NU in Chicago

NU in Chicago is a program that strives to better connect students with civic resources and experiential learning opportunities in the city of Chicago. The program was initially designed to serve as part of the orientation experience for incoming students each fall, but, as a result of student interest, the program has now expanded to offer year-round opportunities for all students.

NU in Chicago’s core program model centers on thematic, half-day trips into the city. Led by expert faculty, alumni, and community partners, these excursions help introduce students to key sites and lesser known assets across the city. While the programs are free, one-time excursions, they are designed to connect students to important civic assets and to provide on-ramps to further engagement.

Each fall, NU in Chicago sponsors a neighborhood exploration day, facilitated by faculty and organized around themes of student interest. Past themes have included the History of Black Chicago, Urban Planning, Neighborhood Arts, Chicago as a Global City, and more.

Each quarter, CCE offers at least one additional excursion or special event. Some of these programs have included special access to existing events like the Chicago Humanities Festival or Chicago Ideas Week, visits to historic sites like Jane Addams Hull House or the South Side Community Arts Center, or special activities like smaller neighborhood tours led by civically engaged young alumni, or a visit to the Chicago’s West Side to retrace Martin Luther King Jr.’s time living in North Lawndale.

This page will be updated as new events open for registration each quarter.

To get a sense of the NU in Chicago program, check out the video below, produced by Northwestern News and the Big Ten Network, about one of our earliest programs, run while the Center was hosting Northwestern’s One Book One Northwestern program featuring a book on Chicago by journalist and author Alex Kotlowitz.