Welcome to UIC
It is great pleasure that I welcome you to the University of Illinois at Chicago.
For many of you, this means "welcome to a new career as a faculty member." The professoriate is a unique calling, combining limitless opportunities and freedom for exploration with a unique obligation to share the results of your inquiries with the students of the world. After 32 years in the profession, I will venture to say that there is no career more important or satisfying.
As a newcomer to UIC myself, I chose to come here for reasons that may resonate with your own. Many institutions dedicate themselves to a tripartite mission of teaching, research, and service, as do we. But the students we teach at UIC, as talented as they are, are in many cases the first in their family to attend college, and collectively they form one of the most diverse student bodies in the country. Our research programs are world-class and growing dramatically in stature and scope. And our service to the state, the nation, and the world is matched with a dedication to fully engage and invigorate our own city and neighborhood. UIC is indeed a special place.
I want you to feel at home at UIC, and to be successful here. To that end, the Office of the Provost has available a number of resources and services to help you make the transition to faculty life here. In the coming months we will be conducting several workshops on topics including promotion and tenure and teaching and learning.
R.
Michael Tanner
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs