IGNITE Campaign Update

Jim and I have been good friends for the last 45 years and he’s been an excellent role model to me, and I trust to others. He has contributed so much, so it is befitting to see this endowment established in his name.
Jim Horan MSW ’79

Investing in social work students – those who see suffering and are compelled to change it – is an investment in the betterment of our society.  Friends and colleagues of retired Jane Addams College of Social Work professor James Gleeson MSW ’84 demonstrated such an investment recently, by honoring his 30 years of teaching with the Professor James P. Gleeson Scholarship Fund.  A significant contribution from Jim Horan MSW ’79 endowed the scholarship, ensuring it will support social work students in perpetuity.  It’s a welcomed gift for the college’s student body, 70 percent of whom rely on financial assistance, and an answer to the college’s IGNITE priority of expanding student access and success through scholarships.

The way students and faculty worked together when I was there as a student and then a faculty member made a lasting impression on me. This was the best way for me to give back and ensure that legacy continues for future students.
Dr. Jane Sherman MS ’75

Assembling a world-class faculty of engaged teachers, researchers, practice leaders and mentors doesn’t happen by accident. The College of Nursing is committed to continual investment in just such faculty body, an effort that will be made easier thanks to the support of Dr. Jane Sherman MS ’75. In part to honor the interest that faculty took in her as a master’s student, Dr. Sherman has pledged $1 million to endow a professorship in the college. Her gift will bolster the college’s emphasis on faculty who support and nurture students, just as her professors did for her.

My father was very proud of our family’s Polish heritage, as am I. I was pleased to give this gift to the Library to enhance the Polish Studies collection, which both honors my family heritage, and also helps professors and students continue their research in Polish culture and history from across the world in the vibrant Polish “second city” of Chicago.
Richard Nowak BS ’70

Our history tells an important story that will spark creativity and innovation. Richard Nowak BS ’70 agrees. As a commuter student, he worked at UPS part-time while earning his degree in accounting. The Library was a haven for him to study and relax between classes and before his part-time job. The experience paid off and Nowak went on to enjoy a wonderful 31-year career with UPS, putting him in a financial position to make gifts to UIC. He has supported UIC generously since retiring and his most recent gift of funding for a Polish studies collection aligns pride for his Polish heritage with the University Library’s IGNITE goal of preserving and giving access to history. According to Carl Lehnen, the Library’s Reference and Liaison Librarian for Languages and Literature, Nowak’s support will “enable the Library to acquire much-needed Polish Studies materials to support the unique research produced by UIC faculty and students in this highly-esteemed and growing academic discipline.”

With the popularity and necessity of engineers and computer scientists, I believe that the Computing, Design, Research and Learning Center will be extremely beneficial to UIC students. This building will help a new generation of engineers and computer scientists be able to thrive.
Claire Chappee, Computer Science freshman 

Great ideas are sparked when bright minds converge in innovative spaces.  And the number of bright minds demanding a UIC engineering education is on the rise. The College of Engineering’s enrollment doubled over the past decade and its Department of Computer Science enrollment quadrupled over that same time. To answer this demand and continue offering access and excellence, the College is planning a new building, the Computing, Design, Research and Learning Center. Bill Unger LAS ’71, whose scholarship has supported nearly 100 engineering students and who is passionate about empowering women in engineering and computer science, felt it appropriate to contribute to a new home for students to study, collaborate and innovate. His gift helped the College achieve nearly 30 percent of its fundraising target to date and advances it toward its IGNITE goal of providing modern and inspiring space to meet growing enrollment needs while remaining accessible for students of all backgrounds.

UIC has seen significant support in each of our campaign priorities thanks to your generosity, particularly in our efforts to drive discovery.  Since the IGNITE Campaign’s inception, alumni and donors have contributed $11.3 million to ignite change to chase discoveries that will change lives.  The new funding will fuel our research in government finance, epidemiology, polish studies, humanities, data science and so much more. We have changed lives in Chicago, across Illinois and around the world for years, but this support allows us to do it bigger, more boldly and more visibly. This is how we will become the model for public higher education in the 21^st century.