Giving to the Graduate College

The world is changing rapidly. But we’re prepared to keep pace.

Then take the lead with a world-class graduate education that cultivates informed, empowered citizens of the world. Tenacious individuals who are compelled to be a part of something bigger, something remarkable. These will be the people of character and consequence. The ones who will apply courage, will, and invention to the betterment of humankind. These are the people the world has been waiting for.

Together we will:

• Make graduate school affordable and accessible to the next generation of students.
• Create a robust pipeline to address a national need for increased diversity in university faculty.
• Enhance career and leadership services for students.
• Give UIC Graduate College students crucial internship opportunities.

The Graduate College is the engine for a growing number of activities. Areas of need include:

• Fellowships & Awards
• Image of Research Competition
• PASSAGE Scholars Program
• Summer Research Opportunities Program for Undergraduates
• International Teaching Assistant Program

$100  Student Presenter Award  —  This award helps to defray the cost of travel for a graduate student presenting her research or scholarly work at an academic conference.

$500  Emergency Grants  —  Help a student who experiences an acute and unexpected short-term hardship.

$750  Annual Graduate College Outstanding Thesis Award —  Given to the most outstanding master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation in each of the Graduate College’s four divisions.

$1,000-$3,000  Graduate Research Awards —  Institutional monies and the W.C. and May Preble Deiss Fund for Biomedical Research currently fund these awards for graduate research in two competitions annually. See “Endowed Award” below.

$5,000  Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Arts and Humanities Award — Established with funds from the Continental Bank, this award funded a collaboration between a graduate student in the fine arts or humanities and an untenured faculty member in any graduate program.  A new sponsor is needed to continue this initiative. See “Endowed Award” below.

$26,000  Graduate Student Fellowship — Institutional monies are used to fund four different fellowship programs:  three are primarily four-year recruitment fellowships for top students, especially underrepresented minorities; the third is a dissertation completion fellowship.

$25,000-50,000  Endowed Award — Endow a travel or research award like the Barnhurst-Doherty Award for UIC graduate students working on LGBTQ issues.

$50,000+  Professional Development Sponsorship  —  This amount could underwrite a professional development workshop series or a staff position.

$150,000+  Endowed Fellowship  — Create a fellowship that enables graduate students to focus on their scholarship for a year instead of juggling research and a part-time job.

$150,000+ Endowed Lecture Series — Invited lectures play an important role in the academic life of the campus, allowing students and faculty interact with distinguished leaders. Each endowed lecture series helps us cover the expenses of bringing renowned speakers to campus.

$400,000  Summer Research Opportunities Program  — Fund our highly successful program for a year; it introduces domestic underrepresented sophomores and juniors to one-on-one academic research experiences with a faculty mentor.

$5,000,000  Named Dean  —  The University uses Named Dean funds to support non-salary, one-time expenses for his or her department. Once a Dean’s position has been named, all successors are accorded the same title, which is included in the Board of Trustees approval process for faculty appointments.

$7,000,000  Named College — To be approved by the Provost and the Chancellor, these funds provide unrestricted support for the college. The Board of Trustees must be notified and approve the gift before a gift agreement is signed.

Former UIC administrator and faculty member, W. Ann Reynolds, along with her alumna daughter, Rachel Reynolds, recently gave $1 million to support UIC graduate students studying English. Together, they established the W. Ann and Rachel Reynolds Dissertation Fellowship Fund to support post-exam fellowships for students pursuing a PhD in English. The award honors the experiences each had at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is intended to inspire promising students to overcome obstacles toward the successful and timely completion of their dissertations.

For more on the story, click below.

• Reynolds Fund

Fellows Mentoring and Support Initiative

The purpose of the Graduate College’s Fellows Mentoring and Support Initiative is to expand outreach efforts to Diversifying Faculty in Higher Education in Illinois and Abraham Lincoln Fellowship recipients. The goal is to provide fellows with career and personal mentoring, advice, and referral support in order to promote successful completion of their graduate degree and to pursue their career objectives. Alumni working in academic, non-profit, industrial, and corporate settings are invited to engage in mentorship relationships. We seek alumni with PhDs in all disciplines who can provide additional feedback to doctoral candidates with respect to dissertation research, degree progress, training, and employment opportunities. A matched pair design will be used whereby an alumna/us is matched with a mentee in a related academic discipline or field. We ask for a one-year commitment. Mentorship can be virtual via video conference, telephone, email, etc. The Graduate College will offer initial training and will monitor progress towards academic and professional goals twice each year. Alumni are also invited to present on topics germane to their professions and mentoring. We hope you’ll join us in this effort.

For more information, please contact Lunaire D. Ford, PhD, Assistant Dean, via email or telephone (312) 413-2556.

Career and Professional Development Outreach Opportunities

What do you wish someone had told you when you were in graduate school? We would love for Graduate College alumni to come back and share their knowledge and experience with our current graduate students. There are a variety of opportunities for sharing expertise and guidance. We are seeking guest speakers and discussion leaders to lead brown bag talks and conversations, as well as individuals to take part in career panels whereby alumni share information about what it is like to work in their particular fields. Lastly, we are seeking workshop presenters. Are you excellent at networking or great at public speaking? Do you manage time well, multi-task and organize information, or possess other strong professional skills? Workshop presentations provide alumni with the opportunity to share their knowledge in a class format with students as part of single or multiple sessions. Any additional ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated. We look forward to hearing from you!

For more information, please contact Theresa Christenson-Caballero, Assistant Director of Graduate Student Outreach and Career Development, via email or telephone (312) 355-2137.

Commemorative gifts are a thoughtful means of honoring or memorializing a family member or a beloved faculty/staff member. There are several ways to establish a memorial or tribute gift: make an outright gift; make a bequest in your will; and/or set up an endowment to fund a special program in perpetuity.

For more information, please contact Benn Williams, Assistant Director of Interdisciplinary Programs and Development, via email or telephone (312) 413-2389.

Over a year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, trampling international rights and committing crimes against humanity. Sudan ‘risks a catastrophic conflagration’ that ‘could engulf the whole region and beyond,’ to quote the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Meanwhile, climate change is causing ecological disasters, mass migrations, and global hunger. These crises physically and psychologically scar countless fellow humans who then struggle for their survival.

Within the Graduate College, we aim to prepare scholars across several disciplines with the experience necessary to address these issues and blunt their effects. With your support, we can empower the next generation of researchers to make a real difference.

The Graduate College is seeking support for a new fellowship program that will empower the next generation of humanistic and social science experts. Fellowships provide funding for crucial on-site international research that will enable future analysts, translators, historians, social scientists, teachers, and content specialists to address numerous global concerns. From climate change, to political conflicts, to global hunger and mass migration, your generosity will propel scholars to address some of the most complex issues our world faces.

Your gift could fund one fellowship, one cohort, or the entire program! If you would like to make a gift or if you would like more information, please contact Sheila O’Donnell, Executive Director of Development for the Graduate College sheilao2@uic.edu

• $10,000 can fund a four-month fellowship
• $15,000 can fund a six-month fellowship
• $100,000 can fund a full cohort of 8+ fellows
• $250,000 can endow one fellowship