East–West University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States. The university was founded in 1980. It offers associate in

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

, office administration, electronics engineering technology, and computer and information science, and

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

degrees in behavioral and social sciences, business, electronics engineering technology, mathematics, biology, computer and information science, and English and communication. The university has been accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

since 1983. East–West University is a member of America's Urban Campus, a group of 20 Chicago-area colleges and universities, which works with governmental, business, civic, cultural, and philanthropic organizations throughout the Chicago area.

Buildings

The university is housed in three buildings connected by bridges. *The East Building at 816 S. Michigan was the original home of the university when it opened on September 5, 1980. It currently houses the mathematics and science departments. *The Loftrium Building, also known as the West Building, at 819 S. Wabash Avenue was acquired in 1999. This is where the majority of the English and Business course are conducted. *In 2014 the university opened its Student Life Center at 829 S. Wabash, which connects to the Loftrium. The 17-story building was designed by the firm of

Holabird & Root The architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago School to Art Deco to Moder ...

and includes an auditorium, gym and dormitory space for 220 students. *The Flats at East–West University offers student housing attached to the university buildings.

Media

Beginning in 2016, East-West began publishing its own student newspaper ''The Phantom Press'', which has published quarterly since its inception. The paper is made up of writing submissions from students and alumni, highlights of events in the surrounding area, tips for adjusting to campus life and profile pieces on various faculty members.

Academic activities

East–West University holds an annual Story Slam competition, in which students present works of creative writing. Other events include the Battle of the Majors and quarterly capstone presentations. The university also hosts a series of lectures and seminars called "East-West Perspectives," in which both faculty members and guest speakers visit campus to discuss their areas of expertise. The most recent of these was Professor Reginald Lomax's "The Modern-Day Black Experience... The Need for a Call to Action."

Athletics

At present, East-West offers an intercollegiate basketball team known as the East-West Phantoms. They are coached by Tommie Posley. EWU is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and competes as an independent outside of an athletic conference. In addition to other USCAA teams, the Phantoms routinely play

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

and NAIA competition. Other athletic organizations on campus include the Prancing Phantoms dance and cheer team, the Lady Phantoms volleyball team, and track and field.

Student loan debt

According to a non-comprehensive survey, in December 2014, East–West University had the second lowest average student loan debt per graduate in the United States. Only one American university was ranked above it,

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

. East–West University has the lowest tuition of all private schools in Chicago and the surrounding area. Additionally, 97% of admitted students receive some amount of financial aid.

Economic and gender diversity

The median family income of East–West University students is $24,200 in 2017. In 2016, the student body and gender ratio was as follows: * Women 54.0%College Profile of East-West University, Chicago
collegedata.com website, Published data is for the year 2016, Retrieved 5 December 2017 * Men 46.0% * Total number of undergraduate students: 419

References

External links

*
''The Phantom Press''
student newspaper {{DEFAULTSORT:East-West University Universities and colleges in Chicago Universities and colleges established in 1980 Liberal arts colleges in Illinois Private universities and colleges in Illinois