GIFTS WITH IMPACT

Gretchen Winter attends the LAS Distinguished Professor event honoring James W. Pellegrino, January 2009.

What Does Giving Back Mean to an LAS Board of Visitors Member?

Gretchen Winter is an LAS alumnus, having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Education with honors and high distinction in English. She went on to earn her JD from the University of Chicago Law School.

Winter has worked for the Illinois Board of Higher Education in Springfield, the Illinois House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor in Springfield, and the law firm of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson. She worked for 18 years at Baxter International Inc. in Deerfield, Illinois where she served for more than a decade as Vice President and Counsel, Business Practices/Ethics and Compliance. In 2007, she took on the role of Executive Director of The Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society at the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (the "Center"). Her office is located at the Illini Center in Chicago, and she is a frequent speaker for a variety of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and legal programs within and outside of the United States.

Winter has also remained a loyal participant in the College, a member of the Presidents Council, a member of the Chancellor Circle Bronze level, a University of Illinois Foundation member, and since 2001, a founding member of the LAS Board of Visitors. Winter was enthusiastic to have this opportunity to share her passion for LAS and her feelings on what it means to be an LAS donor and a member of the Board of Visitors.

"A university is a place that changes lives, and it changed mine in ways that ensure I will contribute to the University community for years to come. For me, those changes began on my very first day as a student at UIC in the fall of 1975. Like many high schoolers, I thought that living away from home was a necessary part of the college experience. However, while the combination of my American Legion oratorical contest scholarship and my family’s financial contributions would cover the costs of tuition and books, it was not enough to permit me to go away to college—I would need to live at home. So I was still feeling a bit disappointed as I hopped off the bus near Morgan and Harrison.

"My attitude began to turn that very day when I saw a classmate from high school in my English class and waved to another while heading across campus to Econ 101. On the way, I saw a poster inviting students to write for the weekly campus newspaper and another offering radio hosting and engineering opportunities on WUIC-FM. I began writing for the Chicago ILLINI the following week. Later that quarter, I got my engineer’s license and became the Wednesday afternoon host for "Circling Chicago." I met fascinating students who grew up in Old Town (did kids really grow up there?) and the suburbs, who loved the theater (remember the St. Nicholas?) and student government as much as I did, and who introduced me to underwater hockey (is it really possible to hold your breath that long?) and jazz. I learned from faculty who challenged me to think beyond what I already believed, and I experimented with courses I had never before considered to be of interest. Before too long, I was arriving early and staying late, having joined a morning carpool and figured out a variety of bus and el routes. In the process, I realized that college is exactly what you make of it.

"By the time I graduated, I had become a UIC cheerleader (figuratively, as we had no teams that required cheerleaders), an elected student trustee, a member of the UICC Student-Faculty Senate, an employee of the public relations staffs for the campus and the University, a member of the synchronized swimming team, and a lifeguard at the Circle Center pool. I was as comfortable on the top floor of UH as I was in the classroom, and I had spent time at the Medical Center, at the southern campus of the University of Illinois, and as an advocate for student rights in Springfield. I engaged in regular policy discussions with campus, system, and student leaders whose primary task was to keep this University’s reputation growing in only the most positive of ways. Of course, I also studied and went to class, and upon graduation was accepted to The University of Chicago Law School.

"UIC opened many doors for me, and I welcomed every opportunity to continue my connections with the University after graduation. I became a life member of the Alumni Association and joined its Board of Directors. I served on a variety of committees, even helping to interview potential candidates for the University of Illinois Board of Trustees (back in the day when they were elected). Some of us thought LAS needed to have an active board of alums, so we started one. So when then-Dean Stanley Fish met with me, telling me I was one of the College’s most consistent donors (I think he said generous, but I didn’t believe him) and inviting me to help shape the future of LAS through service on the Board of Visitors, I did not need to think twice before saying yes. I said yes again under Chris Comer’s thoughtful leadership, and said yes a third time to the exciting vision of Dwight MacBride.

"When I was considering colleges, my father asked me what was most important—a good education or the chance to study away from home. I now know that I should not have assumed that living away from home was a necessary part of the college experience. Though students today have the option of living on campus and taking classes overseas, which is certainly wonderful, I learned that education is not just about location. Instead, a university education is about developing a love of learning wherever you are and making the most of the opportunities that are available. That’s why contributing to the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences "opportunity fund" is one of my favorite donations each year.

"As a member of the Board of Visitors, I have the chance to watch those donations work their magic. Listening to talented students thank donors who have funded scholarships that allow them to take classes without working, to travel in pursuit of their studies, or to pursue research projects with professors brings tears to my eyes. Brainstorming with the deans about ways to keep this college as competitive as it can be is a concrete way to give back. Forging connections with faculty, administrators and staff who make opportunities a reality for a new group of students every year is inspiring.

"I am committed to continue to contribute my time, talent, and treasure to a place that has given me so much and is so well positioned to keep on giving similar opportunities to others."