A Message from Dean Hairston for Fall 2020
Message from the Dean Heading link
Dear Jane Addams College of Social Work Students, Faculty and Staff,
Welcome to fall semester 2020. Although we are not gathered together on campus and I am not seeing you in the hallways, classrooms and parking lots, it’s great to know that you are here virtually and in spirit. This is understandably not a normal semester; we are indeed developing a new norm. We are going about the usual business of the university – teaching, learning, research and community engagement – while also understanding that this is not business as usual.
A major priority this semester is providing you with an excellent social work education while also assuring everyone’s health, safety and well-being. To that end, all Jane Addams classroom courses are online this fall semester, and all in-person field placements have contingency arrangements for a transition to remote learning, should that become necessary. We will not have our usual celebratory events – welcome orientation and reception, Dean’s scholarship reception, group photos, etc. – that are an important part of the educational experience, but we will provide opportunities for virtual networking and having important conversations.
The Black Lives Matter protests this summer remind us that in addition to the coronavirus pandemic we must also address systemic racism as a major social justice issue. UIC has convened several groups to identify ways that campus leadership and various colleges and units can bring about needed changes. We will be working collaboratively with Jane Addams Student Government and different campus units to make a difference here at the college. So that we are operating with factual information, I will share with you a state of the college report on diversity, inclusion and racial equity that outlines where we are now.
It is very important that we not only examine things internal to UIC but also be agents of change in our larger society. We are not merely in the city of Chicago, we are a part of it. The College website and publications such as Year in Review and the Spring edition of Affirmations, the College’s magazine, describe ways in which we are involved in broader reform matters. The upcoming November elections provide a major avenue for all of us to be advocates for health equity and community well-being, and social, racial and economic justice. It is urgent that you not only register to vote, but vote, and support others in knowing and exercising their right to vote, especially people who may think their voices don’t matter. As you well know, this Presidential election is a critical one.
Let’s have a good year, and one in which we make a positive difference that matters.
Creasie Finney Hairston, Dean