WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:05.130 Hello. I'm Dr. Phillip Beverly, Assistant Vice Provost and Chair of the 00:00:05.130 --> 00:00:08.610 African-American Recruitment Enrollment and Retention Initiative here at the 00:00:08.610 --> 00:00:12.960 University of Illinois at Chicago. Congratulations and welcome to all of 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:18.750 you who will be joining us here in the Fall of 2020. Selecting a college or a 00:00:18.750 --> 00:00:24.240 university is a stressful decision in the best of times. In the time of COVID 19 00:00:24.240 --> 00:00:30.119 this stress has increased exponentially and we at UIC know that. 00:00:30.119 --> 00:00:33.960 One of the things that we've done to help you and your decision-making is 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:40.230 change our Intent To Enroll date, our ITE date, from May 1st to June 1st in order 00:00:40.230 --> 00:00:45.059 to give you a bit more time in making a decision, considered and measured, that 00:00:45.059 --> 00:00:51.870 will likely affect the rest of your life. UIC plans on opening on time as normal 00:00:51.870 --> 00:00:57.750 in August of 2020. We are however making contingency plans because we just don't 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:04.320 know how the course of the virus, the COVID19 virus is going to end up. If you 00:01:04.320 --> 00:01:09.450 have any questions about enrolling, its next steps things that aren't clear to 00:01:09.450 --> 00:01:14.909 you, please contact us at your earliest convenience. I thought it'd be a good 00:01:14.909 --> 00:01:21.229 idea to give you a broader perspective on university education so let's do that. 00:01:21.229 --> 00:01:27.659 Hello and welcome to the world of the universities. We're welcoming you to the 00:01:27.659 --> 00:01:30.900 University of Illinois at Chicago but I wanted to give you a little bit of 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:35.460 history on universities as a whole. I bet you didn't know that the oldest 00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:39.450 university that we have records of is the University of Karueein in Fez 00:01:39.450 --> 00:01:45.540 Morocco which was founded in 859 AD, over 1100 years ago 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:50.430 The oldest university in Europe by contrast was founded in the University 00:01:50.430 --> 00:01:56.520 of Bologna in Bologna Italy in 1088 AD and in the United States our oldest 00:01:56.520 --> 00:02:02.670 university is Harvard University which was founded in 1636 AD which was a 00:02:02.670 --> 00:02:08.550 century and a half before the founding of the United States of America. The 00:02:08.550 --> 00:02:12.550 University of Illinois at Chicago by contrast was founded at its 00:02:12.550 --> 00:02:21.850 current location on the West Loop site in 1965. So what is UIC? UIC 00:02:21.850 --> 00:02:27.100 is a Carnegie Commission on Higher Education Research One University and 00:02:27.100 --> 00:02:32.320 I'll get to that in a minute. It has 16 colleges operating on five regional 00:02:32.320 --> 00:02:37.350 campuses. It is the largest university in the City of Chicago with more than 00:02:37.350 --> 00:02:45.160 33,000 students and with 400 plus student organizations. 2,800 faculty and 00:02:45.160 --> 00:02:50.410 over 6,000 Academic Professionals and Civil Service staff man the University. 00:02:50.410 --> 00:02:56.920 We offer 86 bachelors programs, a 111 master's programs and 66 00:02:56.920 --> 00:03:07.390 doctoral programs. Our fiscal 2020 budget was over 3.4 billion dollars. So what do 00:03:07.390 --> 00:03:14.920 we do at UIC? Essentially three major functions; research, instruction or 00:03:14.920 --> 00:03:22.630 teaching, and service. Research. As a Research One University, our primary 00:03:22.630 --> 00:03:28.720 focus is to create knowledge, new knowledge. Whether it be in mechanical 00:03:28.720 --> 00:03:36.220 engineering, trying to find a vaccine for the COVID19 pandemic, new understandings 00:03:36.220 --> 00:03:43.330 of theater or the humanities, English, history, politics, social work. Whatever 00:03:43.330 --> 00:03:48.370 discipline there is here, we're trying to generate new knowledge and so our 00:03:48.370 --> 00:03:53.709 research agenda is vibrant, alive and there'll be lots of opportunities for 00:03:53.709 --> 00:03:58.959 you as undergraduates to participate in that. The second thing we do is 00:03:58.959 --> 00:04:05.320 instruction. That's the teaching. That's the part that you're likely coming to 00:04:05.320 --> 00:04:10.780 UIC to get the most of. That teaching is not just in the classroom though. So 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:14.890 think of your instructional opportunities as being in classroom 00:04:14.890 --> 00:04:22.180 in-person, internships, externships, other sorts of research opportunities, learning 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:26.200 how to do research by doing research. That's all part of instruction. 00:04:26.200 --> 00:04:32.970 And finally service. Whether it's service at the department level that our faculty 00:04:32.970 --> 00:04:39.070 have to participate in and manage their departments or their colleges or the 00:04:39.070 --> 00:04:45.600 university or out in the world, UIC is actively engaged in service to the world 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:51.520 So you're coming to UIC to get a bachelor's degree. That totally makes 00:04:51.520 --> 00:04:58.210 sense. Whatever major you're pursuing you may change majors, you're pursuing one 00:04:58.210 --> 00:05:02.320 when you start and you graduate with a degree in another it doesn't matter 00:05:02.320 --> 00:05:07.720 because there are really only three skills that we're trying to get to you 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:14.350 through baccalaureate education; critical thinking, analytical reasoning and 00:05:14.350 --> 00:05:23.290 writing. A university education is not a jobs training program. Of course you want 00:05:23.290 --> 00:05:27.700 to be employed at the end of this opportunity and this educational process 00:05:27.700 --> 00:05:35.590 and those three skills, critical thinking, analytical reasoning and writing are the 00:05:35.590 --> 00:05:40.390 most important part of your bachelor's education. So how are you going to be 00:05:40.390 --> 00:05:45.960 successful doing this? There's a lot of steps that you're gonna need to follow. 00:05:45.960 --> 00:05:55.990 The first part trust this process. Access your portal. The portal is your gateway 00:05:55.990 --> 00:05:59.800 to getting information and getting the things done that you need to do to 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:06.310 become a student at UIC. Accept your offer, your admissions offer. That means 00:06:06.310 --> 00:06:14.670 complete your Intent To Enroll, your ITE. During the summer look for your bill 00:06:14.670 --> 00:06:20.830 this will tell you exactly how much this should cost and we don't want you to be 00:06:20.830 --> 00:06:25.090 surprised two weeks into the semester. You're going to need to take placement 00:06:25.090 --> 00:06:29.200 exams to make sure that you end up in the right English course, the right math 00:06:29.200 --> 00:06:33.520 course, the right chemistry course Whatever exams you need to take, take 00:06:33.520 --> 00:06:41.150 your placement exams. Do them sooner rather than later. Register and attend 00:06:41.150 --> 00:06:49.490 your orientation. In the era of COVID 19 orientation will be conducted strictly 00:06:49.490 --> 00:06:57.860 online. In other years we had on campus orientations in-person. Register and 00:06:57.860 --> 00:07:04.100 attend your orientation do it sooner rather than later because as a result of 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:08.690 completing orientation you'll meet with an advisor who will get you registered 00:07:08.690 --> 00:07:15.020 for your classes. The longer you wait to complete orientation the longer it'll 00:07:15.020 --> 00:07:21.889 take for you to get enrolled in classes. If you're invited to attend UIC Summer 00:07:21.889 --> 00:07:28.310 College programming, attend. All of our Summer College programming will be 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:33.949 online this summer. We will provide technical and technological support for 00:07:33.949 --> 00:07:39.979 you to make sure that you can get online but do summer College. What we found is 00:07:39.979 --> 00:07:45.680 that students who complete summer College activities do better in their 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:53.930 first semester than students who don't do Summer College. If you can take 15 00:07:53.930 --> 00:08:00.470 semester hours, there's a relationship between taking more hours up to 15, not 00:08:00.470 --> 00:08:07.580 18 or 21 but up to 15, and educational outcomes. Meaning you'll get better 00:08:07.580 --> 00:08:13.300 grades. Consider living on campus housing. 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:21.800 Plan you're financing. The one thing I can guarantee you, it will cost more than 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:28.460 you thought to attend college. If you're offered loans through the financial aid 00:08:28.460 --> 00:08:34.969 office, view those loans as an investment and manage them. They are for your 00:08:34.969 --> 00:08:43.149 educational endeavors only. Not for you to buy a new car or some other fancy 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:48.130 iPhone. I still have a flip phone. I'm just kidding. 00:08:48.130 --> 00:08:53.460 Understand that those loans have to be managed appropriately. 00:08:53.460 --> 00:08:59.140 Scholarships are available and generally need personal statements. So students 00:08:59.140 --> 00:09:05.080 understand if you're going to apply for scholarships outside the university 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:09.790 through nonprofit organizations, educational organizations, you will need 00:09:09.790 --> 00:09:15.940 to write a personal statement. Get help writing your personal statement. You have 00:09:15.940 --> 00:09:22.120 to start it because you know you better than anybody else. Use university 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:27.670 resources. One of the real advantages of the university the size of the 00:09:27.670 --> 00:09:33.970 University of Illinois at Chicago is we have an abundance of resources. The 00:09:33.970 --> 00:09:40.600 African-American Academic Network, AAAN. TRIO. the Counseling Help and 00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:46.360 Assistance Necessary for 21st Century College Education or CHANCE program. The 00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:51.580 Academic Center of Excellence. The African American Cultural Center. Your 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:57.420 individual college advisors. Faculty mentors that you'll meet along the way. 00:09:57.420 --> 00:10:03.430 The new Student Success Center and the Office of Student Affairs. These are all 00:10:03.430 --> 00:10:08.740 university resources that are available to you to make your passage through this 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:15.130 process easier. Parents one of the things that you're gonna have to contribute to 00:10:15.130 --> 00:10:19.510 beside the money, to your student being successful is surrendering some 00:10:19.510 --> 00:10:25.330 expectations. Not all of our students are going to go to medical school because 00:10:25.330 --> 00:10:31.090 not all of our students want to go to medical school. Your child may not be 00:10:31.090 --> 00:10:37.060 aligned with your expectations. They're really on their own path and this is 00:10:37.060 --> 00:10:41.350 going to be a difficult enough time for them figuring this all out without us 00:10:41.350 --> 00:10:49.660 piling on our expectations on top of them. Your smartphone isn't always your 00:10:49.660 --> 00:10:58.000 friend. Parents and students, too much Facetiming, too much texting, takes time 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:03.790 away from what they're here to do. I'm going to challenge you to embrace some 00:11:03.790 --> 00:11:08.569 expectations as well. Students, expect 00:11:08.569 --> 00:11:15.560 excellence. Do not settle for average because you think a class won't help you 00:11:15.560 --> 00:11:22.459 after you graduate. View the bachelors degree as a bridge to Graduate and 00:11:22.459 --> 00:11:29.240 Professional School. Even if you don't go to graduate or professional school act 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:37.790 like you are and do your best. Work on the non classroom stuff. Work out the 00:11:37.790 --> 00:11:44.240 soft skills, build social capital, improve your networking skills, participate in 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:50.180 student activities that are of interest to you, participate in internships, summer 00:11:50.180 --> 00:11:56.029 or during the semester, participate in research opportunities in your fields of 00:11:56.029 --> 00:12:01.939 study. These are all activities that contribute as much to your education as 00:12:01.939 --> 00:12:06.829 being in the classroom. Again, I'd like to welcome you to the University of 00:12:06.829 --> 00:12:12.560 Illinois at Chicago. Understand that everybody here is here for your success 00:12:12.560 --> 00:12:20.480 and should you have any questions of any kind please reach out to us. Welcome and 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:23.380 good luck! 00:12:28.230 --> 00:12:31.859 The African-American Academic Network would like to welcome you to the 00:12:31.859 --> 00:12:38.170 University of Illinois at Chicago. It is our hope you will connect with us and 00:12:38.170 --> 00:12:44.949 become a part of our community. No matter who you are or what you have. our message 00:12:44.949 --> 00:12:51.580 to you is that you belong here. AAAN, as we are affectionately 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:56.500 called, promotes success and high-impact engagement for students of African 00:12:56.500 --> 00:13:01.690 descent through comprehensive advising, developmental programming, student 00:13:01.690 --> 00:13:05.920 advocacy and structured learning experiences within an inclusive 00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:11.590 community. In other words we want you to be successful in every aspect of your 00:13:11.590 --> 00:13:15.690 college career and not just stop there, but go on to graduate and contribute to 00:13:15.690 --> 00:13:22.440 your community and a global society. Each year we work with hundreds of students, 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:27.239 like you to gain access to the campus via high school or community college 00:13:27.239 --> 00:13:32.890 visits, or while hosting a group of students for a more personalized campus 00:13:32.890 --> 00:13:37.170 experience. The application process can be a bit overwhelming but we are here to 00:13:37.170 --> 00:13:45.340 assist you in any way that we can. After you enroll and make contact with our 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:49.330 department we will assign a professional advisor to you to help answer your 00:13:49.330 --> 00:13:54.340 questions and keep you on track to meet your academic and developmental goals. At 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:58.200 any time throughout the semester you can call and schedule an appointment to meet 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:03.189 with your advisor and enjoy the expertise of a trained staff member 00:14:03.189 --> 00:14:10.189 committed to your success. If you stop by our office located at 1200 West Harrison 00:14:10.189 --> 00:14:15.119 Street Suite 2800 in the Student Services Building, you can take advantage 00:14:15.119 --> 00:14:20.149 of our Learning Resource Center or LRC. There we have a computer lab, study area 00:14:20.149 --> 00:14:26.290 and host private and group tutoring sessions for students interested in 00:14:26.290 --> 00:14:32.259 staying ahead of their coursework. Each year we employ between 12 and 15 peer 00:14:32.259 --> 00:14:36.129 tutors to assist students with math and science courses and even foreign 00:14:36.129 --> 00:14:40.259 languages. Be sure to contact us or stop by to set an appointment 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:46.219 our high-achieving tutors. And if we don't offer a particular subject we'll 00:14:46.219 --> 00:14:53.169 help you find a tutor elsewhere on campus. We currently have six 00:14:53.169 --> 00:14:57.230 professional staff members in our department and hire another 20 to 00:14:57.230 --> 00:15:01.560 25 students to help us carry out the important work of supporting 00:15:01.560 --> 00:15:06.220 black students. Each team member can be contacted by scheduling an appointment 00:15:06.220 --> 00:15:14.289 but also hold walk-in hours periodically throughout the week. We host a variety of 00:15:14.289 --> 00:15:19.019 programs to help students get acclimated to the campus and to meet other students 00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:23.269 in the process. If you're interested in having candid discussions regarding 00:15:23.269 --> 00:15:29.020 issues relevant to black students on campus, stop by the office and sign up 00:15:29.020 --> 00:15:33.260 for our Sistas, Fellas, Keeping it Real sessions. Or maybe you're interested 00:15:33.260 --> 00:15:38.220 in networking with distinguished alumni or want to get an advanced degree after 00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:43.120 graduation, You might find our Black Professional Roundtable Discussion of 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:52.129 interest. Another signature service in our department is our Peer Success Coach 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:59.139 Program. Here we pair incoming freshmen and new transfer students, like you, with 00:15:59.139 --> 00:16:02.099 an upperclassman that will help guide you through your first academic year at 00:16:02.099 --> 00:16:09.119 UIC. Or perhaps you are a techie, or want to acquire more knowledge in website or 00:16:09.119 --> 00:16:14.019 mobile application development, feel free to ask us about our Black Tech 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:16.140 Scholars Program. 00:16:19.140 --> 00:16:23.099 Each year right before the first day of class we welcome our new students to 00:16:23.099 --> 00:16:28.280 campus by hosting our annual We Are One Retreat and our Black to School Barbecue. 00:16:28.280 --> 00:16:35.090 Yes, you heard it correctly, Black to School Barbecue, where we celebrate black 00:16:35.090 --> 00:16:42.100 students, black staff and black culture. We can go on and on about our top-notch 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:47.190 services and how much we support student success but nothing beats hearing from 00:16:47.190 --> 00:16:53.189 students who are connected to us. Crystal is a class of 2020 graduate and has 00:16:53.189 --> 00:16:58.289 taken full advantage of our resources in AAAN. She is a Public Policy major 00:16:58.289 --> 00:17:04.230 who has interned for the Chicago Aldermen, Greg Mitchell. Crystal serves as 00:17:04.230 --> 00:17:09.100 one of our peer coaches while simultaneously holds membership in the 00:17:09.100 --> 00:17:13.200 Collegiate 100 Chicago and Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:20.100 Incorporated. Debora is also a graduating senior and has been one of 00:17:20.100 --> 00:17:23.120 the most involved students AAAN has ever seen. 00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:28.100 She is a Psychology major in Black Studies minor who had the honor of being 00:17:28.100 --> 00:17:35.000 accepted into the KEI London Study Abroad Program and internship. Debora 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.239 began her journey at UIC through the AAAN FIRST Program and currently 00:17:39.239 --> 00:17:45.135 serves as our student programming intern. She also serves as the current President 00:17:45.135 --> 00:17:52.135 of the Collegiate 100 Chicago. For more information or to speak to one of our 00:17:52.135 --> 00:17:59.135 team members, please call us at (312) 996-5040. 00:17:59.135 --> 00:18:04.115 Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. through 5:00 00:18:04.115 --> 00:18:09.565 p.m. and we look forward to getting to know and meeting you. We're glad you 00:18:09.565 --> 00:18:14.239 chose UIC and know there are dozens of other schools you could have selected, 00:18:14.239 --> 00:18:19.580 but since you chose UIC, just remember: You belong here!