Reflections on 55 Years
Susan C. Scrimshaw, PhD | UIC SPH Dean | January 1994–June 2006
Part 1
I joined the UIC SPH as Dean in January of 1994, just before the 25th anniversary of the school’s founding. UIC Provost David Brosky charged me with further developing the school and improving our national ranking. In addition, faculty, staff, and students communicated the urgent need for a new building and for more faculty. We achieved all these goals with strong faculty and upper administration support.
In 1994, the SPH was sharing space in the state laboratory building at 2121 West Taylor Street and occupying a small former convent building next door. UIC negotiated to take over the former state psychiatric hospital, which was vacant except for several floors housing psychiatry laboratory programs. The building at 1603 West Taylor Street became our new home in 2001, housing all but our laboratory programs. To supplement university funding, we raised the money to rehab the auditorium, transform the gym into a multipurpose room and furnish several classrooms.
We built the academic programs by obtaining slots for new faculty and division directors and recruiting dynamic individuals to fill these slots. With these new resources, our Division Directors worked with the faculty to expand in many areas. A focus on global health was created to supplement our strong work in Chicago, in Illinois, and in the region. Programs in China, Ukraine and Africa were only the beginning of what I see happening today in our SPH global health work. Programs with inner city Chicago, HIV-AIDS prevention, asthma and elderly populations were enhanced. We welcomed the original Chicago Violence Prevention project. Innovation and interdisciplinary work were encouraged. Looking at UIC SPH programs today, I am thrilled to see so many long-term programs now even stronger – as well as so many exciting new programs.
Starting from the core of COIP (Community Outreach Intervention Projects) and the Prevention Research Center, we built research funding and activity to the point where, by 2006, we were second only to the Medical School in research dollars brought in and were ranked first on campus on a faculty per capita funding rate. We also transformed the SPH Prevention Research Center into the Institute for Health Research and Policy (IHRP) as a campus-wide collaborative center.
Part 2
Fundraising went up dramatically during my time at the SPH, with new endowed funds established, many alumni giving back, and former Deans contributing to our success.
I founded the Dean’s Fund for Excellence to have a discretionary fund to seed new research and support students and faculty. I also encouraged other endowed funds.
I am proudest of the quality and energy of our faculty, staff, and students as we built up the school during my 12 years as Dean. They exhibited the courage and vision which continue to be necessary during the challenges to public health occurring now. I am delighted to see the extent to which Deans Brandt-Rauf and Giles have built upon these efforts to make the School so much better.
I close with profound gratitude for my core leadership team: Senior Associate Dean Sylvia Furner, Associate Dean for Finance Curtisteen Steward, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Shaffdeen Amuwo, and Administrative Assistant Carolyn Cline.