2007 Annual Meeting
National Council on Measurement in Education
2007 Annual Meeting & Training Sessions
April 10 – 12, 2007
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago: Something for Everyone
Overview
A bustling and energetic city of life, beauty and spirit; Chicago is a city that never stops and truly exemplifies work and play coming together. Chicago is known for critically acclaimed restaurants, world-famous museums, architectural marvels, first-class shopping, adventurous nightlife, action-packed sporting events and a thriving theatrical scene. Some of Chicago’s landmarks include the Sears Tower, Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park, the Hancock Observatory, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, and Chicago’s Museum Campus featuring the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, the Shedd Aquarium/Oceanarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History.
The greater Chicago area is one of the nations best for higher education – approximately 1.64 million residents age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree. That’s the second highest in the country. Currently 487,000 students are enrolled in 98 higher education institutions in the Chicago area. That adds up to more than 20,500 master degrees, 4,000 professional degrees and 1,850 doctoral degrees are awarded annually. Chicago is also home to several nationally-ranked institutions like University of Chicago, Northwestern University, DePaul University, Loyola University and University of Illinois.
Chicago is a great walking city, so make sure you pack comfortable shoes and clothes. Layering clothes is recommended, especially in the spring and autumn which are the most unpredictable – it could be extremely warm or cold. The normal high in April is 58.0 degrees F (14.4 degrees C), normal low is 37.6 degrees F (3.1 degrees C) and the average temperature is 47.8 degrees F (8.7 degrees C).
Culture
Chicago is a city known for its diverse collection of museums, architectural marvels, the unique seventy-seven communities/neighborhoods of Chicago, its virtual United Nations of eating choices and fantastic shopping.
Chicago’s museums include a variety of subjects from Chicago history and art, African-American culture, astronomy, natural history and much more. The best area to visit for museums is the Chicago Museum Campus which features the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, the Shedd Aquarium/Oceanarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The Shedd Aquarium houses the world’s largest array of more than 8,000 aquatic mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish. Gaze up at the heavens at the nearby Adler Planetarium and then visit the displays of mummies, Egyptian tombs, Native American artifacts and dinosaur skeletons at the Field Museum. Other notable museums include the Chicago Historical Society, the Museum of Science and Industry, the DuSable Museum of African-American History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography.
Chicago can thank its architectural marvels to the greats of Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Helmut Jahn and many more. Chicago is home to the world’s first skyscraper designed by William Le Baron Jenney in 1885 and is home to three of the world’s 10 tallest buildings including the Sears Tower. You’ll also find famous landmarks like the Water Tower; which survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and Wrigley Field; home of the Chicago Cubs. Make sure to see the Chicago Tribune building, one of Michigan Avenue’s first skyscrapers and the Tribune Tower, famous for having stones from several sites around the world embedded in its façade. There are 120 stones from all over the world, including the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Bunker Hill and the Parthenon in Greece.
Travel the world, in Chicago, one neighborhood at a time and explore the diverse communities that give Chicago its rich tradition as an international city. The neighborhoods of Chicago lay within Chicago’s seventy-seven community areas. Each neighborhood in Chicago maintains a unique identity and because of this, two different neighborhoods could seem like different parts of the world. Some of the more well know neighborhoods include: Hyde Park, Pullman Historic District, Near South Side, Chinatown, Pilsen, Little Italy, Printers Row/Grant Park, The Loop, North Michigan Avenue/Oak Street, Old Town, Lincoln Park/Lake View, River North and famed Rush street.
River North was once a neighborhood filled with factories and warehouses but has grown to be considered Chicago’s version of New York’s SoHo. It is not just a chic, cultural hub filled with art galleries, antique stores and boutiques. In fact, some call it SuHu, as many of the galleries are near the intersection of Superior and Huron. River North is also rich with trendy restaurants and dance clubs. Plus, it’s just a few café and boutique-filled blocks to the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue.
Rush Street is one of the oldest streets in Chicago. It was named for Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the four physicians to sign the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Rush was also a surgeon in the Revolutionary War, he pioneered the treatment of the mentally ill and was a treasurer of the U.S. Mint. The Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center is also named in his honor. Rush Street today is a hub for theater, fine dining and entertainment in Chicago. It also is only one block away from Michigan Avenue, home of renowned shopping. Some of the restaurants and nightlife that can be found on Rush Street include: Le Colonial, Gibson’s Steak House, Rosebud on Rush, Pippin’s Tavern, the Back Room, Dublin’s Pub and Melvin B’s.
Visitors to Chicago never have to worry about finding a place to eat. Chicago features thousands of restaurants that offer culinary favorites to suit every taste, budget and mood. Whether the preference is Chicago-style hot dogs or a burger, fried clams or smoked ostrich, pirogues or the world famous deep-dish pizza, you’ll find it all. For more information about the dining options in Chicago visit their website: http://www.meetinchicago.com/dining_1.html
A visitor can not help but come to Chicago and leave without having experienced the Magnificent Mile and all the shopping the city has to offer. Shopping in Chicago originally began on State Street with the opening of the original Marshall Field’s Department store in 1852. State Street is also home to Carson Pirie Scott, another famous department store. The Carson Pirie Scott draws customers to the entrance with its ornate ironwork designed by Chicago architect Louis Sullivan in 1899. Along the Magnificent Mile, which runs along Michigan Avenue from Oak Street to the Chicago River visitors will find stores such as Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s, Water Tower Place and hundreds of specialty and boutique shops.
History
In 1663, commissioned by the French government Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette became the first explorers of Chicago. It was with the help of the Illinois Indians that the two were guided through the land. The first permanent settler, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable and his family came to the area in 1780. The town of Chicago expanded its boundaries and became a city in March, 1837. The development of the railroad and the Illinois/Michigan Canal in 1848 proved necessary for Chicago’s growth. The city’s population tripled in six years following the opening of the canal and it helped the city become prominent in the cattle, hog, and lumber and wheat industries.
As the city continued to grow, there were set-backs along the way, one of the largest being the Great Chicago Fire. On October 8, 1871, the Chicago Fire destroyed most of the city’s central area. By 12 a.m. October 10, it had destroyed nearly four square miles of the city, claimed at least 250 lives and left 10,000 residents homeless. Thanks to Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, more than 17,000 buildings were destroyed, and property damages were estimated at $200 million. The Great Chicago Fire became a turning point in the history of the city. The citizens of Chicago resurrected the city and even built momentum for development after the fire. In 1885, construction of the first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building – standing only 10 stories high was completed.
Within a few years, Chicago was chosen to host the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. The exposition brought 27.5 million visitors to the city and put the city “on the map”. By 1900 Chicago had built the longest cable car and streetcar lines in the world and managed to reverse the flow of the Chicago River. In 1909, D.H. Burnahm, Chief of Construction for the World’s Columbian Exposition, and Burnham’s design assistant, Edward Bennett, devised the “Burnham Plan”. This plan, the first comprehensive outline of development ever offered to an American city, included suggestions for better living conditions for all people, beautification of the city, and a more efficient way of connecting different parts of the city. From this plan, the Michigan Avenue Bridge was built and opened May 14, 1920. The opening of this bridge allowed for the development of the famed retail and tourist destination, “The Magnificent Mile.”
The remainder of the 20th century brought more architectural advances to Chicago. The Sears Tower was completed in 1973, making Chicago home to the tallest building in the world. In addition, McCormick Place officially opened in 1960, but a fire destroyed it on January 17, 1967, so it reopened on January 3, 1971. Also, in the latter part of the 20th century, Chicago developed a reputation for ethnic diversity and strength, which resulted in many of the city’s cultural celebrations and ethnic restaurants and communities that are still popular today.