National Louis University

I am Geraldine Madson Comeaux and I spent 4 years at National ending In January of 1965. It was a life changing experience.

In preparation for this day, I called Kimberly Michaelson for information and then we had a few minutes to chat. I told her that I had a difficult time in high school and the teachers at National changed my future. I gave some examples and she asked me to speak to you today.

Among the professors I was privileged to have were Agnes Adams who taught a methods class and her basic philosophy was ?never give up?.

Wren Staley taught literature and opened the world of reading for me. I read very little for pleasure before her class.

Dr Cantalupe taught me to write essays, which I still do in my free time.
Yohma Gray convinced me I was intelligent and actually read my final exam essay to the class on our last day.

And Margret Lindman convinced me I was creative. Can you imagine that! Me! I had her speech class and gave a presentation she wanted me to make into a children's book and have published. I worked on her plays and she actually used my directorial ideas. I was flabbergasted.

Yes, the teachers at National changed me. I called Margret Lindman on Thanksgiving Day every year after I graduated until I retired in 2009. I wanted her to know that she is one of the people I think about every Thanksgiving.

I taught learning disabled and behavior disordered students the majority of my career. I was dedicated to convincing my students that they had special attributes that would serve them well the rest of their life. I did not want the current generation to wait until college to discover their strengths.

It the the teachers that make a difference.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

At the time I graduated, I thought my education was mediocre at best. In my environment (medium sized family company)where there is little turnover, I find myself to be one of the few executive staff members who has a clue of what to do to move the company forward. Either everyone else has forgotten what they learned or they are complacent in their jobs. Something as simple as a vision and mission statement seems to escape the ownership. There is a saying "In the land of the blind the one eye man is king". I feel like the one eyed man. Who knows maybe I will find that my education was better than I thought when I move on. But right now it was much more than adequate.As of this moment I am proud to call myself a graduate of NLU. I feel I am than well prepared to excel in my position

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Pros
-Most of the professors are professional and are more than willing to help students who have trouble with certain subjects. Some are willing to do one-on-one classes with students. Most of all, they are understanding when it comes to family and hospital emergencies and make arrangements for students to make up quizzes and exams

-Most of the professors are honest about students' overall performance in a classroom and on projects (they even tell you they will drop you out of class if no improvements are made). They are willing to give advice on how the student(s) can improve.

-Professors encourage students to be more open-minded and aware of their surrounding and people's beliefs. The professors are open-minded about many things, socially and personally. They even invite guests from other professions and establishments to talk about their experiences, businesses, and accomplishments (professional references).

-If a student is on friendly and professional terms with the professor(s), the professor(s) are more than happy to give them recommendations for jobs, scholarships, internships, and for gallery showings

-Some professors are flexible with assignments and give you straight-forward, easy-to-understand textbooks and, sometimes, study packets to keep up in track for certain classes (i.e College Math, Art History, English, and various History classes)

-Professors are open when it comes to students informing them about purchasing textbooks (new or used) from a different vendor or book store.

-The atmosphere is ideal for students who are part-time or full-time workers with families. Class schedules are available for the evenings and weekends.

Occasionally, there are parties that invite the student body to come and be acquainted with staff members and learn of more scholastic/public opportunities

There are Student Lounges, a few restaurants, and corner stores surrounding the university. Students can get discounts with their Student IDs (of course)

Computer labs are open from morning to night
Admissions process is a piece of cake (some employees walk you through the process)
The university is ideal for: Education, Business, Liberal Arts, Psychology,Mathematics, and Computer Programming Majors

Cons
-Unless the student has a family and is a working adult full-time or part-time, the atmosphere may seem too anti-social or quiet for sociable, outgoing students.

-Some professors are Adjuncts, meaning they will not always be on campus grounds and do not have means of contacting them via telephone or e-mail

-It will be tougher to get language and art classes now that the university phased them out...
-Some professors are unhelpful and arrogant
-Register for a class late in the game and the student is automatically dropped or given a failing grade

-Some classes will get cancelled due to low student attendance before the beginning of a quarter
-A student cannot attend class if he/she has a debt from a previous quarter
-Not everyone of the student body is friendly and approachable (Just a warning to the social butterflies)

-The decor of the university is an eye sore (For those that care...)
-Be mindful to keep your receipts with you after paying your fees and tuition. Sometimes, Financial Aid and the accounting department tend to lose track of students' payment records

4th Year Female -- Class 2010

Surrounding City: A-, Social Life: D-