UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement

08/27/2026

We want to hear from you: share your thoughts on Chicago Police reform!

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation
5500 W. Madison St.
Chicago, IL 60644

The Consent Decree requires the CPD to provide constitutional policing that respects the rights of all Chicagoans, builds community trust, and promotes community and officer safety. Join Independent Monitor Maggie Hickey and the Independent Monitoring Team for a Community Listening Session co-hosted by Austin Coming Together to share your thoughts on Chicago Police reform. Visit cpdmonitoringteam.com to learn more!

Follow this link to RSVP to the Listening Session: https://cpdmonitoringteam.com/register-for-the-upcoming-community-listening-session/

08/24/2026

Welcome back Flames! 🔥 Happy first day of fall semester from your friends at IPCE!

08/12/2026

Here at IPCE, we produce reports and briefs alongside community partners and conduct internally directed research. Our research projects are informed by our Institute mission, values, and topical interests. Follow the link in our bio to view some of our research reports and publications! https://ipce.uic.edu/ipceresearch/

08/05/2026

Attention Chicago voters! As of today, August 5th, 2026, Chicago voters may now apply to Vote By Mail for the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Follow this link to learn more: https://chicagoelections.gov/news/vote-mail-applications-now-open-general-election-november-3rd

08/04/2026

Check out our latest installment of our video interview series, Civic Coffee Chats! This series highlights IPCE staff, researchers, and civic friends’ latest thoughts on policy passions, social trends in civic engagement and public policy, learned lessons, best practices, and hobbies. And, of course, how they take their coffee ☕️

This episode features Deana Lewis, Senior Associate Director at The UIC Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP) at the University of Illinois Chicago. Follow this link to watch: https://youtu.be/YapAhbGruzY?si=EjSgFf2bp0Pdeq8h

07/27/2026

Interested in doing community-engaged research but wondering where to start? Panelists at this Policy 101 workshop will discuss the practice and principles of engaged research for UIC faculty and community collaborations. Topics include (1) equitable partnership: valuing and bringing academic and community knowledges, expertise, and capacity together while dealing with uneven power dynamics; (2) community priorities: the importance and value of research and outcomes driven by community identified needs; and (3) action / policy change: how engaged research can impact and transform communities, academic disciplines, and public policy.

This event is designed for the UIC community, but is open to other participants who may want to learn about creating community partnerships.

About the Series: The goal of the Policy 101 Workshop Series is to increase the impact and visibility of UIC scholars’ research. Policy 101 workshops provide UIC faculty and graduate students with focused training that increases their ability to participate in public policy conversations. Policy 101 workshops are taught by professionals and academics who are experts at translating academic research into policy-ready documents, policy presentations and civic engagement and will be offered bi-annually on a rotating basis.

RSVP today! https://ipce.uic.edu/events/policy-101-workshop-engaged-research-developing-creating-meaningful-community-partnerships/

The UIC Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy

07/24/2026

The Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement was excited to partner and cohost the 2026 Illinois Convener Summit with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) to bring together leaders from across the Reimagine Public Safety Act ecosystem to share lessons from the field, strengthen coordination across regions, and highlight innovative approaches to community safety.

This year’s summit commemorated the five-year anniversary of the Reimagine Public Safety Act (2021) - a landmark commitment by the State of Illinois to invest in community-led violence prevention, neighborhood leadership, and public safety rooted in equity, healing, and opportunity. Over the past five years, communities across Illinois have built powerful networks of prevention, outreach, victim services, and local leadership that are reshaping how safety is created and sustained.

Follow this link to view photos and video recaps of the Summit! https://ipce.uic.edu/2026-illinois-convener-summit/

07/21/2026

Here at IPCE, we design and lead dialogue and deliberation processes in partnership with communities and other institutions. We utilize methods that fall into categories defined by the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation. Those engagement streams are: exploration, conflict transformation, decision making and collaborative action. Swipe through to learn more about these methods!

07/07/2026

Check out our latest installment of our video interview series, Civic Coffee Chats! This series highlights IPCE staff, researchers, and civic friends’ latest thoughts on policy passions, social trends in civic engagement and public policy, learned lessons, best practices, and hobbies. And, of course, how they take their coffee ☕️

This episode features April Jackson, Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Research Affiliate with the Voorhees Center at CUPPA and the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities at Case Western Reserve University. Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/ynUI-m-4Z9I?si=qdDX4JkplNObrLFT

UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement

Check out our latest installment of our video interview series, Civ...

06/25/2026

Definitions of civic engagement in academic literature and online vary greatly. However, it is our intent at IPCE to avoid a narrow debate about meanings and interpretations of civic engagement. We believe it is important that our definition be broad enough to encompass a wide range of activities, but also be specific enough to guide our activities. We frame civic engagement as a means to an end.

See the three features that guide our definition of civic engagement, and find us at ipce.uic.edu to learn more about the work we do!