PEC)
The Physical Education Center opened in 1983. It features a 40,000 square-foot main arena, an indoor track, racquetball courts and swimming pool.
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.
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.
Controversy
College of DuPage vs The Village of Glen Ellyn
In 2011 and 2012, College of DuPage was engaged in active litigation and slander with the Village of Glen Ellyn regarding the college's construction efforts. The issues began with wayfinding signage that the college put up, which the village opposed, since the college refused to place sidewalks along the main arteries of the campus. The subsequent woes resulted in construction stoppages, litigation, and insults hurled from both the village and the college. The litigation led to the college establishing itself, and being granted, as being outside of the village's boundaries. This led to the college being covered by the cities of Lombard and Lisle for Fire Protection, and DuPage County covered the site for Public Safety alongside the college's Campus Safety department.
The Facilities Master Plan, Gilbane, Resignations
Between 2004 and 2009, a series of construction projects added an Early Childhood Education Center, a Technology Education Center, a Health Careers and Natural Sciences building, and a Business and Community Education center to the Glen Ellyn campus, while demolishing three older buildings on the same campus. Other projects during this time period include athletic field and building renovations at the Glen Ellyn campus and projects at the Carol Stream and Naperville facilities.
The projects are not without controversy. Renovations of the McAninch Arts Center were marred by problems. According to the November 2006 "Renovation Project Review" conducted by the college's auditing firm, Sikich LLP, "Faculty are an excellent resource that needs to be taken seriously since they clearly are looking out for the best interests of COD but they must trust the process and the expertise of the contractors without becoming a disruptive influence on the construction work."
These very contractors "installed copper pipe to be used with acetylene gas," as one faculty member wrote, "that is not a mistake it is an uneducated choice". Other OSHA concerns were also raised, which prompted the Sikich review.
According to the Sikich report, "Faculty need to trust the process and the expertise of the contractors and not to take matters into their own hands; such as, becoming preoccupied with issues relating to OSHA standards to the point of becoming disruptive to the construction process. Faculty need to be controlled by the administration."
Director of Facilities Gavin Tun, in an April 26, 2005 e-mail wrote, "You do need to be careful about the OSHA items. The A/E [architect/engineer] of record should understand that a concern has been expressed by the stakeholders, and therefore needs to be addressed in the design process. The reason we are doing this project is because of those complaints. If we didn't address their concerns, we are wasting $$. Even though contract documents do not specifically state that the project is OSHA compliant, they need to make sure that there is nothing in this project that violates any OSHA guideline."
The contractors associated with the Arts Center renovation were not the only ones criticized. The Sikich report called for bringing the program manager position in-house, removing Gilbane and successor RISE Group. Gavin Tun also called for this in his interview with the Courier after his resignation {see below}.
In January 2007, Board member Jane M. Herron resigned. In her letter of resignation dated January 18, Herron wrote the "board is going in directions I believe to be in conflict with the values of the college, the community, and my own ethics and values as a board member," she also cited "blatant disregard for the professional opinions of our administration, the awarding of multimillion dollar contracts to companies that have not done their job well, the awarding of contracts that are hundreds of thousands if not millions above our budget, the behavior of individual trustees..."
Her resignation was followed by that of Director of Facilities Gavin Tun. In an April 6, 2007 interview with the Courier student newspaper, Tun said, "We have amazing opportunities at the college that we are not able to maximize on because of our governing bodies...People are feeling repressed. This is not America. People are not free to express their opinions. They are afraid, they have families to feed and mortgages to pay. I was like that too."
In May 2008, the school board abruptly removed the college president, Sunil Chand.
In October 2008, COD board chairman Michael McKinnon sued three former college trustees for defamation. The defamation suit was dismissed in mid-February, 2009. The three trustees had alleged that he had sexually harassed them. Mary Mack, one of the trustees, then counter-sued McKinnon for defamation.
In November 2008, according to Insidehighered.com, faculty members and students protested a board meeting by attending the meeting with tape over their mouths. This was to protest changes to the college rules modeled on conservative activist David Horowitz's controversial "Academic Bill of Rights", which takes control over the curriculum away from teachers and gives it to the school board. If adopted, as the Board of Trustees has proposed, this reform would make College of DuPage the first institution of higher learning in the nation to adopt Horowiz's "Academic Bill of Rights" 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. Another controversial change to the college rules was that control over the student newspaper will be given to the College president. This comes after the newspaper criticized the school board. The Student Press Law Center advised the newspaper that the changes may violate Illinois state law.
In February 2009, a board meeting in which trustee candidates contested objections to their candidacy drew over 100 people. The objections to the candidacies had been filed by Kory Atkinson, an outgoing trustee. The board barred audience members from commenting on the procedures. Candidates charged that the process was flawed and undemocratic.
President Breuder's retirement package
In January 2015, the board of trustees voted to give COD President Robert Breuder $763,000 when he leaves his position in March 2015. The board originally defined the money as a retirement package. The Chicago Tribune wrote on February 8 that "some trustees now acknowledge that the buyout was negotiated to terminate Breuder's contract, which had been secretly extended to 2019." COD promised to name the homeland security education building after Breuder as part of the deal.
Because of procedural issues, on Jan. 28, 2015, the Board of Trustees of the college had to vote in a second, publicly attended meeting, on the retirement deal. Six trustees voted in favor and one trustee (Kathy Hamilton) voted no. A DuPage County judge rule in favor of Watchdogs' lawsuit and ordered the board to hold the meeting in a larger facility to accommodate more members of the public. That night's meeting saw over 500 people in attendance. In a Chicago Tribune article "Critics boo as College of DuPage board reaffirms president's buyout", reporters observed that the crowd was raucous.
Several legislators expressed opposition to the retirement deal. Illinois state representative Jack Franks (D-Marengo) said he would cut the college's funding by two times the amount of the buyout, $1.25 million.
A spokesman from the office of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) 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.
Several days after the vote, a group of state lawmakers proposed new legislation that would prohibit "golden parachutes" in situations similar to Breuder's retirement package. One Republican state representative will introduce the "Breuder Rule", which would outlaw severance deals that are greater than one year's salary and benefits. Colleges who break the law would be prohibited from raising property taxes and student fees and tuition for as long as the payments went out. A Democratic state senator, Tom Cullerton, will introduce a bill that would ban the College of DuPage from naming public buildings or programs after Breuder.
State grant controversy
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, specific justification to prompt release of the delayed funds. In the email, Breuder proposed associating the released funds with a planned $50 million teaching and learning center, and pressuring then-governor Pat Quinn, e.g., by thanking him before the audience of 3,500 at COD's 2014 commencement ceremony. (Quinn left the campus before Breuder spoke.)
Seven of the eight COD Trustees were persuaded to approve the $50 million project. The only dissenter, Kathy Hamilton, Vice Chairman, was subsequently censured by the board in August, 2014, for "...erroneous statements" purportedly made in relation to the decision. Many angry audience members voiced their disapproval by shouting "Shame!" and "Shame on you." Illinois State Representative Jeanne Ives spoke out against the censure vote, calling it "...completely inappropriate...." Ultimately, Governor Quinn's Press Secretary, Dave Blanchette, issued a statement communicating cancellation of the grant, saying:
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."
Losses at the College gourmet restaurant
The College has a gourmet restaurant, Waterleaf Restaurant. The College last reported on Waterleaf's financial status in 2012, and in that reporting period, the restaurant lost $500,000. The college pays to cover the restaurant's losses. McGuire also dismissed the amounts spent on food and liquor saying they were only a small percentage of the COD's $187 million budget. President Breuder agreed with McGuire's comments and referred to the charges of corruption as "...a plethora of rhetoric...".
Uses of the "imprest fund"
The College of DuPage runs a special fund for administrators called an "imprest fund." At COD, 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 has failed to review the itemized receipts for $26 million of expenditures that college administrators have spent over 16 months. Writer Adam Andrzejewski filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in order to obtain details about the unexplained spending; writing in Forbes magazine, he stated that "[a]t COD, imprest payments aren't individually disclosed, but instead aggregated and summarized as a line item." Hence, the fund has been viewed to as an accounting maneuver that allows people to lump multiple purchases together into a single budgetary line item, allowing individual purchases without explanation. These reports call attention to the fact that COD administrators made 85,000 individual purchases under $15,000 limit from the imprest fund, from the imp rest fund, totaling $95 million. This spending included:
- $243,305 for alcohol, under an account ledger description of "instructional supplies";
- $23,686 to President Breuder's private shooting club, and for supplies for an elephant-hunting trip the President took to Africa; and
- $4,809 in mileage reimbursement for local travel, in addition to the monthly car allowance that the president receives.
In addition, a number of payments from the imprest fund to businesses associated with individuals with positions with the COD Foundation have been referred to as "conflict of Interest payments"; these include:
- $435,365 to Herricane Graphics, where owner Carla Burkhart sits on the COD Foundation board of directors;
- $328,020 to Wight & Company, a construction company, whose owner Mark Wight is a vice president of the COD Foundation;
- $464,873 to Robbins Schwartz Nicholas Lifton & Taylor, a law firm, where an attorney at the firm, Kenneth Florey, sits on COD Foundation board; and
- $229,500 to Roger Marquardt & Co., a lobbying firm, where company president Scott Marquardt sits on COD Foundation board.
Concerns about the fund and its accounting irregularities have been voiced by citizens attending recent board meetings; in November, 2104, the COD Board of Trustees, however, voted "no" on a motion to audit the imprest funds. The vice chair of the board, Kathy Hamilton, proposed that all payments made from the imprest fund be submitted to the board each month. Trustee Diane McGuire criticized the FOIA requests from watchdog groups, calling them "counterproductive", and characterized the cost of the effort the school has to make to respond to the requests as "dollars that are actually wasted." In October 2014, The Washington Times awarded its weekly "Golden Hammer Award," given for waste, fraud, and abuse in government, to the College of DuPage, in largest part in response to its management of this fund.
Student Lawsuit against College of DuPage
On November 5, 2015, the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV revealed that a student sought to sue the college and two of its police officers after alleged misconduct which occurred on December 7, 2014. The alleged incident started with the student having been confronted by police officers for smoking on campus, which after complying, went inside to her class. She was subsequently followed, and arrested for trespassing on school property, and it was revealed that, through a released video by the student's professor, the student was aggressively being arrested, in which she sustained shoulder and wrist injuries. There were also allegations of the officers threatening a student who was videotaping the event with their phone with a taser. The video which was captured on the student's phone was deleted.
More facts of the story came out at a later time, based on actual police reports, eyewitness statements, and additional video of the event. The student was stopped for smoking on campus, which was a violation of the College of DuPage Board Policy. She claimed she initially complied, but refused to identify herself, which is required by the policy. The officer repeatedly ordered her to stop and identify herself, a claim which is substantiated by the two other students stopped with her. Upon her return to class, one officer repeatedly asked for ID, which she repeatedly refused. Witnesses estimated 10 minutes of questioning occurred before she was warned of arrest for obstructing the identification process. At this time, she was told she was under arrest, and told to stand and put her hands behind her back. Once again, she became defiant, and the officers used minimal force to arrest her. She also had no complaints of injury to the College of DuPage Police officers, nor the DuPage County Sheriff's deputies at the county jail. Two students from the class room who witnessed the events came forward to The Courier, the college's student news paper, supplying a longer video and more details of the event. The completely refuted the accusation that anyone's cell phone video was deleted, and reiterated that no one was threatened with a Taser.
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
- 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
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