Charles Middleton

Chuck Middleton is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the City Colleges of Chicago and the immediate past President of Roosevelt University, serving from July 2002 through June 2015, when he retired. He is also Executive Director of the LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education, an organization which he helped found in 2010. He was the first openly gay man appointed president of a university. During his tenure, he moved to strengthen the curriculum by strategically expanding and refocusing programs based on Roosevelt's strengths and mission. He also oversaw the transition of Roosevelt from a primarily commuter school with part-time adult students in the majority to a more traditional-age, full-time residential university. The number of full-time equivalent students dramatically grew during his tenure. Prior to his service as President, Middleton was a history professor and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bowling Green State University and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University System of Maryland. He has been active as a university leader and involved in higher education governance organizations for many decades, including service on the Board of the American Council on Education. His scholarly accomplishments earned him election as a Fellow of Britain's Royal Historical Society and he currently serves on the Boards of SAGE and PFLAG where he advocates for LGBTQ rights.