HR0721 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0721 LRB103 40327 LAW 72492 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Leslie Roundtree, D.H.S. on the occasion of her retirement as interim provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs and as chairperson of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Chicago State University; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Roundtree began her career in higher education in 1982, working as a guest lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago while also serving as an occupational therapist at numerous hospitals throughout the Chicago area; in 1993, she accepted a tenure-track position in the Department of Occupational Therapy with teaching responsibilities in the areas of Psychosocial Theory and Practice, Health Systems Management, Research Methods in Occupational Therapy, and other courses while also providing clinical supervision for Level I and Level II students in community sites without licensed therapists; and

WHEREAS, Upon earning tenure, Dr. Roundtree assumed administrative and management responsibilities at Chicago State University, beginning as chairperson of the Department of Occupational Therapy; she maintained a robust research agenda in the area of elderly wellness, adolescents, health promotion, and minority and disadvantaged student learning; she also led the department through two exceptional accreditation processes and transitioned the undergraduate program to a combined Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Master of Occupational Therapy program; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Roundtree served as dean of the College of Health Sciences from 2014 to 2018, during which she was responsible for three departments and the university's Wellness Center; in her role as dean, she ensured cross college communication for recruitment, retention, and student engagement activities; she also developed an interprofessional task force that addressed interprofessional education between the College of Health Sciences and the College of Pharmacy; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Roundtree was selected as interim provost and vice president of Academic and Student Affairs in August 2018; her duties have included administrative oversight of the five colleges of Chicago State University as well as the Division of Student Affairs, Grants & Research, Graduate & Professional Studies, and Non-traditional Programs and Continuing Education; she was also responsible for managing a $42 million budget and securing a 10-year renewal of the university's accreditation reaffirmation with the Higher Learning Commission; and

WHEREAS, While serving as a member of the executive leadership team, Dr. Roundtree continued as a scholar, and one focus of her scholarship has been student success that targets enhancing the educational options for underserved and underrepresented students; she has served as the principal investigator for multiple federal grants to support student success, the education of health professionals, and the improvement of improving educational outcomes, securing over $26 million in multi-year funding in the process; her initiatives along with others have assisted Chicago State University in leading the State of Illinois in increasing the graduation rate of ethnic and racial minorities and educationally disadvantaged students in the field of health information administration, public health, nursing, and occupational therapy; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Roundtree has been the recipient of several honors during her career, including receiving a Service Commendation as an Advocate in Workforce Diversity by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in 2021, receiving an Award of Merit by the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association that same year, and being recognized as a Fellow and as a Pioneer in Diversifying the Occupational Therapy Profession by the AOTA in 2022; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Roundtree will retire on June 30, 2024; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Leslie Roundtree, D.H.S. on her retirement from Chicago State University, and we thank her for her 32 years of service and dedication to the institution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Roundtree as an expression of our esteem and respect.