UIA Projects at UIC
Summer Edge
The UIA’s Academic Recovery project seeks to address the lack of clear, scalable solutions to diagnosing and addressing DFW bottlenecks at universities, and in so doing, to improve academic progression rates for low-income students and students of color in higher education. The Academic Recovery project is funded by Ascendium and DeLuca.
Summer Edge, UIC’s Academic Recovery Project, launched in summer 2023 with dedicated sections of CHEM 122 – General Chemistry and MATH 180 – Calculus 1. ENGL 161 was added in Summer 2024. UIC continued Summer Edge in Summer 2025 as a campus program with an expanded list of courses.
Summer Edge 2025 Courses
- Chemistry
CHEM 122 Matter and Energy
CHEM 124 Chemical Dynamics
CHEM 232 Structure and Function - English
ENGL 161 Academic Writing II (two sections) - Math
MATH 121 Precalculus Mathematics
MATH 180 Calculus I
MATH 181 Calculus II
Summer Edge Program Partners
The following campus partners work and the UIA Fellow to coordinate, implement, and assess Summer Edge, UIC’s Academic Recovery program.
Program Coordinators
Lindsey Back, PhD, Lindsey Back, PhD, Interim Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives (Chief of Staff), Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Student Success, and Effectiveness
Felicia Keelen, EdD, University Innovation Alliance Associate (UIA Fellow)
Natalie Kokorudz, Associate Director, UIC Summer Session
Program Assessment
Darima Butitova, PhD, Acting Director, Office for Research on Student Success
Jessica Wrona, Undergraduate Affairs Data Analyst, Office for Research on Student Success
Lakshita Malik, Graduate Research Assistant, Office for Research on Student Success
Campus Partners
Academic Center for Excellence (ACE)
James Lynn, Executive Director
Yesenia M. Villalobos, Associate Director
Jon S. Mann, Academic Specialist and Instructor
Math and Science Learning Center (MSLC)
Danielle Liubicich, PhD, Director
Debra Levine, MSCS Program Coordinator
UIC Writing Center
Vainis Aleksa, PhD, Director
Summer Edge Success Teams 2025
- Success Coaches
Megan Boss, Visiting Transition Coach, Academic Center for Excellence
Ashley J. Scott, Transition Coach, Academic Center for Excellence
Yesenia Villalobos, Associate Director, Academic Center for Excellence - CHEM 122
Instructor – Dr. Emil Tripa
Teaching Asst – Nadira Parvin Lata
Teaching Asst – Sarita Rawool
Peer Learning Asst – Arnav Bavalekar
Peer Learning Asst – Rixit Patel - CHEM 124
Instructor – Dr. Ginevra Clark
Teaching Asst – David Temitope Israel
Teaching Asst – Chandra Rima
Peer Learning Asst – Saloni Patel - CHEM 232
Instructor – Justin “J.T.” Mohr
Teaching Asst – Ian Morales Hernandez
Teaching Asst – Rishav Chatterjee
Peer Learning Asst – Fahad Imran
Peer Learning Asst – Kevin Qian - ENGL 161
Instructor – Antonio Guerrero
Instructor – Robert Wilson
UIC Writing Center Tutors - MATH 121
Instructor – Anthony Woldeit
Teaching Asst – Fengli Zou
Peer Learning Asst – Sola Akindele - MATH 180
Instructor – John Steenbergen
Teaching Asst – Gena Guerrieri
Teaching Asst – John Solak
Peer Learning Asst – Shivansh Amba
Peer Learning Asst – Ruthvika Yarlagadda - MATH 181
Instructor – Andrew “Drew” Shulman
Teaching Asst – Joseph “Merblin” Asare
Teaching Asst – Nat Promma
Peer Learning Asst – Hita Bharwad
Peer Learning Asst – Sohyun Yoon
Black Student Success Initiative
UIA’s Student Centered Redesign project began in 2020 as its institutions publicly recommitted to racial equity in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Campuses worked to identify areas that they could improve with thoughtfully designed, innovative projects.
The UIC Black Student Success Initiative seeks to improve persistence rates of Black students through a data-informed coaching process that provides community and connects students with academic and financial resources.
The Student Centered Redesign project is funded by the Dell Foundation.
Learning Innovation Project
UIA’s Learning Innovation project is a faculty-centered initiative to improve course outcomes in gateway STEM courses that affect students’ likelihood of successful degree progression.
The Learning Innovation project is funded by Axim Collaborative.
UIC Learning Innovation Project Team
UIC’s Learning Innovation Project Team includes the UIA Liaisons, UIA Fellow, Faculty Fellows and a representative from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence. Team members provide support and guidance to the Faculty Fellows as they develop and implement their innovation projects.
UIA Faculty Fellows
- Martina Bode, Ph.D., Clinical Professor and Director of Calculus
Innovation Project – “Digital Accesslbility of Course Materials for Calculus I and Calculus II”. - Ginevra Clark, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor
Innovation Project – “Chemistry Demonstration Active Learning Worksheets” for Chemistry 122 (General Chemistry I).
The Instructional Design & Media Production Studio
- Chris Blakesley, Executive Director