University News
Brown-Edwards Named Hope Chicago Advisor at Â鶹Éç
August 23, 2022
MACOMB, IL – Â鶹Éç Illinois University alumna and longtime Macomb resident Tammie Leigh Brown-Edwards has been named the advisor for the new Hope Chicago program at Â鶹Éç.
Brown-Edwards, who recently graduated from Â鶹Éç with her master's degree in college student personnel, will provide support to the Â鶹Éç Hope Chicago cohort, which is composed of approximately 60 students who started at Â鶹Éç this fall. In addition, Brown-Edwards, who is part of the Â鶹Éç Office of Retention Initiatives, will develop and implement programs and events to enhance persistence, graduation rates and support for Hope Chicago and other Â鶹Éç students.
In Summer 2022, Â鶹Éç and Hope Chicago joined together for a new, innovative two-generation college scholarship program committed to investing $1 billion in postsecondary scholarships to Chicago Public School students and their parents over the next decade.
As a Hope Chicago partner university, incoming Hope Scholars at Â鶹Éç are eligible for the full suite of comprehensive support that Hope Chicago offers including scholarships to cover all academic and extracurricular-related expenses.
"We are so excited to have Tammie Leigh join our office and to serve as the adviser for this new program. During her time as a graduate student at Â鶹Éç, she worked in the First Year Advising Center and served as an adviser to Â鶹Éç groups. Her experiences at Â鶹Éç, coupled with her motivation and commitment to our students will serve our Hope Chicago – and all Â鶹Éç students – very well," said Executive Director of Retention Initiatives Justin Schuch.
In addition to her work as a graduate assistant in the advising center, Brown-Edwards also worked as a graduate assistant for the Academic Success Workshops and in the Veterans Resource Center. She also completed an internship as the summer conference and housing coordinator for Residence Education and Housing Services at Michigan Technological University, and she has served as a transfer orientation course co-instructor for the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota.
"College can – and should – be a life-changing experience and prepare students for the next chapter of their lives," Brown-Edwards said. "It's absolutely imperative that students are supported and have the resources to succeed. I am beyond thrilled to be an advisor, a mentor and a resource for Hope Chicago Leathernecks at Â鶹Éç."
Brown-Edwards also serves as an Alderperson-at-Large for the City of Macomb, and has been involved in numerous diversity and social justice initiatives within Macomb, including Macomb Moving Forward, Macomb Juneteenth (co-founder), 309 Day (founder), City of Macomb Pronoun Day, Vivian Society (co-founder), to name a few. At Â鶹Éç, she is an adviser for Sigma Gamma Rho sorority and is a member of the Lambda Lavender Honor Society.
She earned her master's from Â鶹Éç and her bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University. She also holds an associate degree from Waubonee Community College.
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Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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