A Leap of Faith: The Chicago School’s 45 Years of Community Uplift

Forty-five years ago, The Chicago School began preparing students for clinical practice to serve our global community. While the prevailing Ph.D. programs of the time focused on theory, students in the flagship Psy.D. Clinical Psychology program found real-world training guided by working practitioners with years of experience. As a result of institutions like The Chicago School—and the impact of our graduates—the practical application of the Psy.D. Clinical Psychology program has lifted its status from vanguard to widely accepted, exemplified by American Psychological Association accreditation.

For more than four decades, we continued developing programs to meet society’s needs. Faculty, leadership, and industry leaders contributed to programs that addressed the integrative health needs of individuals, organizations, and communities. Today, we offer more than 40 degree programs in psychology, business, counseling, health, and behavioral sciences.

Our more than 22,000 alumni represent the resounding impact The Chicago School has made over the decades. They are the beating heart of The Chicago School, and they have carried its mission with them wherever they’ve gone, in this city, across the United States, and around the globe for 45 years.

This year’s INSIGHT magazine honors what we’ve built, what the university and its graduates have accomplished, and the alumni who have shared our mission. This issue’s cover story, “45 Years of Impact,” highlights the institution’s history through the eyes of its founders. I got to walk down memory lane, remembering my time as a student and my tenure from faculty to president. We also highlight several prestigious alumni who exemplify the values of The Chicago School and how far we’ve come.

The Chicago School still paves the way for integrated health and ensures that our students are prepared to take holistic approaches to everything they do. To exemplify that work in this issue of INSIGHT, we explore the importance of increasing inclusion of neurodivergent people in all aspects of life, and we examine how the alarming epidemic of loneliness in our society affects everyone.

Over the years, our students, faculty, and leaders have cared for the health of their communities, of our systems, and of people. Our shared history of addressing the integrated health needs of individuals and groups better prepares us for the next steps in our evolution, including the establishment of the proposed Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine.

It is my continued honor to serve as president of The Chicago School, a university with a rich history and so much promise for the future.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Michele Nealon, Psy.D.

President