UIC Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement

Join the Newberry Library for a performance by the Black Hawk Performance Company, introduced by Dr. Dorene P. Wiese. The performance will be followed by a presentation of the book Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium by Sharon Hoogstraten, which documents Potawatomi Regalia in the twenty-first century.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/events/native-american-dance-and-regalia/

Join UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP) and co-sponsors Black Studies, Sociology and Global Asian Studies for an online conversation with UC Irvine Professor Claire Jean Kim about her third book, Asian Americans in an Anti-Black World, which provides a theoretically provocative analysis of how we must consider both anti-Blackness and white supremacy--and the articulation of the two forces--in order to understand US racial dynamics and where Asian Americans fit into the racial order.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/events/asian-americans-in-an-anti-black-world-a-book-talk-with-claire-jean-kim-legacies-of-racism/

Please join the UIC Social Justice Initiative at their upcoming conference where a thousand artists, activists and scholars working on social justice issues will gather in Chicago from September 20-22. This culmination of the two-year Portal Project symposium promises to be a pivotal moment in our collective history, set against the backdrop of an upcoming national election and global tensions.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/events/through-the-portal-growing-the-world-we-want-uic-social-justice-initiative-conference/

Save the date and register to join UIC's Great Cities Institute for this year's Latino Research Initiative Summit at UIC's Student Center East.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/events/great-cities-institute-latino-research-initiative-summit/

Register for our campus wide workshops to help advance our collective efforts to mitigate the presence of implicit bias at UIC and intervene when it shows up! The Office of Diversity, Equity and Engagement now offers a new, additional workshop called "Responding to Bias: Interrupting & Apologizing" which explores strategies for intervening when you witness behavior that may suggest underlying biases.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/diversity-education/bias-reporting-and-education/bias-prevention-intervention-workshops/

Join us to learn about Dr. Camacho’s Dolores and Soledad study that examined the narratives of English and Spanish speaking older Latinx adults living with chronic pain and/or loneliness, gain examples from practices employed and learn about recommendations for practicing diversity in future research with older Latinx communities.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/events/odehmenan-health-equity-speaker-series-david-camacho-implications-for-clinical-research-with-older-latinx-adults/

The 2023-2024 Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) Annual Report is now available!

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/2023-2024-aarcc-annual-report/

Check out the array of events taking place for the 2024 Latinx Heritage Month. This year's student-chosen theme is "Mi Cultura Vive En Mi."

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/2024-latinx-heritage-month-round-up/

As a new academic year kicks off, our campus comes alive with excitement, anticipation and a sense of new opportunities. In an effort to commemorate the beginning of the semester, we asked three current undergraduate students to tell us what they believe makes our university unique.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/fall-2024-student-insights-on-diversity-at-uic/

Since its establishment in 1976, the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center (LCC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has served as a catalyst for social change and cultural understanding. The LCC, UIC's first cultural center, is vital to expanding awareness and appreciation for Latine histories and tackling current concerns that the community faces. It is part of the seven Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) under the Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement (ODEE).

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/exploring-cultures-the-rafael-cintron-ortiz-latino-cultural-center/

The UIC Black Cultural Center (BCC) has announced that Jeremiah Abiade, PhD, associate professor in the UIC Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, has agreed to serve as interim director this fall.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/new-interim-director-named-for-the-black-cultural-center/

The UIC Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement (ODEE) recently announced the 2024 awardees and honorable mention for the UIC Community Engagement Award. This award was created to honor faculty's achievements in community-based research, scholarship, service and teaching that supports critical community needs and advancement while promoting collaboration among UIC and its community partners.

This year's awardees include: Nadine Naber, Eduardo E. Bustamante and April Jackson

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/uic-office-of-diversity-honors-2024-community-engagement-awardees/

The UIC Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement (ODEE) recently announced the 2024 awardees and honorable mention for the UIC Faculty Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award. This award was created to recognize extraordinary contributions and commitment to the advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion on the UIC campus and in the communities it serves.

This year's awardees include: Decoteau Irby, Sarah Abboud and David X. Marquez

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/uic-office-of-diversity-honors-2024-faculty-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-awardees/

Viraj Patel, MEd, director of the UIC Asian American Student Academic Program (AASAP), was interviewed as part of Inside Higher Ed’s “New on the Job” series, which profiles staff in inaugural roles focused on student success. In the interview, Patel talked about the history of community demands for AASAP, the work the team is already doing and short term and long term goals for the unit to continue serving UIC’s Asian American student community.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/asian-american-student-academic-program-director-highlights-strategies-for-student-success/

In March of 2022, we tragically lost UIC alumna and Black trans activist, Elise Malary. To honor Elise’s legacy at UIC, the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ People and the Gender and Sexuality Center are proud to announce that a scholarship for undergraduate and graduate/professional students has been renamed the “UIC Elise Malary Memorial Scholarship for LGBTQIA+ Students.”

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/uic-elise-malary-memorial-scholarship-for-lgbtqia-students/

The UIC Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) is kicking off its “Race to 20” fundraiser this semester to commemorate the center’s time at UIC and to raise funds to assist with its programs and services.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/aarccs-race-to-20-fundraiser-kicks-off-countdown-to-20th-anniversary/

Invasive plants can dramatically disrupt ecological systems and society. In a new project, University of Illinois Chicago researcher Gabriela Nunez-Mir will use advanced data techniques to identify prospective invaders in Chicago and the rest of the United States and create a “most wanted” watchlist of invasive plants.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/uic-biologist-receives-award-to-fund-invasive-plant-research/

Over a decade ago, the UI Student Money Management Center (SMMC) launched a webinar series with the goal of providing students and their families with fundamental financial knowledge. This initiative has grown to become an essential component of financial literacy for both new and returning University of Illinois System students.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/virtual-resources-offer-lessons-in-financial-literacy-for-college-students/

In the world of art, many artists strive to answer questions regarding the unknown, wanting to shed light on and explain the complexities of life. Matt Bodett, however, strives to leave his audience with even more questions than they arrived with through his explorations of mental health, “madness” and the harmful effects of European historical and cultural narratives in his art.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/reimagining-madness-the-art-of-matt-bodett/

As a Center for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC), the UIC Women’s Leadership and Resource Center (WLRC) serves as a focal point for promoting gender equality, cultivating a sense of community and offering assistance to those who identify as women and nonbinary on campus.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/empowering-voices-the-vital-work-of-uics-wlrc/

The Bridge to Faculty (B2F) program is welcoming nine new scholars for their fifth cohort starting in fall 2024, while celebrating several accomplishments of scholars from previous cohorts.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/bridge-to-faculty-program-welcomes-new-cohort-and-celebrates-achievements/

Join the Innovation in Engineering for Sustainability on August 15th. As part of the Illinois Mexican & Mexican-American Students Initiative, this event aims to enhance strategic synergies among researchers in Illinois and Mexico and to promote innovation in engineering towards sustainability.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/events/innovation-in-engineering-for-sustainability/

When talking about urban growth and environmental justice, the Chicago River—a vital resource that has influenced the history and infrastructure of the city—is frequently left out. The Freshwater Lab at UIC seeks to rewrite this narrative with the Backward River Festival: Damen Silo City, which seeks to inspire, educate and mobilize Chicagoans to imagine a more equitable and healthy river system for the city.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/celebrating-chicagos-riverfront-the-transformative-power-of-uic-freshwater-labs-backward-river-festival/

The UIC Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) has long been a source of joy and support for the LGBTQIA+ community on campus. In keeping with that tradition, this year they implemented a change to the Lavender Graduation--an annual event honoring the academic successes, resiliency and personal accomplishments of UIC’s LGBTQIA+ graduates.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/lavender-graduation-2024-honoring-lgbtqia-graduates/

The story of Chicago hip-hop — its sound, its rappers and DJs, its culture and its fashion — is being archived and amplified thanks to a new collaboration between the University of Illinois Chicago music department and the Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/documenting-chicago-hip-hop-history/

A new initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago — Brothers Teaching — is expanding the UIC College of Education’s approach to supporting men of color as they pursue undergraduate and advanced degrees in education and become teachers. Brothers Teaching will launch its first group of students this fall.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/new-uic-brothers-teaching-initiative-aims-to-diversify-pool-of-teachers/

The UIC Disability Cultural Center (DCC) brings advocacy, intersectionality and inclusion to the forefront of their work. Crafted collectively by UIC students, faculty and staff, the DCC's mission recognizes and celebrates disability communities through a multifaceted approach with the aim of advocating for social justice, building disability culture, exploring intersectional identities and fostering a sense of belonging.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/celebrating-disability-culture-a-spotlight-on-uics-dcc/

The UIC Equity Dashboard, a digital tool that compiles institutional data in an objective way and allows for reporting in disaggregation format, has recently announced significant updates. The project is built to assist in understanding where inequities exist on campus through comparison across various student characteristics and attributes.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/uic-equity-dashboard-uses-data-to-explore-student-success-disparities/

With the recent retirement of Jacob Mueller, former director of administrative operations in the UIC Office of Diversity, Equity and Engagement (ODEE), the ODEE administrative team has welcomed new members to help guide the transition and support the next era of the office.

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/news-stories/uic-office-of-diversity-welcomes-new-administrative-team/

Join the UIC Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) in celebrating Pride Month and the 2024 Lavender grads! Come for food, community, pride, celebration and connection!

Learn more: https://diversity.uic.edu/events/pride-month-lavender-grads-picnic/