Program & Career Highlights

The GSHAA Department has an unusual niche within the University, the Chicago region, and within its constituent disciplines. It is a place to study community issues, especially as they touch on development, planning and environmental concerns. We also particularly focus on the experiences of Africans and African diaspora in Chicago and the world, a particular important focus given Chicago State’s status as a federally recognized Predominately Black Institution (PBI).

At the same time, the Department is uniquely poised to view these issues in global, environmental, cultural, and economic context. GSHAA professors are engaged in Chicago and the South Side, working on issues from food security and urban gardening to the effects of global warming on the city and region to digital equity. A major focus of CSU's contribution to the economic development and social welfare of the Chicago area is through the Department's Fredrick Blum Neighborhood Assistance Center (NAC). Working with faculty and staff, the NAC provides students many opportunities to analyze, develop solutions for, and reflect upon a variety of urban problems. 

Link to Neighborhood Assistance Center Page: http://bdp7.smxjjl.com/nac/