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About Our College

Enrollment in a degree or endorsement program offered by the Goodwin College of Education introduces students to and immerses them in a rich and impactful framework of professional expectations and values. Understanding and developing the capacity to act on these expectations and values requires focused and intensive commitment, typically articulated within course assignments and clinical experiences.

For more information about our professional expectations and values — as well as our success in shaping educators who embody our expectations and values — please explore the websites listed below.

The mission, vision and goals of the Goodwin College of Education students are grounded in our long history of service to Chicago’s educational and diverse ethnic and racial communities. 

Goodwin College of Education policies provide guidance about important topics such as admission, retention, academic standards, non-academic standards, and graduation. NEIU’s Academic Catalog provides a complete list of all policies that apply to education students. View both the current and past Academic Catalogs.

Please note that effective May 22, 2023, undergraduate students can declare a major at any time after they have earned admission to the University. Undergraduates should make an appointment with a Goodwin College of Education undergraduate program advisor to discuss the requirements of the major they are interested in. The Undergraduate Major Declaration Form must be signed by the undergraduate program advisor and returned to the University Registrar.

Most programs in the Goodwin College of Education are accredited by two discipline-specific bodies:

These accreditation bodies demand and hold our programs accountable to the highest level of standards for student success. Read more information about our Quality Assurance System.

All programs, accredited and non-accredited, are approved for delivery at NEIU by the State of Illinois.  and .

Faculty and programs in our college are organized by department. Currently, we have four departments:

Our program newsletters provide insight into the values and accomplishments of our students, faculty and programs. Please click on the links below to see our most recent newsletters, by program.

A graduate of Chicago-area elementary and high schools, Mr. Daniel L. Goodwin was in the first freshman class on ŷϷ’s main campus, where he was the first president of the Student Government Association. After earning his bachelor’s degree at ŷϷ and masters from Northern Illinois University, he taught for five years in the Chicago Public School system. He founded Inland Real Estate in 1968 and grew his company entities, which collectively raised over $26 billion in capital, conducted over $80 billion in commercial real estate transactions, and sponsored over 800 investment programs, including eight public REITs.
 
Mr. Goodwin was the first to receive ŷϷ’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, and he was the first chairman of the Board of Trustees, serving 10 years from 1996 to 2006. In October 2015, Mr. Goodwin made a commitment of $2.5 million to the University, which was the largest single charitable gift in ŷϷ’s history. The gift established two robust endowments, one for scholarship and another for program support for the College of Education, as well as a robust lectureship to bring prominent speakers to campus. In consideration of this transformational investment, the NEIU Board of Trustees named the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education in his honor in 2017.

Ahead of the college's dedication ceremony in 2017, he said of ŷϷ, “...the university has been an important part of my own life and a symbol of hope, success and excellence for families in Chicago and beyond.”

Mr. Goodwin passed away on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, at the age of 80. His lasting legacy and firm belief in the power of ŷϷ's mission fuel our efforts to enhance student support and prepare outstanding educators for the city of Chicago and the surrounding areas.

Faculty in the Goodwin College of Education can provide valuable insights to students about course and learning materials, programs, research, educational and community organizations, and career pathways. See the alphabetical list of our highly accomplished faculty.

The Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education is located on NEIU’s Main Campus at 5500 North St. Louis Avenue in Chicago. Click here to learn more about the main campus and how to access it. Classes are offered in a variety of buildings across the campus. The Office of the Dean and most department offices are located in Lech Walesa Hall.

The College offers courses and programs at three other campus locations. Explore what these locations have to offer by clicking on the links below.