UIC Student Affairs Annual Report FY 2022

In an effort to raise UIC’s profile in the city and to offer a
new and dynamic option for food delivery, Dining Services
partnered with Chartwells & Starship Food Delivery Robots
to bring this program to UIC.
Student Affairs Financial Services maintained occupancy
above 90% in retail spaces in the University Village Maxwell
Street area throughout COVID. They also re-negotiated the
second year of COVID leases for certain tenants as part of
a strategy to maintain occupancy and improved safety of
the development by closing streets during certain hours and
closing the development at 1:00 a.m. every day.
Student Affairs Financial Services also saw significantly
increased financial planning, projections, budgeting, and
other reporting burdens as a result of COVID. FY 2022
results included documenting $4 million in COVID 19 Higher
Education Emergency Relief Fund monies for Campus
Housing, which helped to offset lost Housing revenue due to
COVID.
Student Leadership and Civic Engagement tracked 4435
service hours completed from August 2021 to May 2022 by
181 different students in their respective communities.
15
2022 ANNUAL REPORT
IRI Diverse Marketing
Scholars Program
In the wake of the protests stemming from George
Floyd’s murder, Christian Gray (Class of 2016)
joined a team of colleagues focused on combating
inequities in the marketing industry. Gray currently
works for Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and
formerly served as Student Activities Board (SAB)
President at UIC.
Gray called Joy Vergara, Executive Director of
the Center for Student Involvement and Student
Leadership & Civic Engagement. “Being involved
with SAB, I knew [CSI was] the most reachable
for establishing a partnership and connecting with
students,” Gray said.
Gray and Vergara created the UIC IRI Diverse
Marketing Scholars Program. The year-long 1:1
mentorship program focuses on students with
minoritized identities interested in marketing.
On Saturdays, students participate in culturally
responsive professional development sessions
and have access to unique case studies utilizing
proprietary. Students also receive a $1,000
Scholarship.
Vergara sees this program as the frontier for
experiential learning within CSI:
“Trying to find experiences that have a financial
connection, a scholarship opportunity, is what
thrilled me to be able to work with a corporation.”
Vergara stated.
IRI is continuing the program for a second year and
expanding capacity from 10 to 15 scholars.
The Center for Student Involvement is looking
for additional corporate and nonprofit partners to
expand student opportunities based on the IRI
Scholars model.