Spring Convocation 2020

The Honors College is committed to recognizing the Spring 2020 Honors College Graduates.  You have worked so hard to get to this point, and we want to applaud your achievements.  While you do not yet have your gold stole or certificate of achievement, we invite you to celebrate this milestone with us!

Keynote Speaker

Mary Case, University Librarian, UIC

Mary M. Case is University Librarian and Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, overseeing the operations of the Richard J. Daley Library and Library of the Health Sciences in Chicago, and the Library of the Health Sciences locations in Peoria, Rockford, and Urbana, Illinois.  Prior to joining UIC in July 2004, Case was Director of the Office of Scholarly Communication of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in Washington, D.C. At ARL, Case was responsible for guiding the activities of the Association related to the production, dissemination, use, and preservation of scholarly information and helped develop SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition).

Before ARL, Professor Case was Director of Program Review at Northwestern University in the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Planning.  She is currently the Chair of the Publishing Review Task Group of the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services (a division of the American Library Association); serves on the Public Policies Committee of the Association of Research Libraries; is a Board Liaison to the I-Share Users Group for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI); serves on the Human Resources and Compensation Committee of the Center for Research Libraries; is a member of the Advisory Board for the Chicago State University Department of Library, Information, and Media Studies; and is the Steering Committee Chair for the Chicago Collections Consortium.

Dean Case is retiring in May, 2020.

Student Speaker

Olivia M. Bitter, Class of 2020

The Honors College is happy to feature additional messages from members of the 2020 graduating class.

Anis Barmada, Class of 2020

The Honors College proudly awards the Donald and Leah Riddle Prize to one outstanding graduating senior regardless of major field.  The award is based on academic excellence and leadership. The winner receives a bronze medallion and a $1,000 cash prize. The Riddle Prize is made each year in recognition of the former UIC Chancellor Donald Riddle and his wife Leah and honors the Riddles’ contribution to the campus.

This year’s recipient is Anis Barmada.  Anis graduates summa cum laude with double majors in Biological Sciences and Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. He is an accomplished researcher; he has been worked on several research projects in both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Mathematics.  Most recently, he has worked with Dr. Scott Shippy’s lab in the Department of Chemistry on the use of tear analysis as a routine body fluid test.  This was the basis of his Honors Capstone, which he completed in his junior year, and he has published and presented on this research in numerous venues. A refugee from Syria, Anis has worked as an intern with MedGlobal at UIC to raise awareness of the health needs of those affected by humanitarian crises.  He has been a clinic aide at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, a peer mentor for the UIC President’s Award Program STEM Initiaive, a tutor in the Burnham Hall Tutoring Center, and a member of the Honors College Diversity Committee.  In 2019, he was named as a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar and a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  He was recently names a Gates Cambridge Scholar; he will attend Cambridge in the Fall to begin his graduate studies.

For more information about this inspiring graduate: https://today.uic.edu/inspiring-grads-anis-barmada

Each year, Honors College students nominate outstanding Faculty to be honored in three categories:  Fellow of the Year, Capstone Supervisor of the Year, and Instructor of the Year. We congratulate the following faculty:

Fellow of the Year:  Sarah Abboud, Assistant Professor, Department of Women, Child, and Family, College of Nursing

Honors College Faculty Fellows are UIC faculty members who are individually assigned to provide personalized advising and mentoring to students from the sophomore year on.

Nominated by Leni Richmond : “[Professor Abboud] has been there every step of the way, from the anxiety of applying and being accepted into the College of Nursing, to pursuing study abroad opportunities, to giving me advice about how to balance school and work when I got my first job. “

Capstone Supervisor of the Year: Jane Rhodes, Professor and Head, Department of African American Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

This recognition is given annually to one of the many faculty members who guide our students’ Senior Capstone projects.

Nominated by Taylor Richardson: In working with Professor Rhodes, I have never questioned the dedication or devotion she has towards guiding me through the process of completing this project nor ensuring that the remainder of my journey in the Honor’s College and at UIC is one both enjoyable and memorable.

Instructor of the Year: Evangelos Kobotis, Senior Lecturer, Department of Math, Statistics and Computer Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences  (Course: HON 131 – Mathematics Through Time)

This recognition is given annually to a member of the faculty who teaches our first-year Honors Core courses as well as our Honors Seminars for upperclassmen.

Nominated by Anne Serban: [Dr. Kobotis’s] passion for the class and the material he teaches is visible and passed on to the students.

Congratulations Dr. Abboud, Dr. Rhodes, and Dr. Kobotis.  For more details about these faculty, please visit our Faculty of the Year page.  We thank you, and all of our faculty, for your dedication and service to the students of the Honors College.

The Honors College Gold Stole is a visible symbol of your accomplishment as a graduate of the Honors College.  Students are invited to wear this with all other graduation regalia.  We will provide you with a gold stole and your certificate of completion through the mail over the summer.

In order to receive your gold stole, you must submit a gradation declaration.  While the deadline to submit your information for inclusion in our program has past, you can still submit the form in order to receive your gold stole.

TO PARTICIPATE: Please submit your GRADUATION DECLARATION.

Please check the UIC Commencement website for additional details related to the Spring 2020 UIC Commencement ceremonies: www.commencement.uic.edu

Show your UIC pride on Social Media:

Congrats, #UIC grads! Virtually wear a UIC cap and gown with our new “Proud to be a 2020 UIC grad” Instagram filter!

Show us your #UIC pride with a special celebratory Facebook frame!

#UIC grads – show us how you’re celebrating! Share your photos with #UICGrad20!

Please contact Associate Dean Stacie McCloud at smccloud@uic.edu or call the Honors College at (312) 413-2260.