Each issue of Chicago Chronicles will highlight Conference sessions of note, Chicago attractions and activities, and other important Annual Conference updates.  We also encourage attendees to review the Chicago Events Guide and Chicago Restaurant Guide, which contain information on activities recommended by NACUA member attorneys who served on this year’s Work Group on Local Arrangements.

Avian Flu Pandemic Discussion Group Added to Conference Schedule

NACUA is pleased to announce the addition of a Discussion Group, Avian Flu Pandemic Planning for Colleges and Universities, on Tuesday, June 27 from 9:15 a.m. –10:30 a.m.  Topics will include the nature of the medical problem and potential campus impact, the planning process, considerations for students, faculty and staff, public health issues and working with state and local authorities, and planning for continuity of operation. 

The Discussion Group will be led by Elizabeth C. Bunting (University of North Carolina), James F. Shekleton (South Dakota Board of Regents), and J. Charles Waldrup (The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill).

Join Your Colleagues at the Conference Join Your Colleagues at the Conference Opening Reception

NACUA’s 46th  Annual Conference Opening Reception will continue the tradition of providing Conference attendees and their guests the opportunity to reunite and meet new NACUA colleagues on the first evening of the Annual Conference.  Attendees are encouraged to show their school pride with their choice of collegiate wear!

The reception will take place on Sunday, June 25 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., immediately after the Honors and Awards Ceremony.   The reception will include light appetizers, featuring a mini-“Taste of Chicago,” as well as a “Kids Corner,” with child-friendly food choices.

The reception is free to all attendees, $20.00 for adult guests, $10.00 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under.

For more information on the Opening Reception, please contact Meredith McMillan at mmc@nacua.org.

NACUANET and NACUA Web Page Orientation Sessions Return

Join NACUA staff members John Bishop, Loretta Johnson, Karl Brevitz, and Melissa Rooker for two limited enrollment sessions on maximizing NACUA’s electronic resources.  The sessions will demonstrate the newest features on the NACUA web page and using advanced NACUANET features, including accessing and searching the listserv’s on-line archives. 

The sessions will be offered on Monday, June 26, 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. (Session 3H) and Wednesday, June 28, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (Session 8H)

In addition to the resource sessions, NACUA staff are available for 15-minute individual tutorials on NACUA’s electronic services.  Attendees may sign up for tutorial times on-site at the conference at NACUA’s Information Central.  Tutorial times will be available on a first come, first served basis on Monday, June 26, 9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m., Tuesday, June 27, 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.,  and Wednesday, June 28, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Chicago Attractions for Families and Children

Chicago provides a wealth of activities for children of all ages!  The Sears Tower Skydeck has a kid-level display that extends all the way around the Skydeck with cut-out windows putting kids eye-to-eye with Chicago history, sports and more. Navy Pier, the city’s lakefront playground, offers visitors a unique blend of family-oriented attractions, including the Chicago Children’s Museum.

The Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the nation’s most famous zoological parks has a variety of exhibits and experiences for both younger and older children.The Shedd Aquarium offers the world’s largest array of more than 8,000 aquatic mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish. The Aquarium’s Kid’s Quest Program includes exhibits and activities for all ages.

For more family and kid-friendly activities, visit ChicagoKids.com or view the Chicago Events Guide.

Encore! Explore Chicago Theater

Chicago is home to a vital, vast and varied community of theatrical companies, as well as several large independent theaters, where you'll find everything from traveling Broadway mega-hits to experimental theater, to Chicago's famous improvisational groups that display the wit and humor of the Second City. Thursday night is fast becoming the night to check out Chicago's lively theater scene. Theater Thursdays is a new promotion offering special events and ticket discounts for Thursday evening performances at league-member theaters all over Chicago.

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire, will be onstage at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre at 24 West Randolph during annual conference week.

The theater is dark on Sunday nights and Monday.  No children under 5 admitted.  NACUA member Jerry Mackey’s daughter is a member of the cast, and she has offered to give NACUA members attending the show a behind the scenes tour.  If you are attending a performance of Wicked while you are in Chicago and are interested in a tour, please contact Miriam Miller at msm@nacua.org.

For more information on theater and performing arts in Chicago, visit the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau Website or the Chicago Events Guide.