Community, staff, faculty and students joined Westwood for celebration.
CHICAGO (Nov. 15, 2011) – On Nov. 10, Westwood College celebrated its grand opening of its newly relocated Chicago Loop (CHL) Campus. The move to 1 North State Street, Suite 1000, underscores Westwood's commitment to its faculty and staff to strengthen the learning environment it provides. Members of the business community, including Robin Kelly, chief administrative officer of Cook County; Ann Mendelsohn from ACRE Project Management; and Betsy Shea of Chicago Loop Alliance, joined Westwood College faculty, staff and students for a ribbon cutting ceremony, a presentation from four Westwood 100 alumni and private campus tours.
"When selecting our new campus location, we kept the needs of our faculty, staff and students in mind," said Debbie Plemons, campus president of Westwood College Chicago Loop Campus. "Every detail from the design and layout of the space from incorporating more natural light to expanding our Learning Commons was considered. We were able to update and enhance key aspects to provide our students with the best learning environment."
The new CHL campus occupies 46,552 square feet on the 10th floor of the historic Stevens Building in downtown Chicago. Westwood has had campuses in Chicago since 2000 and the Chicago Loop Campus has graduated more than 730 students since opening in August 2003. Currently, more than 2,600 students are enrolled at one of the four Westwood College campuses in Illinois and nearly 30 percent (768 students) attend CHL. Nearly 20 percent or approximately 500 of the Westwood system's staff and faculty are employed in Illinois.
Features of the newly relocated campus include:
- Consolidations of the campus from four floors to one floor, allowing students to access services more efficiently and interact with peers and faculty.
- The campus was designed with natural light in mind. Most of the classrooms were strategically placed on the campus’ perimeter and feature at least one window.
- The Learning Commons was upgraded, expanded and includes views of Lake Michigan.
- Carpet was used throughout the campus to provide a quiet, warm and welcoming learning environment. Additionally, it reduces campus maintenance costs.
- Energy efficient lighting with motion sensors was installed to help reduce electrical costs.
- Administrative resource locations were designed to provide easy access and visibility to students.
"The new campus has a clean, sharp feel to it and the facilities were enhanced for students. Everything is on one floor and the layout is improved so departments like career and student services are centralized," said Ray Burch a student majoring in Systems Security who is expected to graduate in March 2012. "The classroom size was also expanded and there are additional computers available for us to access."
Westwood in the Community
Westwood College along with its faculty, staff and students are committed to supporting the community and providing its students and graduates with as many real-‐world experiences as possible in order to best prepare them for their future careers. Recently, the Chicago Loop Campus partnered with the Chicago Loop Alliance to showcase student art in the annual Pop-Up Art Loop.™ The Pop-Up Art Loop transforms empty storefronts in the Loop into a moveable feast of public art galleries, exhibits and studios. Westwood students participated in the campus' first Student Portfolio Showcase event to highlight their work from Westwood's Visual Communications and Animation programs.
Westwood 100
The event featured four Westwood 100 alumni from the Chicago area including Erneshia D. Freeman, who graduated with a BA in business with a major in marketing management; Bobby Fischer, who graduated with a BA in animation; Troy Millhoupt, who graduated with a BA in visual communications; and Araceli Hurtado, who graduated with a BA in criminal justice. These individuals shared their personal stories and answered questions from "how did your Westwood degree lead to your current career success" to "what advice would you give to students beginning their job search." Freeman shared insight with event attendees, that succeeding professionally extends beyond the doors of Westwood College. Freeman believes in the power of networking and persistence. She quoted actor Gregory Peck when describing her outlook on life, "tough times don’t last, tough people do."
About Westwood College
Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 17 campuses located in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Virginia. Westwood offers a hands-‐on, career-focused curriculum featuring three-year bachelor's degrees in many in-demand fields. Westwood is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), depending on the campus. For more information, visit http://www.westwood.edu.