OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
May 20, 2015
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a congratulatory resolution concerning the Illinois Institute of Technology on the occasion of their anniversary.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
H resolution
adopud by 7)ie Gity Gouncil of** Gity of Gkicago, Illinois
presented by MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL MAY 20, 2015
^OhereOlS , This year, Illinois Institute of Technology ("IIT") is celebrating its 125th anniversary. NT's 120-acre Main Campus is located on Chicago's South Side in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1890 as Armour Institute of Technology and renamed in 1940 after a merger with Lewis Institute, IIT is a private, Ph.D.-granting, research university, with internationally renowned programs in architecture, science, engineering, business, law, design, human sciences, and applied technology. Its faculty and staff educate 7,900 students from 97 countries on five campuses located throughout the Chicago Metropolitan Area; and
WHEREAS, One of 21 institutions comprising the Association of Independent Technological Universities, IIT offers its students exceptional preparation for professions requiring technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Its Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program brings teams of students with different academic specialties together to tackle significant problems through innovation and collaboration; and
WHEREAS, IIT comprises eight colleges and 32 research centers and institutes, and its many research strengths include aerospace engineering, biomedical science and engineering, smart grid technology and energy sustainabilify, synchrotron radiation science, food safety and technology, transportation and infrastructure, and rehabilitation and mental health; and
WHEREAS, Work conducted at IIT and by its alumni has contributed to advancements in cell phone technology, magnetic recording devices, bar code technology, radio astronomy, and urban architecture. Its distinguished alumni include 41 members of the National Academy of Engineering, six members of the National Academy of Sciences, two recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, one recipient of the National Medal of Science, as well as a former United States Senator and two current Congressmen; and
WHEREAS, A stabilizing force and beacon of hope in Bronzeville, IIT has a proud tradition of providing educational assistance and opportunity to students from low-income and underserved populations. Of NT's undergraduate students who come from the U.S., thirty percent are from underrepresented groups, 40 percent are Pell Grant eligible, and 19 percent come from Chicago Public Schools. In addition, IIT has partnered with the City of Chicago to provide enrichment programs at Chicago Public Schools, including Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center and Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy; and
WHEREAS, A destination for architects and students of design from around the world, NT's historic Main Campus was planned by famed modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies, who chaired IIT's College of Architecture from 1938 to 1958, designed 19 of the campus buildings in the International Style, combining black-metal frames and brick infills and using the grid as an organizing principle. Mies' masterpiece, S. R. Crown Hall, is home to IIT's College of Architecture and is designated as a National Historic Landmark; and
WHEREAS, Today, IIT is enjoying another exciting chapter in its design history. In 2003, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas designed IIT's McCormick Tribune Campus Center, featuring an en-tubing of the El tracks that run overhead. State Street Village, IIT's student residence hall designed by Helmut Jahn, opened its doors in 2003. The newest addition to the campus, the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship, is being designed by Chicago architect and IIT Professor John Ronan; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this twentieth day of May, 2015, do hereby extend to Illinois Institute of Technology our best wishes for a happy anniversary and a bountiful future; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to IIT President-elect Alan Cramb and to the Chairman of IIT's Board of Trustees Bud Wendorf as a token of our appreciation and esteem.