Press Release
Rasmussen College Chairman Appointed To Chicago Public School Board By Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Rasmussen College Chairman and Northwestern University President Emeritus Dr. Henry Bienen has been appointed to the Chicago Public School Board by Mayor Rahm Emanuel
August 4, 2011
Erin Werthman
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CHICAGO (August 4, 2011) – Chairman of Rasmussen College Dr. Henry Bienen has been appointed to the Chicago Public School Board by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Bienen, who was appointed by the mayor in May, has been a long-time supporter and leader of higher education, having served as president of Northwestern University from 1995 to 2009. Notable accomplishments during Bienen’s presidency include improving applicants’ mean SAT scores 150 points over the course of nine years, a substantial increase of National Merit Scholars, and doubling the number of applicants to the university during his tenure. Prior to his presidency at Northwestern, Bienen was dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs at Princeton University.
“While I have dedicated much of my life to higher education, I believe that what is happening in our public school system prior to college is of significant importance,” Bienen said. “My priorities for the Chicago Public School Board are to work to give all students a good education, to prepare them to be ‘college ready’, and to prepare them to be good citizens. We must strive to be efficient and improve all aspects of the Chicago Public Schools, including the state of facilities, teaching, programs, and learning. Much of this progress will be made over many years, but we must do what we can now to achieve immediate gains in learning outcomes for our students.”
The third largest school district in the United States, Chicago Public Schools is comprised of almost 700 schools and more than 400,000 students. The Chicago Board of Education was founded in 1840 and is responsible for the governance and financial and operational oversight of Chicago Public Schools.
Dr. Bienen was appointed Chairman of the Board of Rasmussen College, a leading provider of high quality, career-focused higher education, in June of this year. Prior to that, he was Vice Chairman of the Board for Rasmussen College for two years. Dr. Bienen also sits on the board of Ithaka Harbors, a non-profit organization that digitizes journals and other scholarly works predominately for post-secondary education but also for the benefit of high schools.
For additional information about Rasmussen College, visit www.Rasmussen.edu.
ABOUT RASMUSSEN COLLEGE:
An innovator of higher education, Rasmussen College is a career-focused, private college that specializes in offering the most in-demand degree programs in a highly supportive, student-centered educational environment. Rasmussen College offers market-relevant programs from the certificate and diploma level through the associate’s and bachelor’s level online and across its 22 campuses in the Midwest and Florida to more than 15,000 students. By combining its expertise in career development with high academic standards and with unparalleled student support services, graduates of Rasmussen College leave with the most up-to-date knowledge, the skills that employers look for, and the tools to succeed in their chosen field. Since 1900, the primary focus at Rasmussen College has remained constant: student achievement is of the upmost importance, the employer who hires its students continues to be a valued partner, and Rasmussen College is dedicated to being a primary contributor to the growth and development of the communities it serves.
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