Rasmussen College Chairman Appointed To 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.