National-Louis University

National Louis University

National Louis University, Chicago
Motto	Sapientia Dignitas Temperanta
Motto in English	Wisdom Dignity Judgement
Type	Private
Established	1886
Endowment	$29.8 million (as of February 2014)
President	Nivine Megahed, Ph.D.
Students	4,780
Undergraduates	784 full-time, 609 part-time
Postgraduates	1,425 full-time, 1,962 part-time
Location	Chicago Loop, Illinois, Elgin, Illinois, Lisle, Illinois, Skokie, Illinois, Wheeling, Illinois, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tampa, Florida, Nowy Sącz, Poland, Distance Learning
Colors	Platinum and blue
Website	www.nl.edu

784 full-time, 609 part-time

1,425 full-time, 1,962 part-time

National Louis University (NLU) is a private non-profit American university. NLU has locations in and near Chicago, Illinois, as well as in Wisconsin, Florida and Nowy Sącz, Poland. Many courses and programs are also offered at-a-distance. Since its founding in 1886, NLU has played a historic role in education, when it helped found the National Kindergarten Movement, and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and stressed the importance of academic and professional training in childhood education theory and practice.

National Louis University (NLU) began in 1886, when Elizabeth Harrison founded the school to train "Kindergarteners", young women teachers who began the early childhood education movement. The school's requirements became a model for education colleges nationwide. In 1893, the university published Harrison's book, The Kindergarten as an Influence in Modern Civilization, in which she explained, "how to teach the child from the beginning of his existence that all things are connected [and] how to lead him to this vital truth from his own observation . . .."

The university's name was changed to the Chicago Kindergarten Training School (1887), Chicago Kindergarten College (1893), the National Kindergarten and Elementary College (1912) and then the National College of Education (1930). The "National" part of the university's name came about when the school became the professional school of the National Kindergarten Association. The university championed the concept of kindergarten and early education teaching in America and was one of the first teacher's colleges in the country to offer a four-year program culminating in the bachelor of education degree.

In 1913 the National Kindergarten and Elementary College campus moved to 2944 South Michigan Avenue, where it remained until moving to Evanston, Illinois in 1926.

In the 1920s, the university partnered with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jane Addams to provide educational opportunities to the largely poor, immigrant population served by Hull House. In 1954, the university's graduate school was accredited to offer masters and doctorate level degrees. The university organized its general liberal arts offerings into the Michael W. Louis College of Arts and Sciences in 1982, and began its business and management school in 1989, offering both bachelors and master of business administration degrees.