Two reasons took me to Chicago, Illinois, in the magic Year 2000.
The first was to attend the Public Relations World Congress which the windy city was holding that year and it was a big one because of the major focus which was the use of the internet in enhancing the practice of Public Relations. Providentially this theme influenced the topic of my presentation – “Using Web-Based Tools In Public Relations Practice” – in my submission and successful investiture as a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations the following year. Those were days when the internet in the professions was still a new thing.
More than 3,400 people attended the Public Relations World Congress 2000, held from October 22 to 24, making it the largest PR conference in history at that time. The conference featured a range of speakers and sessions covering topics such as crisis management, media relations, and global public relations, with new technology tools just emerging.
The World Public Relations Congress is a global conference that brings together public relations professionals from around the world to discuss and share ideas on the latest trends and best practices in the field of public relations and is held annually in different locations around the world. The last one I attended was in Istanbul, Turkiye in 2005.
October 2000 was good time to be in Chicago, as the weather was cool and bright.
But don’t let me distract you – the second reason I went to Chicago that year is supposed to be the one to interest you, as that is what the headline says, because it was my visit to Chicago State University.
The reason I was in the university was to attend the graduation of my cousin at CSU. Yes, the same now popular CSU.
The visit to Chicago was with my wife and then three-year-old son but they were there mainly for the graduation events while I puttered through Congress seminars and presentation rooms in downtown hotels.
This weekend I was chatting with my cousin whose graduation we went for and teased him that he was now a school mate of Nigeria’s President who also went to CSU. He was quick to say they were there at different times. Of course, they were – the 70s and 90s were generations apart. But what is not in doubt is that as confirmed by the CSU Registrar Caleb Westberg to the court last week, both my cousin and President Bola Tinubu belong to the same Alumni Association, no matter what year they were there.
The CSU graduation ceremony in 2000 was the usual crowded event, with families and friends of the graduating students cheering their friends when called upon in the huge Amphitheatre-like auditorium. It was a huge place and it was evening, in fact already dark, if you know how it sometimes starts going dark even at 6pm. I do wonder why the event was in the evening that day though, because down here in Nigeria and even in the UK where I have attended convocations, they were usually in the morning, extending to the afternoon.
We all – my cousin, his parents and other guests – went for a pre-booked dinner at a restaurant not too far away and it was all a joyous occasion.
So, a graduation in CSU is like every other in other parts of the world. And I was at that one. In CSU. No depositions. No noise. No court hearings. Just plain visit to CSU for a graduation ceremony.
So, what is the big deal about CSU?
Chicago State University, CSU, is a predominantly black public university. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of the school from the county and it became Chicago Teachers College, CTC. Northeastern Illinois University began as a branch campus of CTC in 1949. In 1951, the State of Illinois began funding the college, and assumed control in 1965, transforming it into a comprehensive state college. In 1967, it became Chicago State University.
Chicago State University is not to be confused with University of Chicago, as many people have done in the last few months. While CSU is a public university, UChicago is private so more expensive in every way than CSU.
University of Chicago is larger than CSU based on total student enrollment which is 18,832 students for UChicago and 2,366 students for CSU. In terms of school fees, UChicago is 691.3% more expensive to attend than CSU for in- and out-of-state tuition at $59,256.00 vs. $7,488.00. Also, more students receive financial aid at CSU than UChicago.
While UChicago graduates and students may be raising their shoulders as ‘superior’ to their state counterparts, CSU guys should now consider themselves as having one up on them, with one of their alumni now the President of a country.