When it comes to student success, the sky’s the limit. That’s the philosophy of Northeastern Illinois University’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
This summer, Northeastern became a sponsor of the Sky Cares Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. The efforts were spearheaded by the CAS.
“Northeastern Illinois University is thrilled to sponsor the Sky Cares Foundation, as we share a powerful and common mission,” President Katrina E. Bell-Jordan said. “Just as the Sky Cares Foundation transforms the lives of marginalized communities through education, health equity, and social justice initiatives, Northeastern — a proud Minority Serving and Hispanic-Serving Institution — offers our students unparalleled access to a high-quality, low-cost college education.”
The Sky Cares Foundation was established in 2007. Since then, the Foundation has created two signature programs: The Chicago Sky Basketball Academy, which takes a holistic approach to basketball training for girls ages 9 to 19 in the city and western suburbs, and Beyond Basketball, a four-week “boot camp” focused on sustaining Black-owned businesses in Chicagoland.
“The College of Arts and Sciences and NEIU as a whole has many resources at its disposal to share with the world and make people’s lives better,” said CAS Acting Dean Tim Libretti “ Our greatest resources are our gifted and committed students and our world-class faculty. The Sky Cares Foundation provides another outlet for NEIU to share all that it has to offer our communities, and it gives our students opportunities to grow and develop while contributing to efforts to improve lives in our neighborhoods.”
Northeastern and the Sky Cares Foundation share similar goals including advancing girls and young women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), addressing health inequities, promoting mental health, supporting minority entrepreneurship, and enhancing educational experiences for diverse populations across the Chicago metropolitan area.
As part of the sponsorship, Northeastern was highlighted at select Chicago Sky home games through in-stadium digital signage and special in-game announcements. Members of the University were also able to engage with Chicago Sky patrons through informational tables in the concourse. These efforts improve the University’s visibility and allow Northeastern to share its vision and values with a wider audience.
During two Chicago Sky games earlier this year, CAS held a “Sky-ence Fair,” which featured Northeastern student and faculty presenting research and conducting experiments outside of Wintrust Arena before the game.
“Earlier this year, the College of Arts and Sciences approached the Sky Cares Foundation about how we can partner on several dimensions of their community support work, especially supporting young women in STEM,” Libretti said. “Joining forces with kindred spirit organizations, like the Sky Cares Foundation, enables us to be even more successful in fulfilling our mission as a regional comprehensive university, which is to serve the needs of our communities in this corner of the state.”
