Located in the heart of an urban area, the University of Chicago is ideally positioned to offer its students both a rigorous academic experience and the opportunity to engage with the communities around them. In early August, the University’s two largest student civic engagement programs – the Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP) and University Community Service Center (UCSC) -- are relocating to a larger space that will allow them to expand their work and become a central hub for student civic engagement activities on campus.
Previously located at the Campus North Parking Garage, 5525 S. Ellis Ave., the new Office of Civic Engagement Student Civic Engagement Center will be housed on the first floor of the Edelstone Center, 6030 S. Ellis Ave. It will open in the fall.
“Thanks to a passionate, dedicated student body eager to engage beyond the walls of campus, NSP and UCSC have grown year over year,” said Shaz Rasul, executive director of student civic engagement initiatives for the Office of Civic Engagement. “University leadership recognizes the value of these programs and the positive impact of student civic engagement on the mid-South Side and across the city.”
In a new, larger space, NSP and UCSC will have more room for programming and the capacity to run up to five activities at the same time, double what they could do in the previous space. There will be one meeting room reserved for student organizations to collaborate and more dedicated space for student workers. There will also be a larger meeting space to accommodate up to 40 people, allowing the programs to hold workshops, trainings, and larger group meetings on site.
Also in August, the Office of the Provost’s Equal Opportunity Program (EOP) team, currently spread among different campus locations, will move to the Campus North Parking Garage office space vacated by NSP and UCSC. For EOP, which consists of the offices for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Support, Access and Equity, and Affirmative Action, the relocation will consolidate staff who support the three offices into one space, providing for more efficiency among the team and enhancing the accessibility and privacy of the services offered to the campus community.
By Kim Grimshaw Bolton