Lou Liay Spirit Award for Extraordinary Alumni Service

The Lou Liay Spirit Award for Extraordinary Alumni Service was established in 2001 to commemorate the selfless dedication and loyalty to the University expressed by alumni volunteers. The honor is named for distinguished University of Illinois graduate Louis Liay. Since graduating from the Urbana campus in 1962, Liay has given the Alumni Association more than 20 years of service, retiring in 1998 as president of the organization.

2011 Recipient

As a loyal Flames fan, Kathy Kaysen Jackson, ’94 LAS is often found cheering for the UIC Flames men's basketball team at home games. An active member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Board for four years, Jackson is a frequent participant in many LAS, UIC and Alumni Association events, donating her time and expertise. She is a faithful participant at various UIC Homecoming events and the annual UIC Alumni Night with the Chicago White Sox. Jackson has volunteered as a member of the Activities Honorary Society Selection Committee and contributed her expertise at UIAA Alumni Career Center seminars. A natural networker, Jackson was an early adopter of social media tools and founded the University of Illinois at Chicago Alumni & Friends Linked-In group page, which she formally turned over to the UIAA in 2009. Jackson truly embodies an alumni leader and is often asked to return to UIC for speaking engagements.