Council Hearing goes well – Message from Chancellor

Dear UIC Faculty, Students and Staff,

This morning the Chicago City Council’s Joint Committee on Finance and Education unanimously passed a resolution co-sponsored by Aldermen Robert Fioretti, Daniel Solis, Walter Burnett and Brendan Reilly urging the state to restore FY10 funding to state universities and to re-examine possible FY11 budget cuts. The passage followed a hearing held at the City Council chambers at which Alderman Fioretti spoke
forcefully about the importance of UIC to the community, city and state. The resolution now goes to the full City Council for consideration.

I want to thank the four aldermen for their strong support, and Professors Dick Simpson and Nena Torres for organizing today’s hearing.

I also want to thank everyone from UIC and the University of Illinois who attended the hearing, particularly those who joined me in speaking on behalf of the resolution: President Stanley Ikenberry, Professors Simpson and Torres, College of Medicine Dean Joe Flaherty, Associate Professor Elizabeth Orsay, and Sean Murray from Undergraduate Student Government.

Together, we will continue to get the word to Springfield about the vital role that UIC plays throughout the State of Illinois, and the critical importance of full and reliable state funding so that we and other public universities can continue to carry out our missions of teaching, research, clinical care, public service and economic development.

Sincerely,

Paula Allen-Meares
Chancellor