Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,400 students representing 47 states and 72 countries. Due to its location 30 miles (48 km) north of Chicago and curricular emphasis on campus, the College is referred to as "Chicago's National Liberal Arts College." The College's current Chair of the Board of Trustees is financier Peter G. Schiff, a graduate of the class of 1974. The current President is Stephen D. Schutt, who joined the College in 2001 after serving as the Vice President & Chief of Staff at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to strong academic majors in the humanities, social and natural sciences, Lake Forest features inventive programs of study in many contemporary areas, including Latin American studies, business, Asian studies, and Islamic world studies. High achieving students with a unique passion can apply to become Independent Scholars and design their own majors, culminating in a thesis or creative project.