Monday, August 31, 2009

Peoria woman struggles through 'nightmare' year

It hasn't been a good year for Tenshar Farmer. The 35-year-old Peorian lost her job, her home and so far has been unable to collect unemployment insurance.

But she's not giving up. This fall, she plans to resume taking classes at Illinois Central College through the University of Illinois at Springfield.

The agreement with ICC was featured in an August 29, 2009, article in the Peoria Journal-Star.

Download a PDF of the article.

20090829-PJS-Peoriawoman.pdf


Quinn reversal criticism

Governor Pat Quinn is facing criticism after reversing himself on his second major decision in two days. Political experts question if the decision will factor into Quinn's re-election chances.

Quinn's meandering ways could become a thorny issue, said Charles Wheeler, a former statehouse reporter who teaches at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

"It's kind of inside baseball," Wheeler said, "but it becomes a liability when it allows people to present you as an ineffective leader."

Wheeler's comments were featured in an August 30, 2009, article in the Chicago Tribune.

Download a PDF of the article.
20090830-Trib-QuinnWheeler.pdf

Prairie Stars roll past Blackburn in opener

Before Friday’s season opener, University of Illinois Springfield men’s soccer coach Joe Eck said his team needed to set the tempo for the season in the Prairie Stars’ first year in NCAA Division II.

The Prairie Stars scheduled the right opponent to get off on the right foot as they beat Blackburn College 5-1 at Kiwanis Stadium.

The win was featured in an August 28, 2009, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article.
20090828-SJR-UISBlackburn.pdf

Friday, August 28, 2009

UIS soccer team will face former rivals in GLVC

This men’s soccer season will be a reunion of sorts for the University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars. After 31 years in the NAIA the Prairie Stars will reunite with old rivals Rockhurst, Wisconsin-Parkside, Lewis and Quincy in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference.

The Prairie Stars were ranked 13th out of the 15 GLVC teams in the preseason coaches’ poll.

“I don’t think we should be 13th, but if I were in the other coaches’ shoes, I’m not sure I’d vote any differently, either,” said UIS coach Joe Eck, who has guided the Prairie Stars since 2002.

The team was featured in an August 28, 2009, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article.
20090828-SJR-UISsoccer.pdf

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Democrat Day at UIS

University of Illinois Springfield campus Democrat Day will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, August 29. Voter registration will be available and the music group The Backliners will perform starting at 7:30 p.m.

College Democrats president Matthew Van Vossan says candidates have been invited and State Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, a candidate for lieutenant governor, has said he plans to attend.

Van Vossan's comments were featured in an August 27, 2009, Bernard Schoenburg column in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article.
20090827-SJR-DemDay.pdf

Governor won't fire U of I trustees

After threatening for weeks to fire two University of Illinois trustees who refused to resign, Gov. Pat Quinn reversed course Wednesday and said he would keep them on the board.

Political scientist Kent Redfield of the University of Illinois at Springfield said the standoff between Quinn and the trustee holdouts became a distraction that could have been avoided. Demanding resignations in public without knowing that the trustees would comply "painted [Quinn] into a corner," Redfield said.

Redfield's comments were featured in an August 27, 2009, article in the Chicago Tribune.

Download a PDF of the article.
20090827-Quinntrustees.pdf

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

UIS women's volleyball and soccer ready for GLVC

University of Illinois Springfield's volleyball coach Angie Riggle and women's soccer coach Pete Kowall talk about their teams getting ready for their first year in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

The teams were featured in an August 26, 2009, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article.
UIS%20women%20volleyball%20and%20soccer%20preview.pdf

Illinois governor reputation

Some lawmakers are labeling Gov. Pat Quinn as indecisive after pushing back deadlines involving the University of Illinois board of trustees.

Christopher Mooney, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said Quinn risks weakening himself by being seen as indecisive. Lawmakers, for instance, are less likely to concede to him in negotiations if they think he'll fold soon.

Mooney's comments on the topic were featured in the August 25, 2009, Associated Press article.

Download a PDF of the article
20090825-AP-Quinn.pdf

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Political ties, scholarships dovetail

An Associated Press analysis of General Assembly scholarships and state political contribution records found that between 2004 and 2009, at least 41 scholarships went to relatives of someone who gave money to the lawmaker awarding the perk.

"When you engage in behavior that has the appearance of conflict of interest, whether it does or not, that just reinforces people's cynicism," said Dr. Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Redfield's comments on the topic were featured in the August 25, 2009, Chicago Tribune.

Download a PDF of the article
20090825-Tribune-Political%20ties.pdf

Quinn and LaHood Illinois River Honors

Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will be honored in October for their bipartisan leadership in advancing restoration and protection efforts of the Illinois River.

One longtime political observer believes it is too soon to honor a sitting governor with a permanent marker. "It's not a huge deal, but it will strike some people as trying to curry favor with someone who has power over budgets and signs legislation," said Dr. Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at UIS.

Redfield's comments on the topic were featured in the August 24, 2009, Peoria Journal-Star.

Download a PDF of the article
20090825-PJS-Quinn%20and%20LaHood.pdf

Monday, August 24, 2009

US News and World Report ranks UIS fourth best in Midwest for second year

The University of Illinois Springfield has maintained its rankings from last year in U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Colleges.

UIS is ranked as the best public university — master’s category — in Illinois and the fourth-best public university in that category in the entire Midwest. UIS held the same rankings in the 2009 edition.

The rankings were featured in an August 21, 2009, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article
20090821-SJR-USNewsrankings.pdf

Grunzke hired as baseball coach for UIS

UIS athletic director Rodger Jehlicka announced Friday that Brian Grunzke will coach the baseball program at the university starting in the 2010-11 school year.

The news was featured in an August 21, 2009, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article
20090821-SJR-baseballcoach.pdf

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Move-in day for freshmen at UIS


UIS freshmen students were moving into the dorms on Wednesday, August 19th. Most students were able to get their belongings inside before tornado sirens sounded mid-afternoon.

The move-in process was featured in an August 20, 2009, article of the State Journal -Register and on WICS TV.

Download a PDF of the article

UIS%20freshmen%20move%20into%20dorms.pdf

To view the story go here

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

First case of H1N1 confirmed at UIS

The first case of HIN1 flu has been confirmed at the UIS, and health service officials are taking precautions.

The news was reported in an August 19, 2009, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article
20090818-SJR-H1N1.pdf

UIS confirms H1N1 case

UIS has had its first confirmed case of the H1N1 virus on campus. The news was featured during a segment of the August 18, 2009, airing of WICS News Channel 20.

To view the story, go here.

Monday, August 17, 2009

UIS hosts event at Emiquon Preserve for meteor shower

Many members of the Springfield and surrounding areas gathered at Thompson Lake at the Emiquon Preserve on Tuesday night, August 11, to view the Perseid Meteor Shower. The Sangamon Astronomical Society had telescopes set up for viewing and UIS physics and astronomy professor John Martin was on hand to explain the meteor shower.

The event was featured in an August 15, 2009, article of the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article
20090815-SJR-meteorshower.pdf

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Quinn gets questioned about using private phone for work

Gov. Pat Quinn uses his own BlackBerry for government business, saying it saves taxpayers the cost of providing an official cell phone, but the practice also allows the governor to avoid public records laws.

Keeping tabs on politicians through public records, including the telephone numbers called on a state phone, helps to maintain public confidence, said Dr. Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at UIS.

Redfield's comments on the topic were featured in the August 10, 2009, Chicago Tribune.

Download a PDF of the article
20090810-ChicagoTrib-QuinnBlackberry.pdf

Friday, August 7, 2009

Budget forces universities to reexamine on-line learning enrollment restrictions

The University of Illinois at Springfield capped online classes at 20 students each more than a decade ago.

During a distance-education conference Ray Schroeder, director of UIS' Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning, raised the prospect that the university and others may have to reexamine online-enrollment restrictions as budget pressures mount.

Schroeder was featured in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Dowload a pdf of the article
20090807-Chroniclehighered-onlinelearning.pdf

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Bradley announces retirement from WUIS

Since January 1975, WUIS has had only one news director, and public radio listeners around Springfield have woken up to Rich Bradley’s voice for more than three decades.

But this week, Bradley announced he would retire from the station at the end of September.

Bradley's career and upcoming retirement were the focus of an August 6, 2009, feature in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article
20090806-SJR-RichBradley.pdf

Note-sharing on the Web levels academic playing field

The development of free note-sharing Web sites, where students upload their class notes to share with their peers, has begun to create an open stockpile of downloadable information that some say is further leveling the academic playing field.

Karen Pressley, professor of psychology at UIS and chair of the academic integrity council, says that note-sharing sites could be concerning but it depends on how students actually use them.

The topic was the feature of an August 5, 2009, article on Inside Higher Ed.

Download a PDF of the article
20090805-InsideHigherEd-notesharing.pdf

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Quinn faces dilemma over campaign finance bill

Gov. Pat Quinn is now considering reforming his campaign finance bill, although rewriting it would send the bill back to lawmakers, where it would face an uncertain future amid competing political agendas.

He'll be criticized regardless of what he does, according to Dr. Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at UIS.

The topic was featured in an August 2, 2009, article in the Chicago Tribune.

Download a PDF of the article
20090802-ChiTrib-campaignfinancebill.pdf

First-year students preparing to move in

UIS resident assistant Chase Schneider gave insight into what college students should think about bringing to school with them when they move in to the dormitories or residence halls. Schneider's comments were featured in an August 4, 2009, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article
20090804-SJR-movingindorms.pdf