Bill Text: IL HR0721 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Leslie Roundtree, D.H.S. on 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. Thanks her for her 32 years of service and dedication to the institution.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-04-30 - Resolution Adopted [HR0721 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0721-Introduced.html

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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

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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

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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

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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