A Brief History
More than 130 years ago National Louis University was founded on the principle that a quality education can transform lives, careers and communities. Founder Elizabeth Harrison, education pioneer and social reformer, opened a kindergarten training school to promote early childhood education, a radical idea at the time. Harrison's groundbreaking work helped launch the National Parent-Teacher Association and the Head Start program, and the National College of Education (NCE) became the first university in Illinois to offer a four-year teaching degree.
In 1986, Michael W. Louis made a historic $30 million gift to the National College of Education and the school was formally renamed National Louis University in 1990. This gift enabled the institution to expand its programs beyond education to also offer business, fine arts, English, psychology, public policy, social sciences and more.
National Louis is the outcome of and testament to the vision of its founders. It is a contemporary university committed to innovation and best practices in both undergraduate and graduate education. A university that excels in creating learning communities where theory complements practice, NLU sustains a tradition of access to higher education for first-generation and urban university students who want to make a lasting impact in their lives and in their communities.
Today, NLU offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 60 fields including business, education, health and human services, and social and behavioral sciences through its two colleges- National College of Education and College of Professional Studies and Advancement. Nivine Megahed, Ph.D. is the institution's eleventh president.