We each live a unique story, but taking the time to understand our own narrative is the first step is embracing the social responsibility of respecting everyone’s individual lived experiences. Dr. LeClair will share her inspiring story of overcoming trauma. You will be encouraged to explore your emotional past, explore your relational patterns, release negative experiences, and build resilience so you can communicate authentically and create healthier relationships personally and professionally.

According to The Center for First-Generation Student Success, as of 2015-2016, first-generation students represented 56 percent of all undergraduates in the US. The concerted efforts to enhance access to higher education in recent decades have undeniably narrowed enrollment gaps and resulted in a significant influx of low-income first-generation students into colleges.

The focus of this event is to draw the audience’s attention to the field of autism as it relates to employment-based support and accommodations. With a supposed “autism tsunami” in the years to come in which organizations will likely see a significant increase of applicants or employees who are on the spectrum, leaders need to prepare their organizations for it, at all levels. Participants will learn about the research Dr. Pierce conducted with a company in the Chicago area that hires and supports employees with high-functioning autism.

Mike Miller and Brian Gillis will engage in a presentation and discussion that explores their art practice and A Public Commons, a project where the UIS Visual Arts Gallery is transformed into a replica of the 1970’s era non-hierarchical classrooms employed by Sangamon State University. This “classroom” space will host discussion and/or mediation sessions that bring together crucial community stakeholders connected to social issues and employ a variety of mediation and communication methodologies, models, and strategies to facilitate productive discussions in a neutral, safe space.

The UN Climate Negotiations: A Complex Space for Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change and Determining Pathways Forward

Brandon Barclay Derman | Wednesday, April 26, 6:00 P.M.
Brookens Auditorium

Ethical Artificial Intelligence: An Industry Perspective | Doug Hamilton | Wednesday, April 12, 6:00 P.M. | Student Union Ballroom

Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents an enormous opportunity to advance human well-being.  It also, however, represents a sea-change in how decisions are made, who is making those decisions, and who is liable for outcomes.  Today this very topic is being tackled by an odd admixture of ethicists, attorneys, statisticians, computer scientists, and regulators. 

Festival de Mujeres 1979: Window to Latina Actvism, in 1970s Chicago - A Pilsen Latina Histories Chicago Monuments Project Panel

Sarita Hernández, Hinda Seif, & Diana Solís | Wednesday, March 29, 6:00 P.M. |
Brookens Auditorium

Free Speech for Engaged Citizenship: On Campus & Beyond | Alex Morey | Wednesday, March 1, 6:00 P.M. | Brookens Auditorium

Engaged citizens use their voices to express themselves, support causes they care about, and make positive societal change. But given today’s often volatile environment impacting speech around critically-important issues like race, COVID-19, abortion, and more, using this core right can seem — or even be — risky.

Viewing Student Success on Campus Through a Historian's Lens | Dr. Jessica Harris | Wednesday, February 15, 6:00 P.M. | Brookens Auditorium

Equity is a moral, social, and economic imperative. The democratic and economic future of the state of Illinois and the country rests in our collective ability to get a greater number of citizens with a post-secondary credential. The equity gaps that persist in student outcomes at colleges and universities are rooted in the past and have endured over time.