UIC’s vice chancellor for budget, human resources and financial administration to retire

Dear UIC Community,

It is bittersweet and with profound respect I share with you today that Janet Parker, vice chancellor for budget, human resources and financial administration, has announced her retirement, effective Feb. 1, 2023.

Janet has served the University of Illinois Chicago for the past 10 years as our chief financial and budget officer. She currently has responsibility for the oversight of Human Resources, Budget and Financial Analysis, Institutional Research, Purchasing and a variety of leased university-owned facilities. Janet serves as the Board of Trustees-appointed treasurer for Wolcott, Wood and Taylor Inc., and the treasurer for the Chicago Bar Association Condominium Association, a building obtained during acquisition of the law school, UIC’s 16th college, for which she also coordinated many financial and procurement aspects. She currently serves as principal investigator for Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants totaling over $100 million, issued by the federal government for COVID-19 financial assistance.

During her tenure at UIC, she navigated the university through the State of Illinois budget impasse in 2016 and 2017, and created the escrow strategy to repay college fund balances that were needed to cover $140 million unfunded state appropriations. She was instrumental in the contract negotiation and implementation of the partnership with Shorelight Education Inc., greatly increasing our enrollment of undergraduate international students. Janet played a critical role in the financial planning for the award-winning public/private (P3) partnership that led to the construction of one of the most unique and innovative learning and residential university buildings in the nation.

Although Janet had originally hoped to retire right around the onset of the pandemic, we are enormously grateful that she made the decision to remain here to guide us through the fiscal challenges that resulted.

Michael Ginsburg, associate vice chancellor for UIC Human Resources, will assume the interim vice chancellor position, effective Feb. 1, 2023, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.

Michael Moss, associate vice chancellor, budget and financial analysis, will replace Janet as co-chair of the Budget Model Redesign Taskforce, effective Feb. 1, 2023, to ensure continued momentum of that important project.

We wish Janet much success in her retirement. We know she will continue to work tirelessly for UIC up until her very last day, after which I am certain she will be embarking on many new travel adventures in the next phase of her life.

Javier Reyes
Interim Chancellor

For more information, please contact:
Steven Marton
ssmarton@uic.edu