BY KAREN BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER
published in Pioneer Press papers Evanston Review, Lincolnwood Review and Skokie Review on July 28, 2005 

National-Louis University announced Wednesday that the school will relocate its Evanston campus to the former Pfizer pharmaceuticals building at 5202 Old Orchard Road in Skokie in July 2006.
 
Under a lease agreement signed Tuesday, the university will use the third through sixth floors of the office high-rise adjacent to the Eden's Expressway to provide students with the features they want in a campus.
 
University surveys revealed that students using the Evanston-Wilmette campus wanted better parking; updated computer laboratories and classrooms; and easier access to registration, student services and financial assistance.
 
"As an institution, we have never been bound to a specific site," said Curtis McCray, president of National-Louis University. "Our history is filled with examples of bringing education to where our students want to learn. Relocation to a new North Shore campus better suited for today's National-Louis students is true to our founder's mission to create responsive learning environments."
 
The university announced in 2004 its plans to seek buyers for its campus at 2808 Sheridan Road on the border between Evanston and Wilmette. School officials said the 77-year-old campus no longer fit its model for educating convenience-oriented adults juggling careers and family.
 
By selling the complex of buildings at 2808 and 2840 Sheridan Road, the university hoped to raise cash and avoid spending $16 million on repairs and renovations needed to make the buildings accessible to people with disabilities.
 
In April, Baker Demonstration School announced plans to purchase the 6.7-acre campus from National-Louis in June 2006. The K-8 school was originally founded by the university when it was the National College of Education and has long served as a training ground for testing educational theories.
 
The elementary school officially became independent of the university on June 30, though it will continue to serve as a hands-on lab for teachers and prospective teachers enrolled in teacher training courses.
 
Once the sale of the Evanston-Wilmette campus to Baker is completed, a portion likely will be sold to a developer for single-family housing, Mark Ter Molen, president of the Baker board of directors, said in April.
 
The university plans to retrofit its space in the Pfizer building along the lines of its new Lisle campus, which replaced its Wheaton location.
 
The campus will accommodate both wireless and wired computers. Classrooms will be equipped with high-tech LCD projectors and screens, as well as ports to accommodate notebook computers.