Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs

Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs

More in Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs

Events

Events
Aerial photo of campus looking toward downtown Chicago.

Illinois Tech’s Connection to the Community

The university, through the Office of Community Affairs, seeks to be the connective tissue linking the Illinois Tech community with the organizations, businesses, and individuals looking to make positive change in Bronzeville and the surrounding communities.

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Bronzeville—Our Home

Our Home Bronzeville

Illinois Tech is located in the Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville, the center of African-American history on Chicago’s South Side. The community today is undergoing a revitalization driven by entrepreneurial African Americans who value its rich history and who are dedicated to keeping that history and its lessons alive.

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alpha_suffrage_club_checkerboard_800x650

Honoring the Alpha Suffrage Club

Illinois Tech is honoring the Alpha Suffrage Club, the Ida B. Wells-founded organization that was the first to promote the right for Black women to vote in Illinois, with a marker on northern edge of its main campus. 

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Diagram of the Budburst Garden at Nate Thomas Memorial Meadow

Budburst Garden at Nate Thomas Memorial Meadow

The community-based garden and ecological research center is designed to bring together neighbors, students, researchers, educators, horticulturists, and community scientists—all while honoring Nathaniel “Nate” Thomas, who established the trailblazing Early Identification Program for minority recruitment at Illinois Tech. 

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Modern in the Middle

Modern in the Middle

While Illinois Tech faculty and alumni have made lasting impressions on Chicago’s skyline, many graduates left an impact on the city’s residential neighborhoods and the suburban cities and villages. Their designs are detailed in Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929–75, a book co-authored by Professor Michelangelo Sabatino.

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Students discuss an IPRO at a table in Kaplan Institute

SURE: Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

Spend the summer with a computer science or applied mathematics research team in a College of Computing Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program. Registration is now open.

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Chowbus Delivering on a Tasty Idea

Delivering on a Tasty Idea

Illinois Tech alumnus Linxin Wen was frustrated that many of his favorite “mom and pop” restaurants in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood weren’t listed on mobile food-delivery platforms. To fix that, he created the fast-growing Chowbus, a third-party food-delivery platform.

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How We Help

Community Affairs Bronzeville

The Office of Community Affairs seeks to connect the residents of Bronzeville and the surrounding communities with educational and engaging programming that fosters an understanding and passion for science, STEM, and lifelong learning and engagement.

Event Services Meeting Spaces

The Office of Community Affairs offers a wide range of economic development initiatives to help influence the growth of the local economy, as well as to enhance community well-being.

Amplifying Arts and Culture

The Office of Community Affairs aims to provide opportunities to enrich yourself, to highlight the talent in and around the South Side of Chicago, and to provide entertainment options for the community through arts and culture.

Featured Faculty

The Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs is here to help members of the Illinois Tech community connect with our neighbors in Bronzeville and beyond. Here are just a few members of the Illinois Tech community who have partnered with Community Affairs in the past.

Eva Kultermann
Associate Professor Associate Dean of University and Academic Affairs
Martin Thaler
Studio Professor
Weslynne Ashton
Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability Affiliate Professor to Armour College of Engineering
Students discuss an IPRO in Kaplan Institute

Community Innovation

Through programs such as IPRO Labs, Illinois Tech aims to create meaningful connections between its students, faculty, and staff and community businesses and organizations to create innovative solutions to the real-world issues they face.

Community Affairs Community Research

Community Research

Illinois Tech is focused on making a positive societal change and has created the SoReMo (Socially Responsible Modeling, Computing, and Design) initiative to ensure that is done. SoReMo empowers students to create that change through a partnership with community stakeholders and subject matter experts from industry, academia, and government.

Community Affairs Community Engaged Learning

Community Engaged Learning

Providing opportunities for Illinois residents to upgrade their technical skills and boost their career aspirations is important to Illinois Tech. By partnering with TechReady Illinois, Illinois Tech will provide Illinoisans with the chance to complete certificate programs in highly sought disciplines at a discounted rate.

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Community Affairs Community Service

Community Service

Students at Illinois Tech have demonstrated that they wish to make the world a better place, seeking an education at a university that aims to solve real-world problems. Their education isn’t solely in the classroom—student-led organizations such as Change@IIT are determined to make an impact through community service.

Contact Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs

Phone

312.567.8850

Fax

312.567.5103

Department Type

Administrative

Office Location

Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs
Michael Paul Galvin Tower
10 West 35th Street, Suite 9C5-1
Chicago, IL 60616