October 16, 2018
APAC Meets with President, Chancellor
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APAC MET with President
Timothy Killeen and Chancellor Michael Amiridis
on Sept. 12 to hear their
thoughts about progress and the future at UIC.
|
KILLEEN THANKED APAC for inviting him and “for everything you do.” He joked that “Pollyanna” is his middle name because he is such an optimist.
HE NOTED that one reason he is so optimistic is because the University weathered the crisis of having no State budget, saying UIC did it “without layoffs or furloughs. We’ve come out strong. We now have a budget, and our funding went up.”
ENROLLMENT GAINS across the U of I system also make him optimistic, he said—particularly at UIC, which is known for being “affordable and accessible.” He noted that UIC’s Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education rankings put UIC at #7 on the Best Values list. “UIC has kept tuition down,” Killeen said, also noting that both its financial aid and diversity are growing.
THE U OF I system also had its best year ever in philanthropy. “That is money that goes into financial aid and scholarships, and also into buildings and infrastructure,” Killeen said.
UIC IS constructing a new academic and residential building and a new engineering building, Killeen noted, saying that the new construction “is symbolic of progress. We are investing in facilities and have a five-year capital plan.”
THE “GOOD news goes on and on,” Killeen said. “The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted former President Barack Obama, and three busloads of UIC students came down. It was an historic speech picked up internationally.”
ALTOGETHER, “THERE are very few universities who can say all this,” Killeen said. He thanked staff “for all of your efforts. It’s all built on people.”
CHANCELLOR AMIRIDIS then spoke, and noted that he wanted to emphasize one word, “momentum.” Amiridis noted that, “we have a strong and steady upward momentum. Our enrollment surpassed 31,600, an increase of four percent and the fourth year of record enrollments. The freshman class is up again, as well. These are great numbers. Students and families vote with their feet, and they are voting for UIC.”
ELABORATING ON Killeen’s discussion of new buildings at UIC, Amiridis noted that, “both buildings are on time and on budget. The last academic building constructed on the east side of campus at UIC was in 1991, and these new buildings add to our momentum. We hope to be breaking ground on three-to-four major projects in the next year as well.”
HE ALSO noted that in the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education rankings UIC came in at #29 among more than 400 U.S. public universities.
“WE ALSO have a new law school,” Amiridis said, discussing John Marshall Law School joining with UIC. “With the addition of our 16th college, UIC brings the first public law school to Chicago and we are proud to have made this happen.”
HOWEVER, UIC “is not out of the woods yet,” Amiridis said. “We need to improve our infrastructure. In Information Technology alone, we have skipped two generations. He said, “human infrastructure is a challenge, as well—we need to continue to meet the needs of our students by making sure we have the proper level of staffing.”
AN EXAMINATION of the Discovery Partners Institute followed, with Dr. William H. Sanders, Interim Director of the DPI, leading the discussion. For more information, see related article, this issue.
DURING THE question and answer period, Tracy Sikorski, APAC Chair, asked Killeen how he and the administration are “protecting the role of the public university.”
KILLEEN RESPONDED that the University of Illinois system now endeavors to drive a legislative agenda. “We went from nowhere in statewide advocacy to strong advocacy that has been forged in the last few years,” he said. “The best defense is a good offense.”
LAURA CLOWER, Killeen’s Chief of Staff, added that the UI system is now involved “in retail politics. The President and our lobbyists talk to legislators. We’re out front and center, informing them that the UI system is not a cost center—we’re a profit center for the State.”
“OUR ECONOMIC impact on the state is $17 billion,” Killeen added. “One in every 46 jobs in this state is affiliated with the University of Illinois—and 300,000 voters are alumni.”
KILLEEN NOTED that with years of no budgets and budget cuts the mood in the UI system has been somber, but the system is on the rise.
“SO INSTEAD of talking down about U of I, talk it up!” he advised in conclusion.
Discovery Partners Institute will Create New Opportunities for UIC, Partners
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The Discovery Partners
Institute will be a public-private initiative
in the South Loop led by the
University of Illinois System.
|
GOVERNOR BRUCE Rauner and University of Illinois System
President Timothy Killeen late last
year announced plans for the DPI, a public-private research partnership led by
the U of I System and expected to grow on part of a 62-acre parcel bordered by
Roosevelt Road, Clark Street, 16th Street, and the Chicago River. It
will leverage U of I System expertise and resources, including from UIC and the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as well as from Northwestern
University and the University of Chicago.
NOTING THE proximity of the proposed innovation
center to UIC, Chancellor Michael
Amiridis last year called DPI
“an innovation ecosystem” that has “the potential to provide collaborative
research and educational opportunities to UIC,” as well as supporting
scientific discovery across the city and state.
THE TOTAL cost is estimated at $1.2 billion to be
raised through private donations, government support, and partnerships with
business and industry. The State of Illinois has appropriated $500 million.
DPI LEADERSHIP guiding the forum included Dr. William H. Sanders, Interim
Director of the DPI; Dr. Edward Seidel, Vice
President for Economic Development and Innovation for the U of I System; Chancellor Amiridis of UIC; Dr. Jerry Krishnan, Professor of
Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, UIC; and
others.
“THE VISION of DPI is to transform the role of the land-grant
university to improve the quality of life across Illinois,” said Dr. Seidel,
noting that the DPI will have “a focus on transdisciplinary collaborative
partnerships, equitable development among societal changes and challenges, and
educating the current and future workforce.”
DR. SEIDEL noted, “there is a large commitment by
the state thus far” to the tune of $500 million. He noted that the goal is to
increase student access to resources and involvement, and also to involve
universities worldwide, because, “DPI is dedicated to research and teaching on
important global issues, based on the principles of collaboration, equity, and
wealth creation and civically engaging students.”
THE DPI student experience, Dr. Seidel said,
will include a program of research and team building. Undergraduates will take
part in up to four semesters at the DPI, and also will be able to take classes
abroad with partner institutes. The DPI will provide internships at startup
businesses both locally and abroad, and adopt, grow, and develop existing and
new courses.
FACILITIES WILL be developed by 2021 as part of what Dr.
Seidel called an “innovation city.”
DPI WILL make Chicago the starting point for
technological innovation and attract global talent, Dr. Seidel said.
ONE
UIC faculty member, Professor of Medicine Dr. Nadera Sweiss, who hails from the Middle Eastern
country of Jordan said that Dr. Seidel already visited her hometown, and that
many universities are interested in partnering with the DPI. She noted her
support for the DPI as a tool for bettering education and jobs.
DPI HAS already forged a partnership with Tel
Aviv University in Israel and is developing agreements with the largest
university in Latin America, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and
Mexico’s leading private university, Tech de Monterrey. Collaborations with
institutions in Jordan, Iceland, Singapore, and China also are in the works.
DR. SANDERS noted that he expected that there would
be more hiring to kickstart DPI, including both faculty and staff.
DR. KRISHNAN said that, “the details of the DPI are
not 100 percent set in stone, meaning this is a participatory process mechanism
and we want ideas and feedback from multiple sources. The DPI is an opportunity
for a bigger contribution to higher learning.
DR. SEIDEL concluded by asking, “How can we make
Chicago and the State of Illinois a hub and global talent destination? Through
the DPI. To do this, we must make investment in capital infrastructure—expanding
the innovation center, creating a specialized computing and design building,
and creating a drug and pharmacy discovery center. This will only work with
input that is given.”
GOVERNOR RAUNER in June said, “The end result will be an
economic engine for Illinois and the Midwest that surpasses Silicon Valley,”
noting that the DPI will provide “ideas that investors will put money behind to
create Illinois-based businesses and jobs.”
DR. SANDERS also led a discussion on the DPI at the
Sept. 12 APAC meeting. He called the DPI a “purpose-driven research
laboratory,” and noted that it goes together with the Illinois Innovation
Network, “which has several sites, several hubs, and UIC will be one of those.
The DPI will be the central hub, and work as an amplifier of all the individual
hubs, including UIC. Think of DPI as an amplifier of what we do at UIC, not a
replacement. UIC is going to be a major driving force of this.”
PRESIDENT KILLEEN called the DPI “a cornucopia of
possibilities—a once-in-a-generation opportunity. And we are committed to
collegial collaboration. It’s about academia supporting the public
good—something for which UIC is known.”
THE DPI “has to be about social equity, and
that’s why I’m excited about UIC’s involvement,” Killeen said.
“WE ALL work for UIC because we believe in and
are excited by social equity,” said Tracy
Sikorski, APAC Chair.
“WE WANT this to be a coalition not of the
willing but of the excited,” Killeen responded. “If we create more haves
without helping the have nots, we will not have succeeded.”
APAC’S MARY Berta asked if DPI will partner with the
Chicago Public Schools, and Killeen replied that partnerships not only with the
CPS but with Chicago City Colleges are in the works.
FOR MORE about the DPI or to provide feedback,
log on to dpi.uillinois.edu.
All Employee Expo Provides Vital Information
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| Mary Berta and Tracy Sikorski of APAC at the EXPO. |
THE PURPOSE of the EXPO was to answer work-related
questions and to provide information about appropriate offices to contact. UIC
personnel and subject matter experts, as well as outside vendors, provided
information, contacts, and resources right here at or near UIC to help
employees navigate their work, career, and passions. Employees took ad of programs, educational sessions, workshops, and
services that address the mind, body and spirit. The EXPO also provided the
opportunity to meet fellow colleagues and become involved in the campus
community.
MORE THAN 50 departments and vendors
participated. Mary Berta and Marelet Kirda were the organizers from
APAC.
FIRST, I want to say thank you to the members of SAC and APAC who helped organize the First Annual UIC Employee Expo Day,” said Tracy Sikorski, APAC Chair. “The event included more than 50 registered vendors and based on the number of employees who attended, was a great success. Everyone that we talked to thanked us for hosting such a great event and we look forward to having the Expo again next year.
APAC Member and Pension Expert Kathleen Stauffer Elected to University Senate
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Kathleen Stauffer.
|
STAUFFER HAS been a member of APAC for five years.
SHE NOTED that she wanted to join the Senate “To
keep up to date about what is going on at the University, and possibly make a
difference in its future.”
HER EXPERTISE concerning the State Universities
Annuitants Association (SUAA) makes Stauffer a welcome addition to the Senate.
“I’VE BEEN a member of SUAA for over ten years, but
I just joined the board this past year,” Stauffer said. “I am a director at
large for the UIC SUAA chapter. I joined the board because I am very concerned
about our pensions, and I think it is necessary to represent current employees
on the board.
“RETIREES’ PENSIONS are relatively safe now, but the State
Legislature is still looking for ways to diminish current employees’ pensions,”
Stauffer continued. “By serving on the SUAA board, I can have more say in what
actions SUAA decides to support or oppose when it comes to issues that will
impact not only retirees, but also current employees.”
STAUFFER NOTED that it was SUAA that took up the fight
to sue when the State passed legislation that would have had retirees pay for
their health insurance, and the State Supreme Court found the legislation
unconstitutional. She said that in the Legislature’s continuing attempts to
resolve the State pension problem through diminishing retirees’ benefits, “It’s
focus is now current employees, Tiers I and II and adding a third tier, each
with lesser benefits,” Stauffer explained. “As a member of the SUAA board, I
feel I will be able to stay informed and pass this information on to the Senate
and to co-workers, whom I encourage to join SUAA to take an active role in
protecting their benefits.”
CUPPA Student Amber Ghosh Takes on APAC Role
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Amber Ghosh.
|
FOR APAC, she noted, she is “largely responsible
for arranging meetings, distributing agendas, taking meeting minutes,
maintaining the APAC and Pacademy listservs, updating the APAC website,
assisting other members with any of their duties, and other administrative
tasks.”
GHOSH ALSO will help launch a Professional
Development program for UIC staff.
SHE NOTED that she would like “to give APAC a
bigger presence online, and keep both Academic Professionals and the public
promptly updated on the work we do and the workshops we hold.”
FOOD AND family take up Ghosh’s time when she is
not at UIC. “I am huge foodie,” she said. “I love all cuisines. I also travel
when I can to visit family. I am in and out of Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, and
San Francisco throughout the year.”
AS FOR Ghosh’s future plans, “I’ve known for a few years now that
I want to work as a transportation planner,” she said. “Coming from Toronto and
pursuing my undergrad there, I already see the similarities and can definitely
see CUPPA at UIC being able to give me the skillsets to do so, especially in a
city such as Chicago.”
GHOSH EARNED her Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Studies
with a concentration in Planning, Policy, and Politics at York University in
Toronto. She has performed two transportation planning internships and three
urban planning and transportation research projects.
Yoga While You Work
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Attend the upcoming APAC
Professional Development Workshop
and learn simple yoga exercises that you can
do in the office.
|
THE EVENT will be held Friday, Nov. 2, noon to 1
p.m. in the Activity Room, first floor, School of Public Health-PI, 1603 W.
Taylor St. The speaker will be Lynne
Thompson, Associate Director of Programs & Services, Campus Recreation.
SUAA Fall Forum Set for UIC
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Panelists at last year’s
SUAA Fall Forum.
|
PANELISTS
WILL be Dean Jeffrey R. Brown, Gies College of
Business, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Lee A. Bridges,
CFP; Retirement Specialist, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois; and John Prochaska, CPA (ret), Retirement
Educator, Social Security Issues.
LIGHT REFRESHMENTS and an
informal discussion will follow. Parking will be at the Wood Street Parking
Structure, (WSPS), 1100 S. Wood St. UIC SUAA members
may purchase reduced-rate coupons.
FOR MORE
information: Contact Karen Scherman
(karen.scherman@gmail.com, 630-257-1491) or Debbie
Matthews (debmatt18@gmail.com, 815-254-3731 ). Contact
Scherman for assistance in obtaining disability parking.
APAC Meetings Scheduled
ALL APs are invited to the APAC meeting, usually held monthly at 12:30 p.m. on scheduled dates. Meetings alternate between East and West campuses. Next meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 14, in Room 2550 of University Hall. For information, call (312) 413-9299.
Pro-Worker Legislative Exchange ‘SIX’ Formed
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THE AMERICAN Legislative and Issue Campaign Exchange
(ALICE), the Progressive States Network (PSN), and the Center for State
Innovation (CSI) joined forces to create SIX.
“WE’RE GOING to be much more aggressive,” said Nicholas Rathod, SIX executive director
and former special assistant to President Barack
Obama. “There is a hunger and a need for an organization like this.”
UNITED STEELWORKERS International President Leo W. Gerard said. “It’s time for
common sense to take hold again in our state capitols, before the voices of
working families are drowned out for good.”
SIX PROVIDES lawmakers across the country with an
extensive database of model legislation on issues such as union rights, civil
rights, living wages, and workplace safety, among others.
FOR MORE information, log on to https://stateinnovation.org.
AP RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
 |
THE UNIVERSITY is committed to providing a safe and
welcoming campus environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination,
sexual and gender-based harassment, and sexual violence, including sexual
assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking,
which are referred to in the Prohibition of Sex Discrimination, Sexual
Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy located at http://oae.uic.edu/sexual-misconduct/policies-procedures/.
ACCORDING TO Caryn
A. Bills, Associate Chancellor, and Michael
Diaz, Title IX Coordinator, “While UIC and higher education institutions
around the country continue to await further guidance on Title IX and sexual
misconduct from the U.S. Department of Education, we want to assure the campus
community that Illinois’ law, Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education,
remains in effect.
“WE WISH to emphasize our promise to continue to
provide optimal services, support, resources and guidance to address sexual
misconduct in our community and to those who need assistance. Our
responsibility to ensure safety to our students, staff and faculty will not
change.
“OUR RESPONSE to sexual misconduct will remain
diligent affirming due process, fairness, and dignity. We will be steadfast in
our response and treat all matters with urgency while working towards providing
survivors with respect and support with the many available campus resources,”
Bills and Diaz noted.
FOR MORE information on reporting sexual
misconduct and how to support survivors, visit http://oae.uic.edu/sexual-misconduct/report-an-incident/
and http://oae.uic.edu/sexual-misconduct/resources/.
Chancellor Recognizes APAC, SAC
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| Academic Professional Advisory Committee and Staff Advisory Council members joined Chancellor Michael Amiridis and his wife, Ero, at their home at a reception last year. The Chancellor honored the two organizations for their work on behalf of UIC employees. |
Vol. 11, No. 1 October 2018
APAC News is published by the Academic Professional Advisory Committee of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
ISSN 1946-1860
Editor: William S. Bike
Staff: Amber Ghosh
Production: Jeff Alcantar
APAC
Chair: Tracy Sikorski
Treasurer: Mary Berta
ISSN 1946-1860
Editor: William S. Bike
Staff: Amber Ghosh
Production: Jeff Alcantar
APAC
Chair: Tracy Sikorski
Treasurer: Mary Berta
November 3, 2017
Tracy Sikorski Becomes APAC Chair
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Tracy Sikorski is APAC
Chair.
|
“I SEE my primary responsibility as Chair to
set the tone and agenda for APAC for the next year,” Sikorski said. “I also am
responsible for liaising with the Chancellor’s Office, Human Resources, and
other campus officials on behalf of APs. I am also chair of UPPAC, the
University Professional Personnel Advisory Committee, the organization that
works to represent APs for all of the University of Illinois Campuses.”
IN HER new post, she said, “I hope to bring new
solutions for Academic Professional issues such as the impact of job analysis
and new professional development opportunities. I also hope we are able to
bring in new members to APAC.”
ONE OF APAC’s biggest challenges, Sikorski
said, “is how to best represent our current constituents while not alienating
our former constituents who have been converted to Civil Service. We also have
declining participation, as the AP employee class has declined and current
members have more than their share of responsibilities on their plate.”
SIKORSKI noted that she does not “plan to make
any changes to APAC, but if the committee members believe that changes are
necessary, I think it is my responsibility to listen to them and discuss
possibilities.”
SHE SEES her role “as a way to become more aware
of what is happening on campus, and to specifically be able to advocate on
behalf of APs during such an uncertain time in the higher education landscape.
APs bring critical skills to their positions—skills that allow the campus to
function efficiently and effectively and to be held in high regard by the
higher education community. It is essential that we continue to invest in APs
so we can continue to grow as a global, Research I university.”
WHEN NOT working at her UIC or APAC jobs,
Sikorski is studying for a PhD. “I also attend my children’s cheer, running,
baseball, and soccer events,” she said. “I have two sons and a daughter, a mini
golden doodle named Ollie, and two kitties.”
SUAA Rep Addresses APAC, Advocates for Membership
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Arlene Norsym, Secretary
of SUAA.
|
THE UIC SUAA chapter consists of approximately
1,600 members. Statewide, SUAA has a membership of more than 15,000,
representing more than 200,000 individuals.
NORSYM EXPLAINED that SUAA monitors and advocates for
legislation that affects pension, health insurance, and other employee and
retirement benefits for State Universities Retirement System (SURS)
participants. It also supports legislation that would revise the rules for Tier
II employees, those hired after Jan. 1, 2011, to provide a more equitable set
of benefits as related to final salary period, retirement income automatic
annual increase (AAI), and early retirement reduction.
SHE NOTED that it was SUAA attorneys who won
recent legal battles over the State trying to make retirees pay for their
health insurance and over pension cuts. Thanks to SUAA, pension “reform” Public
Act 98-0599, which would have cost pensioners part of their pensions, was ruled
unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court. SUAA won a lawsuit that
preserved the 3% compounded AAI for Tier I employees (those hired before Jan.
1, 2011) and retirees.
NORSYM EXPLAINED that it was SUAA that protected the
service credit of furloughed University personnel a few years ago, resulting in
the University allowing them to contribute to their pension even for days they
had been furloughed.
SUAA PREVENTED a bill from becoming law that would
have started abolishing tuition waivers for University personnel, also
continues to lobby against repeal of the 50% tuition waiver for dependents of
current employees at State universities.
NORSYM ALSO noted that SUAA lobbies against
attempts to change the “pension clause” in the Illinois Constitution, which
says that pension and retirement benefits “shall not be diminished or
impaired.”
SUAA ALSO provides legislative updates to members
through mini-briefings.
NORSYM ENCOURAGED employees to join SUAA. Annual
membership is $44 per year, which can be paid through payroll deduction or in a
lump sum.
FOR MORE information on membership or SUAA, email
suaa@suaa.org, call (217) 523-4040, or log
on to www.suaa.org.
Onesima Martinez is Newest APAC Member
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Onesema Martinez, APAC’s
newest member.
|
“I JOINED APAC to become more involved in helping
UIC and other AP employees in voicing our opinion of thing happening on
campus,” she said. “I want to help if I can concerning policies and procedures,
and to inform AP employees about any new information, events, changes, or
policies.
“I WANT to be informed,” Martinez continued. “I
hope we learn from each other and spread the word to other AP employees. I hope
to become more knowledgeable and be able to make a difference for AP employees.
I also hope to network.”
MARTINEZ’S TOP issues as an APAC Member are audit
conversions, pensions, and future salary increases.
WHEN NOT at UIC, Martinez spends time with her
husband, Brian Guzman; son Ricardo Elias Moreno, 18; son Aiden Xavier Guzman, 2; and granddaughter
Yuritzi Sophia, 7 months. She, along
with her siblings, had been a caretaker for her mother, who recently passed
away. Martinez also enjoys finding recipes to cook healthy meals.
MARTINEZ has worked at UIC since 2004. She said,
“I started with the Division of Nephrology, working in the National Institutes
of Health Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study” [NIH CRIC]. “This was a
research study for patients with kidney disease. I did the hands-on for
research, recruiting patients, case report forms, screening, baseline, phone
visits, an data entry. In 2008 I moved to Hem/Onc to do invoice vouchers, POs,
etc. In 2010, I became the director.”
APs Represented on Two Search Committees; New Senator
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Jacqueline
Berger, Julie Kong, and Kathleen Stauffer are representing APs in various
capacities.
|
UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION wanted Academic Professionals on two
high-level search committees, and requested APAC to appoint them. As a result, Jacqueline Berger, Director of Research
Communications and External Relations for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for
Research, is the AP rep on the search committee for the Vice Chancellor for
Administrative Services. Julie Kong, Director
of Research Services, School of Public Health, is the AP rep on the search
committee for the Vice Chancellor for Research.
THE UNIVERSITY Senate term of one of three AP Senators,
Marelet Kirda, Assistant to the Vice
Chancellor for Research, ended earlier this year. Kathleen Stauffer, Assistant Dean for Administration, College of
Urban Planning and Public Affairs, was elected to the Senate to succeed Kirda.
APAC Meetings Scheduled
 |
Chancellor Michael
Amiridis will attend the April 2017 APAC meeting.
|
SUAA Has New Website
 |
ONE BIG change is the Members Only section. This will be easy for the membership to use once you have entered your membership information.
THE WEBSITE will interact with the SUAA database in updating dues, reports, and other information normally provided to Chapter Leaders.
SUAA HOPES that you will be able to find things easier and that you will use the website as a go-to place for legislative information, alerts, events, and helpful suggestions.
TO LOG in, all you will need to do is set up your password. This is an easy task. It is all personal to you. Click here to create your password. Once created, you can log in here, using your Username and new password.
WHILE YOU you are logged in, SUAA asks you to complete your profile.
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