Campus News: Books for Africa

Benefits overview

Learn more about employee benefits at a workshop March 11.

The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Conference Room A, Student Services Building. The workshop is sponsored by the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women. 

 

Books for Africa

Book donations to restock the post-war libraries of Freetown, Sierra Leone, are being collected through March 19 by Student Leadership Development and Volunteer Services.

Donate new or used children’s and young adult books, adult fiction and nonfiction, university textbooks, scholarly resources and teaching supplements.

Collection bins are located in the Student Center East concourse and other campus buildings, including Burnham and Taft Halls, the School of Public Health and residence halls including Commons East, Stukel Towers, Robinson Hall and Beckham Hall.

The book drive is co-sponsored with the department of political science. For more information call 312-996-4500 or email sldvs@uic.edu.

 

New issue

The latest issue of APAC News, published by the Academic Professional Advisory Committee, is now online. Articles in this issue include a recap of the recent pension reform town hall and more.

 

Science, Judaism and Islam

The Institute for the Humanities and UIC Jewish-Muslim Initiative will host a conference March 10 exploring the role of science in religion. “Science in Judaism and Islam” takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Institute for the Humanities, lower level, Stevenson Hall.

 

Read along

The WoRD book club will host its next meeting Friday. The group will discuss Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff from noon to 1 p.m. in 1-470 Daley Library.

The book club was created by members of the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women. For more information, email kzimme3@uic.edu

 

Making progress?

Criminal law expert Charles Ogletree Jr. will present a March 12 lecture on progress since the 1964 campaign to register black voters in the Deep South.

Ogletree, professor of law at Harvard University, presents ”Looking Back on Freedom Summer: Reflections on Race, Politics and Civil Rights Activism” at 3 p.m. in 302 Student Center East. His talk is the annual Phillip J. Bowman Lecture, sponsored by UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy. The talk is part of the UIC Chancellor’s Lecture and Event Series and co-sponsored by the UIC Social Justice Initiative.

 

Free dental screenings

The College of Dentistry will offer free dental screening exams Friday and Tuesday. The screenings, from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m., include free faculty-selected x-rays and exams. Patients must be UIC students or employees and 18 or older. Participants must not be allergic to latex.

 

Departmental honors

Applications are due April 11 for the 2014 Departmental Teaching Excellence Award.

The award recognizes group excellence and teaching. One award of $20,000 will be given to an academic unit that demonstrates outstanding collective commitment and performance in teaching.

The award is sponsored by the Council for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. For more information, email kfranc@uic.edu

 

Metro strategies

Through its Real Time Chicago lecture series, the Great Cities Institute urges metro Chicago residents to think regionally.

All discussions are free and open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, lectures are at 2 p.m. at the Great Cities Institute, Suite 400, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.

Upcoming talks include:

• March 14: “Affordable Housing in Affluent Communities”

• April 4: “Confronting Homelessness in the Suburbs”

• April 18: “I-90 Expansion Project”

• May 7: “Regional Economic Development Roundtable” (3 p.m., location to be determined).

 

Promotion, tenure

The Office of Faculty Affairs will host the Promotion and Tenure Seminar series this spring. The seminars are focused on pre-tenure faculty, but open to all members of the UIC community. They will explain the review process, policies and other professional development information.

Seminars include:

• Junior Faculty, 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 11, 603 Student Center East

• Promotion and Tenure Seminar for Underrepresented Faculty, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. April 18, 603 Student Center East

• Promotion and Tenure Seminar for Post Mid-Probation Pre-Tenure Faculty, noon to 1 p.m. May 2, 401 University Hall.

For more information, email fabid2@uic.edu or call 312-996-2706.

 

Civic cinema

UIC will host two preview screenings today of documentaries at the third annual One Earth Film Festival.

The Latino Cultural Center hosts a screening of “The New Environmentalists.” Rosa Cabrera, director of the Latino Cultural Center, leads a discussion after the film on environmental activism. The screening takes place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Lecture Center B2. “Trashed” will screen at 5:45 p.m. March 5 at Gallery 400, Art & Design Hall.

The One Earth Film Festival will be held March 7 through 9. For more information on the festival.

 

Savings plan

Save money and earn prizes through the University of Illinois Saves Competition.

Students and employees can set savings goals and monitor them through the competition, sponsored by the Student Money Management Center and University of Illinois Extension offices. The contest runs through April 10.

The campus with the highest percentage of students and employees who set savings goals will be named the winning campus. Participants from the winning campus will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

 

Student scholarships

Nominations are being accepted for three student scholarships for outstanding volunteerism: the Chancellor’s Student Service and Leadership Awards and the Eugertha Bates Memorial Award.

Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. March 10.

Award winners will be honored at the 42nd annual Chancellor’s Student Service and Leadership Awards program April 10 in the Illinois Room, Student Center East.

 

Need a job?

More than 40 employers will be in attendance at the Education Job Fair today.

The event is set for 3 to 7 p.m. in the Illinois Room, Student Center East. The job fair is free for UIC students and alumni; $10 for others.

 

Faculty senate nominations

The Faculty Advisory Committee seeks nominations to fill five seats.

The committee, which includes nine tenured faculty members elected for three-year terms, is selected by tenured and tenure-track faculty through ballot election.

The committee communicates faculty concerns to the administration, hears and makes recommendations on faculty grievances, and holds hearings and makes recommendations on cases involving severe sanctions short of dismissal. Eligible faculty cannot hold an administrative position and must have at least a 75 percent appointment.

Nominating forms, due March 21, are available in the Office of the Senate, 513 Student Center East. For more information, call 312-996-2926.

 

Humanities grants

Tenure and tenure-track faculty members in the humanities can apply for up to $20,000 in funding for innovative research projects.

Funding for projects is provided by the Humanities Without Walls Consortium, a group funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The UIC Institute for the Humanities is participating in the 15-member consortium, which aims to create new pathways for collaborative research, teaching and scholarship in the humanities.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will match the first year of funding.

Projects should explore the Midwest as a key site in shaping global economies, cultures and public policies. Applications should be submitted to huminst@uic.edu by March 31.