Located 35 miles southwest of Chicago, Lewis University is a comprehensive Catholic university that has been recognized nationally by Colleges of Distinction, the Illinois College of Distinction, and the Catholic College of Distinction. It is an NCAA Division II school that is part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. The Princeton Review has named Lewis one of the best universities in the Midwest, and it has been selected for offering innovative, teacher-centered undergraduate education with a strong track record of preparing its graduates for real-world success. Lewis University is sponsored by De La Salle Christian Brothers, an international Roman Catholic institute dedicated to education and founded by St.
John the Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of educators. The university has always been committed to training teachers for Catholic and Lasallian schools, and it has an emphasis on service and education for the most marginalized which is fundamental to Lasallian education. In July 1975, there was an important step in the development of Lewis University with the accreditation of the North Center Association's graduate programs (master's and first professional degree). Lewis University has a plan in place to provide future-focused and reality-based parameters that respect its history and values while providing guidance for future decision-making in both the short and long term.
Perhaps as early as 1949, according to an unsigned manuscript in the Lewis Archives, but certainly throughout the 1950s and long before Vatican II, although under the auspices of Bishop Sheil, Lewis College became, for at least a decade, “the first Catholic mixed college in the country to present administration and faculty consisting of lay people. Since those inception, more than 110 Brothers have served students at Lewis University on several occasions. Lewis University and the College of Education and Social Sciences are actively seeking grant funding to benefit Catholic and Lasallian schools. To encourage the pursuit of lifelong learning and the development of skills as educators and leaders, Lewis University offers a 33% discount on diocesan tuition to employees of the Diocese of Joliet and the Archdiocese of Chicago.
US News and The Princeton Review have regularly cited Lewis University among the top regional universities in the Midwest. It comprises colleges of arts and sciences, business, education and nursing, and health professions, and maintains a continuing education program.
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