From: Official Announcement Date: March 2, 2008 3:22:19 PM CST To: OFFICIAL_FACULTY@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Subject: [OFFICIAL] Emergency Communications at UIC Reply-To: kajari@uic.edu In the interest of campus security and personal safety, please take a moment to review the following. HOW TO CONTACT UIC POLICE IN AN EMERGENCY: -A new phone number, 5-5555, can be used to summon Police or Fire for any on-campus emergency. "Five Fives for Help" is intended to be easier to remember and quicker to dial from a campus phone. Phone stickers with the new emergency number are being distributed to campus units and are available from the UIC Police. -Set up the complete number, (312) 355-5555, on speed-dial on your cell phone. -More than 1,000 green emergency phones are on campus. A red button activates an alarm and flashing light and immediately connects you to UIC Police. Spot the phone locations as you make your way around campus. HOW TO RECEIVE INFORMATION IN AN EMERGENCY: -Subscribe your cell phone to receive text message alerts. An immediate SMS text alert will be sent in case of a serious crime in progress, a weather emergency, or other urgent situation. Log in to http://sms.accc.uic.edu from any computer to subscribe your phone. -Call the UIC Hotline anytime at (312) 413-9696. In addition to emergency information, the hotline will alert you to building closures or class relocations. -Check the Emergency Information link on the UIC homepage. -Watch your UIC email account for Urgent and Official email messages. ------------------------- UIC Police will conduct a test of the SMS emergency text messaging system on Thursday, March 6, at 10:00 A.M. Subscribe your cell phone at http://sms.accc.uic.edu to join the test. Joseph Muscarella Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Chief John W. Richardson UIC Police From: Official Announcement Date: March 6, 2008 6:54:44 PM CST To: OFFICIAL_FACULTY@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Subject: [OFFICIAL] Message from the Chancellor Reply-To: donnaj@uic.edu Dear Colleagues, I am very pleased to report to you once again with highlights from around campus. Two teams of UIC MBA students won first place and second place at the Cardinal Challenge Business Plan Competition hosted recently by the University of Louisville. HeartSounds, Inc., founded by Liautaud Graduate School of Business MBA students Dr. Amir Bastawrous, Matthew Norris and Michael McCoy, took the $15,000 first place and earned a berth in the 2008 Global Moot Corp Business Plan Competition to be held in Austin, Texas, in May. BioRegenix, Inc.’s patented, preclinical-stage biotechnology that repairs injured heart muscle following a heart attack, took second place and earned team members Darius Kaulius, Thomas Triantafillou and Gokul Kumar $5,000. Two UIC students were named to USA Today’s All-USA College Academic teams, which each year recognize a small number of the nation’s undergraduates for classroom excellence and for dedicating their talents to benefiting society. UIC senior Farah Shareef was one of 20 students nationwide named to the First Team, while junior Ying (Amy) Ye was named to the Third Team. Ms. Shareef is a bioengineering major who conducts research at Argonne National Laboratory and wants to apply her engineering background to a career as a physician-scientist. Ms. Ye, a biological sciences major, plans to go to medical school, and is conducting research to learn whether Raman spectroscopy can be used to detect cellular changes indicative of tumors. On behalf of the entire campus, congratulations to these two remarkable students for this well-deserved recognition. Laura DeMarco, assistant professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science, has received a $550,000 National Science Foundation CAREER award and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship that includes a $50,000 award. Professor DeMarco specializes in the study of dynamical systems and complex analysis. NSF’s Faculty Early CAREER Development award is its most prestigious honor awarded to junior faculty members in science and engineering who demonstrate a commitment to research and teaching. UIC’s department of mathematics, statistics and computer science now has 15 faculty members who have won Sloan fellowships. Randall Meyer, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has also won a five-year NSF CAREER award of more than $400,000 to further understanding of catalysts critical to the production of chemicals and plastics. Catalysis synthesis for the project will be performed in the lab of UIC chemical engineering professor John Regalbuto. Gail Prins, professor of urology, is the lead investigator on a five-year, $2.6 million grant to explore whether exposure of baby boys to BPA, a man-made chemical which mimics natural estrogens, predisposes them to prostate cancer later in life. The grant is from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. BPA is a key chemical in the production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins and is found in products ranging from baby bottles to tin can linings. More than a billion pounds of BPA is produced in the United States each year. Timothy Shanahan, professor of urban education and director of the UIC Center for Literacy, has been re-nominated by President Bush for a second term on the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board. UIC’s Department of Germanic Studies was ranked third in the country for its scholarly production in 2007, behind only Harvard and Georgetown, according to the American Association of Teachers of German. More underserved Illinois children will receive oral health care thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Illinois Children’s Health Care Foundation to the College of Dentistry. The grant will begin as a pilot program next January and allow the college to expand its current community-based rotations. Twelve fourth-year students will spend half of their final semester treating underserved children in three yet-to-be determined clinics in the Chicago area. Initiatives such as this are a superb example of UIC’s Great Cities Commitment – putting the campus’s intellectual resources to work with community partners to improve the quality of urban life. Finally, I extend my deepest thanks to the members of the UIC community – Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Barbara Henley, UIC counselors and psychiatrists, and all other staff – who volunteered so generously of their time and expertise to assist Northern Illinois University following last month’s shootings. UIC counselors were on the scene at DeKalb within hours of the tragedy, and I am certain it was a great comfort for the NIU community to know that so many friends and colleagues, from UIC and many other universities, stood by them in their hour of need. Sincerely, Eric A. Gislason Interim Chancellor From: Official Announcement Date: March 12, 2008 4:43:22 PM CDT To: OFFICIAL_FACULTY@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Subject: [OFFICIAL] Message from the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Reply-To: wms@uic.edu Dear Colleagues: In light of the recent incidents of violence on campuses across the country including Northern Illinois University, I write to once again acknowledge your role as part of the broad network of support for our students. As a faculty or staff member, you are in a unique position to identify individual students who are experiencing problems and need assistance. The Counseling Center is a resource for the referral of emotionally distressed students. It also provides consultation about how best to respond to a student of concern and assessment of students in crisis. If you have a student about whom you are worried, please feel free to call the Counseling Center at (312-996-3490). The professional staff will be happy to talk with you about a possible course of action and how best to help your student. The Counseling Center website has a helpful resource entitled, "Helping the Emotionally Distressed Student: A Referral Guide for Faculty and Staff, (www.counseling.uic.edu)." Finally, if you would like to discuss concerns related to your personal safety at UIC, please contact Geri Biamonte at the Employee Assistance program (312-996-3588). Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to a continued strong partnership on behalf of all our students. Sincerely, Barbara Henley Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs From: Official Announcement Date: March 27, 2008 1:44:59 PM CDT To: OFFICIAL_FACULTY@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Subject: [OFFICIAL] Turn off the lights for Earht Hour Saturday Reply-To: monique@uic.edu Earth Hour Chicago - A Global Event on Climate Change Chicago will join over 20 cities across the world to turn off the lights for one hour, Saturday, March 29, from 8-9 PM. While the city will be measuring how much energy will be saved during that hour, the main message of this event is to inspire energy efficiency in our homes and businesses beyond Earth Hour. Turn off the Lights @ UIC Are you up for the task? We are asking UIC faculty, staff and students to participate in Earth Hour by shutting off the lights at your office when you leave Friday, March 28. All street lights and lights essential to public safety will on as it is important for Earth Hour to be celebrated in a safe and secure environment. Everyone Can Have an Impact What you and your family can do on Saturday, March 29, 8-9PM: -DO turn out your lights from 8-9 PM. -DO use a flashlight or battery-powered candles to celebrate Earth Hour safely. -DO enjoy time with your family and friends. -DO go outside and see the stars. -GO to www.earthhourus.org/ten_things.php to learn about more activities to do during that hour (Green Party, anyone?) What can you after Earth Hour? You can make changes in your everyday routine to make your home more environmentally-friendly: -DO replace standard incandescent light bulbs in high-use areas with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to cut energy use up to 75 percent. The CFL bulbs also last up to 10 times longer. -DON'T throw away old batteries, cell phones, appliances and computer and other equipment. Most can be recycled. Visit the City Department of Streets and Sanitation Recycling web page for a list of recycling centers. -DO turn lights off when you leave the room. DO unplug appliances and chargers when they aren't in use so they dont continue to draw power. DO walk, ride a bike, use public transportation, and carpool when you can. GO to www.earthhourus.org/chicago_dodonts.php to learn more about making your home environmentally-friendly. Leading the Effort Earth Hour Chicago is a partnership with the City of Chicago, World Wildlife Fund,ComEd and Leo Burnett. UIC has joined in the effort of many businesses and colleges and universities throughout the city. Visit www.earthhourus.org/chicago.php to join the movement. Cynthia Klein-Banai Interim Associate Chancellor for Sustainability