Governors State University Becomes a Four Year Institution

This fall, Governors State University (GSU), 1 University Parkway, University Park, IL, will become a four year college institution.
This fall, Governors State University (GSU), 1 University Parkway, University Park, IL, will become a four year college institution.

This fall, Governors State University (GSU), 1 University Parkway, University Park, IL, will become a four year college institution. The school is now set to accommodate:

· undergraduate students in addition to its traditional upperclassmen and graduate students

· on-campus housing

· a new athletic program

· and structural renovations – including a $22.6 million renovation to the 80,000 square feet of space to the science wing in E and F buildings.

“It has been exhilarating transformation that has created a great deal of energy and spirit on-campus,” said Elaine Maimon, Governors State University President when asked about the transition to a four year institution. “I think it’s been very gratifying to see faculty leadership really embracing the opportunity to build a four year program from the ground up; it’s a great privilege to be able to do that.”

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Elaine Maimon, President, Governors State University

Maimon also explained that classroom sizes would be no larger than 30 students. Additionally, GSU will offer theater and performance studies, gender and sexuality studies, a master's joint degree program in political and justice studies, and public administration; and a graduate-level clinical mental health counselor certificate for post-master's degree graduate students.

“The faculty task force that we formed about two and a half years ago, as soon as we had approval from the Illinois Board of Higher Education, started doing in-depth research on what worked; we looked at the research done by Complete College America,” said Maimon. “We looked at research done by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) under what is called the L.E.A.P. Initiative which stands for, liberal education and America’s promise, then we looked at work done by John Gardner and Betsy Barefoot who for 20 years run the institute on the first year experience.”

Freshmen entering GSU will now have the opportunity to live in GSU’s first on-campus residence, Prairie Place, along with fellow students in both undergraduate and graduate programs, according to the college's website.

“We are one of the last institutions in the country that’s upper division that will be transitioning to a four year university,” said Rhonda Brown, Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Communications at GSU. “The emphasis for the decision to expand our program to include freshman is based mainly on efficiency.”

National education expert, John Gardner, President of the Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, gave GSU's new direction high praise stating, “These fortunate first-year students will experience a unique foundational experience the equal to or better potentially than any with which we have been associated—and to which it has been an honor to contribute to such an historic educational development process.”

On establishing a new athletic program, hiring an athletic director and joining the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Maimon said, “We believe that in order for students to have a full academic experience; [yet], the student is more important than the athlete.”

Beginning this year, GSU will have both a men’s and women’s basketball team. By 2016, GSU will also offer women's volleyball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's cross country, and bowling.

For more information visit http://www.govst.edu/.

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