Dear UIC Community,

I write to share an important update on the work of the newly established Strategic Priorities Task Force. I hope that many of you will participate in the engagements organized by the task force.

Soon after my arrival at UIC, UIC engaged in a series of intentional conversations with students, faculty, and staff to identify shared goals for advancing the university. Feedback gathered through ongoing discussions with key campus stakeholders — including the Senate, student leaders, the Staff Advisory Council, the Academic Professional Advisory Council, deans, and the executive cabinet — informed the development of a compelling mission and five overarching institutional priorities. These five priorities have been updated, and two foundational efforts have been added to UIC’s strategy.

Strategic Priorities

• Accelerate Student Success: Support student success across the full lifecycle, from access and onboarding to timely graduation and post-graduation success, while closing equity gaps.
• Transform Educational Programs: Reimagine academic programs, curricula, and teaching approaches to meet evolving student, workforce, and societal needs.
• Expand Research and Innovation: Expand research and innovation to strengthen discovery, translation, and societal impact.
• Amplify and Evolve the Health System: Advance integrated health education, research, and clinical care to enhance outcomes in patient care, health equity, and biomedical discovery.
• Build Strong Partnerships with Communities and Businesses: Strengthen partnerships with communities, businesses, and civic leaders to expand opportunity and impact.

Foundational Efforts

• Build and Sustain a Strong Faculty and Staff: Recruit, retain, develop, and support faculty and staff to advance excellence across the university.
• Implement a Data and Analytics Strategy: Use data, analytics, and evidence to guide decision-making, improve outcomes, and support collaboration and transparency.

The Strategic Priorities Task Force will carry forward the next phase of this effort — translating shared aspirations into a coordinated institutional strategy. The task force is intentionally composed of faculty, staff, and student leaders from across UIC to bring a broad range of perspectives, expertise, and experiences to this work, with membership drawn from important shared governance entities.

As part of this process, UIC convened a two-day Strategic Priorities Task Force Sprint on May 18-19, 2026, to begin to shape an ambitious vision for each of the university’s strategic priorities and foundational efforts. Facilitated in partnership with UIC’s Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Design, the sprint focused on thoughtful and collaborative discussion grounded in UIC’s mission, strengths, and opportunities for the future. The Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Design's longstanding familiarity with UIC and our mission make them a trusted partner in helping guide these conversations.

In the months ahead, the Strategic Priorities Task Force will seek broader input from stakeholders across the university. We are committed to ensuring that this process remains collaborative, transparent, and respectful of the many responsibilities already carried by members of our campus community.

To learn more about the Strategic Priorities Task Force and its work, please visit the Strategic Priorities webpage, which will be updated on a regular basis.

Thank you for your continued commitment to UIC’s mission to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research, and clinical excellence.

With regards,

Marie Lynn Miranda, PhD
Chancellor