News & Updates
Check this page for regular news, updates, and stories about UCPIP. Any significant changes to the published calendar will also be announced here. You may subscribe to this page via RSS in order to receive updates automatically. Old entries that are not on this page can be found in the news & updates archive
UCPIP Kicks Off the 2011-12 Fellowship Year
UCPIP fellows, mentors, and alumni leaders gathered in June to recognize the end of the 2010-2011 fellowship year, and welcome the incoming 2011-2012 UCPIP fellows. Over refreshments, mentors and fellows began the process of getting to know each other, building relationships that will offer them both support and enrichment over the coming year.
UCPIP is proud to announce that there will be 12 UCPIP fellows during the 2011-2012 year, working at the following partner organizations:
- Academy for Urban School Leadership
- Access Community Health Network
- Center for Economic Progress
- Chapin Hall
- Chicago Legal Clinic
- Chicago Quest Schools
- Civic Consulting Alliance
- Umoja Student Development Corporation
- Urban Partnership Bank
We wish our incoming mentors and fellows all the best as they embark on their UCPIP experience, and we look forward to another exciting year of growth and change for UCPIP as a program, too!
Fellows from UCPIP, Princeton Project 55, and Northwestern NUPIP gathered on the evening of May 11, 2011, for a special seminar on "Life After PIP"
Dillan Siegler, the director of the Chicago Careers in Public and Social Service at CAPS opened a panel with advice on making career decisions and searching for jobs in the sector. Then, several past UCPIP fellows discussed the ways in which their fellowship experiences led them to their current careers. After the panel, several mentors and former fellows joined the group for a networking reception.
Life After PIP panelists included UCPIP alumni Aaron Shkuda, AB'03 AM'05 PhD'10, Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, AB'04, and Michelle Lugalia-Hollon, AB'07.
UCPIP fellows participate in a lively Q&A session after the Life After PIP panel.
"Nonprofit 101" Video Now Available!
The video of "Nonprofit 101" seminar on January 18 is now available for streaming below. If you'd like to download the video, please click on the following link: University of Chicago Mind Online
January 18 Seminar: "Nonprofit 101"
On January 18th, UCPIP fellows and alumni volunteers gathered for an evening seminar. The keynote speaker was UCPIP board member Kelly Kleiman (AB '75, JD '79), who is a nonprofit consultant and widely-published freelance writer, as well as editor and publisher of a blog, the Nonprofiteer.
Kelly gave a talk entitled "Nonprofit 101," providing an overview of current practices and challenges in nonprofit management. Drawing from her experience working at and with various nonprofits, she also answered fielded questions from UCPIP fellows. A video of the informative and entertaining presentation will soon be available online. Check back in the near future!
Info Session and Fellowship Application Deadline Reminder
The final UCPIP info session will take place in Ida Noyes room 203 at 05:30PM on Thursday, January 13. Also, the Fellow Application deadline is approaching! All student applications must be submitted by midnight on January 31, 2011.
UCPIP at the Greater Chicago Food Depository
Thank you to everyone who made it out to our UCPIP service project at the Greater Chicago Food Depository on Wednesday, December 1. We had a great time and are looking forward to seeing everyone again at our next UCPIP seminar on the evening of January 18th... more details to come!
Fellows visit the Cara Program
Fellows from UCPIP, Northwestern NUPIP, and Princeton Project 55 visited the Cara Program for a seminar on Wednesday, November 17th. President and CEO Eric Weinheimer (MBA'94) educated the fellows about the Cara Program's unique, intensive, entrepreneurial approach to job training and placement. Fellows all participated in the daily "Morning Motivations" session, where UCPIP Director Tom Berg (pictured below) was called upon to address the group about making sacrifices to achieve success, and to lead the group in a song. As for what he sang? You had to be there.
Fellowship Application Now Available
The 2011-2012 UCPIP Fellowship Application is now available online. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2011 at midnight.
Click here to access the application...
UCPIP Kickoff a Success
On September 30th, 2010-2011 UCPIP fellows gathered to kick off the fellowship year with a speed-networking event downtown. Mentors, supervisors, and members of the UCPIP Board of Directors also attended. Over dinner and drinks, participants shared memorable anecdotes about how they became interested in public interest work, what their best and worst team experiences have been, and what historical figure they would most like to work for. Thanks to all who attended! Future networking and professional development opportunities are planned.
Organization Application Available
The 2011-2012 UCPIP Partner Organization Application is now available online. Organizations that are considering hiring a fellow should complete the application as soon as possible to initiate the matching process. Organization applications must be completed by February 10, 2011.
Click here to access the application...
First Wednesday Seminar of 2010-2011
Fellows from UCPIP joined together with Northwestern NUPIP and Princeton Project 55 fellows on Wednesday, September 15, for their first Wednesday morning seminar. Following introductions and icebreakers, John Fish (AM '65, PhD '71) gave a presentation on Chicago's political history, setting the stage for coming seminars about "hard times" and social and political change in Chicago.
Seminars will take place most Wednesday mornings; details are shared directly with fellows and their supervisors. Additional evening seminars are also being planned to provide professional development opportunities.
UCPIP is hiring student workers!
Student workers will help conduct outreach to organizations, recruit student applicants, manage program data and communications, and support fellows throughout the year. We are hiring for three positions for the 2010-2011 academic year. Interested candidates should apply directly via email to Eric Rogers at erogers@uchicago.edu. Details below:
- Fellow Recruitment & Support Coordinator
- Data & Technology Coordinator
- Community Outreach Coordinator
2010-2011 Academic Year Application Calendar Released
The UCPIP application calendar for the 2010-2011 academic year (placing Fellows for 2011-2012)has been posted on our calendar page.
A Summer Picnic in Pilsen
Surrounded by colorful murals by local artists, Saturday afternoon baseball games, and pushcarts filled with cold treats, a group of 2010-2011 UCPIP fellows gathered for a picnic in Harrison Park on Saturday, July 17. Trading stories about work, new apartments, new roommates, and summer plans, conversation was easy over our delicious lunch from Café Jumping Bean. Fellows and Mentors should stay tuned for many more opportunities to get together over the next year!
Fellow Focus: Latricia Booker at Academy for Urban School Leadership
One year after graduation, Latricia Booker, AB'09, has found herself working to reform the educational system that she herself is a product of. Through UCPIP, Latricia works as a recruiter for the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), a non-profit organization that runs turn-around schools in the Chicago Public Schools system. Through her Fellowship, Latricia has gained perspective on the state of education and insight into where a career in public service will take her.
Latricia's path to working in education began in the College where she majored in biology as a pre-med, and later switched to psychology. She was both President of the Organization of Black Students (OBS) as well as a member of the Office of Multicultural Students Affairs (OMSA) Student Advisory Committee. Latricia learned about UCPIP through Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS), and applied to be a UCPIP Fellow at a time when she was trying to decide between medicine and education. Her interview landed her a fellowship with AUSL. Though she wasn't familiar with the organization, Latricia accepted the offer. Her interest in volunteering and service had motivated her to explore different opportunities between undergraduate and graduate school.
Latricia's origins give her a unique perspective on her work today. She graduated from a Chicago Public Schools high school and volunteered in schools as a tutor and a tour guide. Though she had an idea of what an urban education on Chicago's South Side was like, Latricia believes that her experience at AUSL has been a true eye-opener - "This is what I wake up to every day - I see every day what has really gone wrong in our public school system, and you really need to work on the other side in order to criticize the parents and teachers, because you need all the viewpoints."
Aside from managing chronic low-performing schools in the Chicago Public Schools, AUSL also runs a residency program that trains teachers who want to work in an urban environment. Latricia works to find candidates for their teacher residency program and also for turnaround schools, who require an all-new staff. Latricia sees her role as being part human resources, part professional support. Not only does she recruit and introduce new people into the organization, but she also acts as a support for new schools and existing schools.
This insider's look at the Chicago Public Schools system has also pushed Latricia to develop a strong educational philosophy of her own. She sees students as having been short-changed by the system in terms of academic learning and safety. "The culture and climate of schools is equally important as what they learn in class. What you get in algebra is as important as, 'Will I make it home tonight?' It's appalling how the ball has been dropped in education, nationwide and in Chicago." Latricia believes that AUSL will help to elevate the standards of education by finding passionate and talented people who can bring about large-scale change. Every day, she works with principals, assistant principals, coaches and other adults. Though she doesn't interact directly with kids, she is enthusiastic about her work because she knows it will benefit the students.
Latricia's future plans will include public service. She is staying at AUSL for another year, and hopes to use her work experience to figure out where she can be most effective and most helpful. Right now, she is considering attending grad school in public health, and combining health with education - "those are the two most fundamental things you can give to a child. Whatever I do, I know I will be in public service for the rest of my life. It's not unreasonable to expect. Someone reached out and helped me, so why wouldn't I have the same idea?" Latricia credits her UCPIP Fellowship with changing her life. Though she was already inclined to go into public service when she began her Fellowship, she was even more impressed by the urgency of the work she was doing and how it actually changes lives: "It reminded me of how important it is to do this work. There are so many problems to be fixed, and so much work to be done. No matter what you do in your life, you have to give back."
June 7 Year-End Celebration
On June 7th, the UCPIP alumni board of directors, staff, and friends gathered to commend outgoing Fellows for completing a year of hard work and congratulate incoming Fellows who are beginning their work in public interest.
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UCPIP is an alumni-directed program of the University of Chicago, supported by the