Governors State University

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Governor's State University


Established	1969
Type	Public University
President	Stuart I. Fagan
Provost	Paul R. Keys
Students	6,000
Undergraduates	2,632
Location	University Park, Illinois, USA
Address	1 University Parkway
Telephone	(708) 534-5000
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Black & Gold
Affiliations	None
Website	http://www.govst.edu

Governors State University (GSU) is a public university located in University Park, Illinois. The 750 acre (3.0 km²) campus is located 30 miles south of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1969, GSU is an upper-division university, offering undergraduate courses at the junior and senior levels as well as graduate level coursework leading to a master's degree. GSU's four colleges include Arts and Sciences, Business and Public Administration, Education, and Health Professions.

GSU is home to the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (named for an area developer), which began with one piece in 1969 and has since become one of the nation's most significant outdoor collections.

[edit] History

Founded on July 17, 1969, Governors State University was founded with deliberate efforts to veer from the traditionally established ways of providing higher education. GSU was one of the original "Universities without Walls" as well as a university that did not offer grades, but competencies instead. In place of departments, it had "interdisciplinary studies," and all professors shared the same rank, "University Professor." GSU is one of the two initial upper-division and graduate universities in Illinois. The other was the University of Illinois, Springfield. GSU is the only remaining public university in Illinois with this structure.

GSU has recently developed into a more traditional University, with Divisions and Departments, professors with rank (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor), and classrooms with walls and smart technology.

[edit] Statistics

GSU offers 47 degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as 11 certificate programs.
Over 38% of Governors State's students are racial minorities.
The average age of a student at Governors State is 33.
71% of Governors State students are women — many are single working mothers.
Approximately 90% of GSU faculty hold a Ph.D. or the highest degree in their discipline.
Governors State's faculty are diverse, with 28% of faculty having racial minority status. This is double the national average.

[edit] External links

Public Colleges and Universities in Illinois
Chicago State • Eastern Illinois • Governors State • Illinois • Illinois-Springfield • Illinois State • Northeastern Illinois • Northern Illinois • SIU-Carbondale • SIU-Edwardsville • UIC • Western Illinois