Strategic changes to support UIC’s mission

Dear UIC community,

Today I write to announce strategic organizational and leadership updates to position UIC for continued strength, collaboration, and long-term success. Our priority is to maintain continuity in the vital work underway across campus while ensuring we remain competitive in an ever-changing higher-education landscape.

Vice chancellor for student affairs

I am pleased to announce that Sharron M. Evans, JD, has been named vice chancellor for student affairs, effective Jan.16, 2026. Evans, a proud native of Joliet, Illinois, currently serves as associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Iowa State University, where she provides strategic leadership for 13 departments and three programs focused on student engagement, well-being, academic success, and inclusion.

As vice chancellor for student affairs at UIC, Evans will oversee a comprehensive portfolio, including student support services, residence life, health and wellness, leadership development, civic engagement, and career readiness. Evans and the entire Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs team will collaborate across campus to further advance student belonging, success, and holistic development.

I extend my deep thanks to Michael Ginsburg, PhD, who, in his work as special advisor to the chancellor, has overseen the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs since July 2024.

Read more about Sharron Evans.

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships

After thoughtful review, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships will be dissolved. Its units and staff will be reassigned to other university entities to better align priorities and workflow and to provide more opportunity for innovation at UIC.

The restructuring and reporting lines will be as follows:

• Government Relations and Advocacy will report to the Office of the Chancellor.
• Extended Campus will report to the provost.
• The associate vice chancellor for data science and AI strategy will report to the provost.
• The Innovation Center, corporate partnerships, the Technology Innovation Lab, and all activities related to entrepreneurship and innovation funding will report to the vice chancellor for research.
• All vice chancellor for innovation shared services finance and human resources staff will report to the vice chancellor for finance.
• Community collaboration, including the neighborhood centers, will report to the newly named vice chancellor for engagement.
• Technology Solutions will report to the vice chancellor for finance.

I extend my deep thanks to Thomas J. Royston, PhD, who has served as interim vice chancellor for innovation and strategic partnerships since July 2024. Tom will return to his previous role as professor and head of the Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Engagement

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Diversity will be renamed and reoriented as the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Engagement, reflecting a dual focus on engaging internally with the UIC community to enhance campus climate and externally with the City of Chicago to enhance our partnerships with our home city.

Lionel Allen Jr., EdD, who has served as interim vice chancellor for equity and diversity since July, has been appointed the vice chancellor for engagement, effective Nov. 16.

Interim CEO of the Hospital & Clinics and interim executive dean of the College of Medicine

As noted in a message to campus last week, with Mark Rosenblatt's upcoming departure in January, we named Scott Jones, MHA, as the interim CEO of the Hospital & Clinics and Enrico Benedetti, MD, as the interim executive dean of the College of Medicine.

While some of this restructuring requires reporting-line changes, we have worked closely with affected teams to ensure a smooth transition, provide clarity on new reporting lines, and support staff throughout the process.

I am confident these organizational and leadership changes will enable UIC to further our mission to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research, and clinical excellence.

Sincerely,

Marie Lynn Miranda, PhD
Chancellor

For more information, please contact: Office of the Chancellor [email protected]