From Dean Carlos Crespo: Welcome to the 2025 spring semester

Carlos Crespo | Posted on January 21, 2025

Dear AHS family,

Happy new year, and welcome to the start of the 2025 spring semester! As we embark on another exciting year, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on our progress, celebrate some exciting achievements and share a glimpse of what lies ahead for AHS.

Student enrollment
We’re kicking off the year with great news about student enrollment. Applications are up by 12% compared to last year, signaling a positive shift in reversing the enrollment trend we've faced over the past few years. Our undergraduate retention is showing steady progress, though with some variations across departments. Meanwhile, we’re thrilled to announce the first cohort of EXITO fellows, who are now in training and ready to make an impact. Our professional programs remain strong, and we anticipate continued stability in graduate and professional enrollment numbers.

Budget
Our recent internal audit from the University of Illinois System highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in our processes, but overall, our budget remains stable with the current student enrollment numbers. Faculty and staff FTE have grown significantly—by 25% and 6%, respectively—showing our college’s continued investment in its people. Additionally, the UI System has received a 2% increase in state appropriations for FY2025. For the upcoming academic year, UIC is proposing a 1% increase in undergraduate tuition and a 2% increase in graduate tuition, while AHS professional programs have requested a 3% increase. Overall, AHS has sufficient cash reserves and is in better financial condition than other UIC colleges.

Academic affairs
Our faculty mentoring programs for junior and senior faculty are expanding this semester under the leadership of Fabricio Balcazar and Kharma Foucher. Additionally, we’re revising our promotion and tenure guidelines to ensure alignment with the university’s broader mission. The AHS Executive Committee has been hard at work updating our bylaws, mission and vision statement—key components that will serve as the foundation for the upcoming strategic planning process.

Clinical and community services|
We’re making great strides in expanding access to our clinical services. We now provide a full range of services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, seating, nutrition, and behavioral health services at the UI Health Collaborative at 55th & Pulaski. We’re also on track for full EPIC integration across AHS clinical services by the end of FY25, pending final approval. In FY24, we provided nearly 20,000 visits—a 30% increase over the previous year.

Diversity, equity and inclusion
In a significant step forward, we now have a college-wide AHS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Committee. This group will provide input on all our activities and help hold us accountable to our goal of becoming the most diverse and inclusive college of applied health sciences in the U.S.

Accessibility
UIC has made compliance with Title II of the American with Disabilities Act a top priority, with all UIC-affiliated websites, mobile apps, electronic documents, and course materials to be fully accessible to people with disabilities by April 2026. To support this, resources are available through the accessibility resource hub on Inside AHS.

Space
This summer, in partnership with the Discovery Partner Institute, we conducted a survey to gather input from departmental leaders and faculty on AHS's current and future physical needs. The survey addressed topics such as building conditions, departmental structure and growth potential, as well as the culture and aspirations of our students and faculty. In addition to the survey, we held in-person and virtual interviews to gain deeper insights into user experiences and how existing spaces align with their organizational, functional and operational needs. This space assessment yielded valuable recommendations, including the need for a new facility that supports projected student growth and incorporates interprofessional education and research hubs. Space should be more effectively distributed across learning, research, clinical services and collaboration areas, with programs and spaces right-sized for current needs and future efficiency.

2025-30 strategic plan
With recent college, university and system changes, it's time to begin charting our path forward. To guide this effort, we’ve established seven working groups to develop our 2025-2030 strategic plan. This is our opportunity to shape the future of AHS together, and I strongly encourage you to get involved. Your input is invaluable, and together, we’ll deploy the resources necessary to meet our goals and continue to serve our students and communities. If you haven’t already, please consider joining a working group by reaching out to the facilitators listed below:

  1. Academic programs, Renee Taylor
  2. Student experience, Eileen Doran
  3. Research enterprise, Kharma Foucher
  4. Clinical services, Mary Keehn and Shane Phillips
  5. Financial stability, Jon Santanni
  6. Learning environment, Carlos Crespo
  7. Diversity, Kirsten Straughan

Looking ahead
Be sure to stay tuned for updates on important events and deadlines through Inside AHS. Here are some key dates to mark on your calendars:

UHP Brunch with the Dean, Jan. 30

Challenge of the Deans, Feb. 1

AHS Coffee Talks, ASAP Feb. 12 and AHSB Feb. 25

EXITO application deadline, April 1

AHS Awards Night & Graduate Celebration, April 18

IGNITE: Admitted Student Day

Second annual Dean Crespo's Paella Cookout, May 2

Spring 2025 AHS Commencement, May 9

AHS Strategic Planning Retreat, May 12

Spring 2025 AHS College Meeting, May 15

As we move into 2025, I am incredibly excited about what we can accomplish together. We have so much to look forward to, and I can’t wait to see how each of you will contribute to the continued success and growth of our college.

Thank you for your dedication, passion and all you do. Let’s make this a year to remember!

Carlos