Illinois Springfield in the News

Koch: UIS students committed to civic engagement

2013-05-13T13:14:00.002-05:00

The following is part of a column written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in the May 12, 2013 edition of The State Journal-Register.

"Our goal is to make civic engagement a part of the educational experience for every student, preparing students to do the 'work' of citizenship wherever they may go after graduation. I recently had the opportunity to meet three UIS students who are doing just that.

A few weeks ago, the University of Illinois Springfield was named to the President’s Community Service Honor Roll—one of the highest national recognitions a college or university can receive for its commitment to civic engagement.

We are on the leading edge of a much larger movement in higher education that last year included 3.1 million student volunteers and 118 million hours of community service valued at $2.5 billion. UIS students contributed about 65,000 hours, the equivalent of over $1 million, to those totals."

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Pomp and circumstance for UIS graduates

2013-05-13T13:09:00.001-05:00

When they started this journey, it looked so distant, but the future starts now for more than 1,000 graduates from the University of Illinois Springfield. 1,362 graduates, to be exact--who each have a story.

“It's always my dream to come and do my master's in United States and I’m so excited because it's a big day,” computer science major Pavan Vooka said.

Vooka came to Springfield from India. To get here, he packed his ambition, but left family and friends behind. Saturday, he leaves with a tight group of buddies, a master's degree in computer science and a smile.

“I came here so long, far from my parents and struggled a lot to get this and I'm so happy finally I'm here," Vooka said.

So is Chris Kullstroem, who earned her master's in philosophy online while living in Connecticut. She had never stepped foot in Illinois but she just had to for graduation.

“It's a day I'll never forget," Kullstroem said. It's just been an experience I'll never forget. The people are so great. Getting to meet them for the first time in person. It's incredible."

The story aired on WICS-TV 20 on May 11, 2013.

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Let passion be your guide, speaker tells UIS grads

2013-05-13T13:07:00.000-05:00

After trying everything from English to oceanography, Kathy Best told University of Illinois Springfield graduates Saturday she finally found her calling when she discovered journalism in college.

Through strenuous times covering politics as a young reporter in Washington, D.C., she said, it was her passion for journalism that kept her career from being derailed.

Hopefully, you have found that passion, Best told the 2013 UIS graduating class during her commencement speech.

“Your passion may not take you farther than your backyard, but that’s OK,” Best said. “What’s important is that you can wake up and be excited each day.”

Best, 56, graduated from UIS, which at the time was called Sangamon State University, in 1990 with a master’s degree in public affairs reporting.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on May 12, 2013.

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UIS' Baker earns postseason honor

2013-05-09T16:32:00.003-05:00

University of Illinois Springfield junior utility player Blake Baker has been named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division Second Team.

The first baseman/catcher was second on the team in batting average (.308), fielding percentage (.983), hits (49) and runs scored (24). He had eight doubles, four stolen bases and two home runs for the 13-31 Prairie Stars.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on May 9, 2013.

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UIS' Vorreyer just misses spot at national tournament

2013-05-08T14:09:00.001-05:00

University of Illinois Springfield senior golfer Abby Vorreyer was in the first group to tee off for the final round of NCAA Division II East Super Regional Tuesday, which made for a long wait after she putted out on the 18th hole at Joliet Country Club.

Vorreyer fired a 78 and finished with a three-day score of 21-over-par 237. She tied for ninth in a 50-player field and missed qualifying by one stroke for the national championships next week in Daytona Beach, Fla.

With a score on the bubble, it came down to the last few scores for Vorreyer.

“I grinded it out to shoot a 78,” she said. “I had my ups and downs. You always look back and think, ‘I should have done this,’ or, ‘I could have done this,’ but overall I played well.”

The top three teams and the top three individuals not on advancing teams qualified.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on May 8, 2013.

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UIS considering smoking ban; bill may require it

2013-05-06T10:41:00.000-05:00

University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch wants the campus community to know the reality they face if state lawmakers pass legislation that bans people from smoking outdoors on all state-supported campuses.

Koch sent a letter to students, faculty and staff Thursday informing them of a task force being formed in coming months to look into the issue. The notice came one day after a ban bill passed out of the Senate with the minimum 30 votes needed. It now heads to the House.

But will UIS ban smoking outdoors even if lawmakers vote down a state mandate? “I don’t know if there’s that commitment yet,” UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp said Friday. “We just want to make sure our community is aware that this (legislation) could move quicker than they think … It needs to be on their radars, that this could very well be a reality anyway for any campus across-the-board.”

If Senate Bill 2202 is signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn, an outdoor smoking ban on campuses would be in full force by July 2014.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on May 5, 2013.

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Stars' Amos earns first-team honors

2013-05-06T10:37:00.003-05:00

University of Illinois Springfield sophomore third baseman Jordyn Amos is among 16 players named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference first team.

Amos tied teammate Brooke Carroll with a team-high 37 RBIs. She hit .301 with 11 doubles and six home runs.

Four UIS players received second-team honors, including Carroll.

Carroll, a first baseman and graduate student, had the Prairie Stars’ second-best batting average at .329 and drove in 37 runs. She was first in home runs with 10 and hit eight doubles. Her fielding percentage was .978 with six errors.

Junior utility player Katelyn Weaver hit .270 and recorded 16 stolen bases. She had a .976 fielding percentage with only three errors.

Freshman Cheyanne Bowman posted the top earned run average (4.62) of any UIS pitcher. She finished with a 13-13 record. She had 118 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings.

Senior shortstop Sarah Gray rounds out the list. A broken leg ended her season after only 17 games. She hit .288 and stole 15 bases.

The team was featured by The State Journal-Register on May 4, 2013.

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Professor John Martin part of Springfield stargazing event

2013-05-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

Join Lincoln Memorial Garden in an evening of stargazing on Friday, May 3. Dr. John Martin from the University of Illinois Springfield’s Astronomy and Physics program will kick off the agenda with an hour talk about planets, meteors and meteorites that can be seen in the night sky.

There will be an opportunity to gaze through a telescope, thanks to Sangamon Astronomical Society members. Bad weather would postpone the program until Sunday, May 5. Questions as to whether the program is postponed should be made between 3-4 p.m. via phone to the garden.

The event is free, but reservations are required. Donations are always welcome.

The event was featured by the Illinois Times on May 2, 2013.

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UIS golfer Vorreyer makes Super Regional

2013-05-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

University of Illinois Springfield senior Abby Vorreyer was one of four individuals selected to play in the NCAA Division II East Super Regional women's golf tournament next week.

Nine teams will also compete in the 54-hole tournament starting Sunday at Joliet Country Club. The top three teams and the top three individuals not with a team advance to the championships May 15-18 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Vorreyer is UIS’ first golfer to earn a Super Regional bid.

The Chatham Glenwood High School graduate tied for ninth at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament and earned a spot on the GLVC first team Sunday. She won three tournaments this spring and was chosen as the GLVC Women’s Golfer of the Month in March.

Vorreyer was featured by the State Journal-Register on May 1, 2013.

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Online courses changing college classrooms

2013-04-29T09:50:00.000-05:00

It was the sort of discussion that happens hundreds of times a day in America's college classrooms — an English professor and her students grappled with Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem, "To a Skylark," trying to pry meaning from words written nearly two centuries ago.

This conversation, though, had a decidedly 21st-century twist. It was conducted in cyberspace, with the professor, Sara Cordell of the University of Illinois at Springfield, speaking over a chat room audio feed, and the students typing their impressions into a text box.

While the session lacked the intimacy of a face-to-face exchange, it nonetheless seemed to produce the illumination Cordell was after. As it ended, having uncovered the poem's themes of joy, loss and the limits of human existence, one student wrote, "I see so much more than before."

"I think students learn a lot more in my field online," Cordell said. "They have to take a lot more responsibility for their learning. They can't just sit there and stare at me and pretend that literature is a spectator sport."

Virtual education at the college level has exploded over the last decade, with one survey finding that about a third of all students today take at least one class online. The humanities, though, remain a relative rarity in the digital world.

The story was featured by the Chicago Tribune on April 29, 2013.

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Vorreyer, UIS women shoot for golf Super Regional

2013-04-26T09:45:00.005-05:00

The University of Illinois Springfield women’s golf team is in good position as it heads into the Great Lakes Valley Conference championships scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo.

The Prairie Stars are trying to earn a bid to an NCAA Division II Super Regional May 5-7 at Joliet Country Club.

“We are very close to it as a team,” UIS coach Frank Marsaglia said. “If we don’t, Abby Vorreyer has a real shot of making it as an individual.”

Vorreyer has won three tournaments this spring, including the UIS Spring Invitational at The Rail Golf Course on Sunday. Vorreyer broke her own 18-hole record in the first round with a 2-under par 70. She shot a 76 in the final round and broke another one of the records with a two-round score of 146 for a 10-stroke win.

Vorreyer also won the 140-player/24-team Perry Park Spring Fling in Kentucky last month.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 26, 2013.

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UIS students partner with Habitat to rehab homes

2013-04-23T16:35:00.002-05:00

UIS students partnered with Habitat for Humanity as part of the university’s Springfest, according to Mark Dochterman, director of UIS’s Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center.

Springfest is a weeklong team challenge that includes a scavenger hunt and trivia night, among other activities.

Last year, Dochterman said organizers incorporated a service element. More than 200 students planted 3,500 native saplings in open spaces at Carpenter and Gurgens parks north of Springfield.

The project went well, except for a number of students contracting poison ivy, he said.

“(Partnering with Habitat) just seemed like a great way we could make a difference with the students we have,” Dochterman said.

Among the students to chip in Monday was Paige Heiser, a junior at UIS. Heiser cleared overgrown and dead brush at 2028 South Grand Ave. E. with other volunteers.

She said she enjoys volunteering because it’s important to give back to the community.

“You can have an impact on something on a larger scale, which makes you feel good,” Heiser said.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 23, 2013.

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Anti-violence march emboldens women

2013-04-22T16:47:00.002-05:00

The 35-degree wind chill couldn’t keep 19-year-old Ciara Woodcock from the annual “Take Back the Night” march at the University of Illinois Springfield.

Friday night’s march, now in its sixth year at the university, focuses on preventing violence against women. It’s designed to empower women, encourage them to speak out and foster an atmosphere of healing.

“It’s something important to stand up for. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little cold,” said Woodcock,” a freshman from Pawnee.

Estimates from the U.S. Centers on Disease Control and Prevention are that 20 percent to 25 percent of college women in the United States have experienced a rape or an attempted rape during their college career.

“While we care about violence against all persons, we recognize that sexual violence and relationship violence is much more likely to happen to women and girls,” said Lynn Otterson, director of the UIS Women’s Center.

In addition to the march, activities at UIS Friday included survivors’ stories, music and poetry.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 20, 2013.

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UIS baseball team hits 1,000 in service hours

2013-04-19T14:13:00.002-05:00

Baseball is a numbers game, and there is a category where the University of Illinois Springfield squad outdistances most.

The Prairie Stars have logged a whopping 1,023 hours of community service over the course of the academic year.

“As time went on, we realized how much we actually accomplished,” junior Adam Unes said. “It was kind of neat to see it progress. Toward the end of this semester, we’re seeing all that work come together.”

Their charity work didn’t stop with the arrival of the first day of practice. The players and coaches have continued putting in hours. The coaching staff and three players answered a spur-of-the-moment phone call and unloaded an 18-wheeler filled with pre-built walls for Habitat for Humanity in a driving rain Tuesday. They’ve worked at other habitat sites and made an impact for four families.

“If you can help put a roof over someone’s head, that is something tangible,” UIS coach Mike Zandler said.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 19, 2013.

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UIS men's golf team faces GLVC challenge

2013-04-19T14:11:00.000-05:00

The Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Golf Championship starts Sunday in Columbus, Ind., and the University of Illinois Springfield has its work cut out for it.

“At regionals, we didn’t play as well as we would have liked,” UIS coach Frank Marsaglia said of the Prairie Stars tying for 21st place. “Going into the regionals, we had a chance to move up in the standings for postseason, but we actually dropped. The only chance for postseason now is to win the conference championship.

“We have not beaten four of the teams out of the 15. It’s going to be tough to win.”

The GLVC championship begins with 54 holes of stroke play at Otter Creek Golf Course on Sunday and Monday. The top four teams after stroke play will compete Tuesday in medal/match play that will determine the tournament champion.

The team was featured on April 19, 2013 by The State Journal-Register.

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Art-expression class lifts moods of patients

2013-04-18T14:08:00.000-05:00

Jim Taylor never took an “art-expression” class before but says it helped him deal with some of the stress and frustration associated with his Alzheimer’s disease.

The free class is the first of its kind to be offered by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and the University of Illinois Springfield in cooperation with the Prairie Art Alliance.

Organizers said the class has resulted in measurable gains by improving mood and promoting relaxation — among people with dementia and other memory disorders, and among their caregivers.

“The point is not about making beautiful art,” said class instructor Karen Lee, a member of UIS’s faculty. “It’s about expression. It’s just nice to be able to do a creative activity where you can just be a regular person.”

Graduate students from UIS’s human development counseling program have received college credit to assist people with memory loss while their caregivers join in the class.

The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 18, 2013.

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Volunteers strike gold at UIS; Adams takes top honor

2013-04-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

More than 40 Sangamon County volunteers were honored Tuesday during the annual Good as Gold ceremony at the University of Illinois Springfield.

Larry Adams, an Ameren gas operations supervisor, received the 2013 Distinguished Volunteer Award for his work at Matheny-Withrow Elementary School over the past 25 years.

The awards, which are in their fifth year, are sponsored by the UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center and the Junior League of Springfield.

UIS students Samia Ahmad, Amanda Cummins and Paige Heiser were honored with Star Student Awards for their volunteer contributions.

Ahmad organized an on-campus Tie a Yellow Ribbon and toiletries donation campaign for troops, and Cummins helped organize the school’s Hunger and Homelessness Week. Heiser had a leadership role in the UIS Alternative Spring Break organization.

UIS International Student Series Program Coordinator Erika Suzuki received the Star Staff Award for her work with Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach.

The awards were featured by The State Journal-Register on April 17, 2013.

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Topinka says tax dollars paying for debt

2013-04-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

Monday is the last day to file taxes. You might wonder where your money goes. The Illinois Comptroller says, "down the drain."

Judy Baar Topinka says taxpayers see nothing in return and their money is going toward interest owed on unpaid bills; and the debt continues climbing year after year.

The state owes a lot of money to a lot of people. That's frustrating for Frances Chaplain. She works at UIS.
"There's no light at the end of the tunnel for it to stop, because every time you see something in the paper, it's just getting deeper and deeper every time," said Chaplain.

The state is working to pay down all that debt and is using your tax dollars to do it. So far this year, $47-million has been spent on interest alone; last year, about $86-million.

"The $86-million could go to the pension fund. It could go to human services. It could go toward building highways. Where does it go? To pay debt," said Ron McNeil, dean of the UIS College of Business and Management.

The story aired on WCIA-TV on April 15, 2013.

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UIS Faith and Learning Lecture Series

2013-04-16T13:40:00.001-05:00

Dr. Bryan McGraw, Assistant Professor of Politics at Wheaton College presents “Faith, Politics, and the Problem of Evil” as part of the University of Illinois Springfield Faith and Learning Lecture Series at noon Thursday, April 18 in the UIS Public Affairs Center, Conference Room G.

Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bagged lunch to the lecture. Dr. McGraw will be speaking on the topic of what citizenship means for us today and how faith intersects with it.

The event was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 15, 2013.

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Top Teen finalist: North Mac's Kenadi Fuller

2013-04-16T13:37:00.001-05:00

North Mac High senior Kenadi Fuller believes it’s important to be involved.

For four years, she’s worked with her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, serving as president during her junior and senior years.

“We encourage everyone to join. It doesn’t matter whether or not you personally are gay, lesbian or transgender. You can be an ally; you can be someone that is just curious, someone that doesn’t really know what they’re feeling,” Kenadi said.

Kenadi organized a fundraiser for the To Write Love on Her Arms national The Storytellers campaign from February to May 2012. The organization strives to offer help and hope to people who struggle with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

Because of Kenadi’s efforts, North Mac High raised $2,742 and won its fundraising division. The school of about 435 students finished fourth overall out of 139 schools in national fundraising for the spring 2012 campaign.

Next fall, Kenadi plans to attend the University of Illinois Springfield to major in history and French and minor in secondary education.

Fuller was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 16, 2013.

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Susan Koch: Students, faculty mentors collaborate on projects for StARS

2013-04-15T12:22:00.001-05:00

The following is a portion of a guest column written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in an April 14, 2013 edition of The State Journal-Register.

"Providing an abundance of opportunities for students to collaborate with faculty is a particularly strong feature of the UIS student experience, and the results of these opportunities were on prominent display on the Springfield campus just a few days ago at 'StARS.'

'StARS' stands for Student Arts and Research Symposium and this annual event offers a rich array of presentations and performances by UIS students, each of whom has collaborated throughout the year with a faculty mentor to complete an individual research or creative project.

According to the U.S. Council on Undergraduate Research, research and creative projects like those showcased at the UIS 'StARS' develop critical thinking, creativity, problem solving and intellectual independence and promote an innovation-oriented culture on the university campus."

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First Nature Trek to feature wild turkeys

2013-04-15T12:15:00.004-05:00

Alan Harn definitely is talking turkey, whether or not anyone actually sees one.

Wild turkeys are the topic for the first Nature Trek, a collaborative project between Dickson Mounds State Museum and the University of Illinois at Springfield's Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon. As the museum's assistant curator for anthropology, Harn is the inaugural speaker in a series which will take place on the third Thursday of the month, spring through summer. It's a challenging choice, given wily wild turkey history.

"They're the most elusive gamebird - the most elusive game - in America," Harn says.

Apparently, that didn't help them much with our pioneer ancestors. Once-abundant turkeys disappeared from Illinois by 1910, thanks to a combination of overhunting and cleared forest lands. But in 1959, the birds were re-introduced to the Shawnee Forest in southern Illinois, unexpectedly thriving in the mix of cropland and wooded areas which remains. There are an estimated 135,000 wild turkeys in the state now.

The event was featured by the Peoria Journal Star on April 15, 2013.

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UIS to host Kid's Day Out

2013-04-15T12:06:00.002-05:00

The University of Illinois Springfield Student Athlete Advisory Committee is hosting its annual Kid’s Day Out event at The Recreation and Athletic Center from 12:30-4:30 p.m. on April 28.

Kids ages 5-13 will participate in basketball, softball, soccer, baseball, cheerleading, tennis, volleyball and crafts. Snacks and beverages will be provided.

The cost is $20 per child and $15 for additional siblings. Proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

To register, email SAAC president Tina Buck at saac@uis.edu.

The event was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 13, 2013.

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UIS baseball team splits with Drury

2013-04-15T12:04:00.005-05:00

University of Illinois Springfield junior Josh Johnson’s two-out, three-run double in the eighth inning gave the last-place Prairie Stars a 9-8 win over Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division leader Drury in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.

The Prairie Stars took an early 4-0 lead, then rallied from an 8-6 deficit with three runs in the eighth inning. Junior Kendall Hocker’s single loaded the bases for Johnson.

Sophomore winning pitcher Robert Spath had zero hits, zero runs, zero walks and one strikeout in three innings.

The Stars had a chance to win the second game after they took a 5-4 lead in the sixth, but the Stars couldn’t pull off the comeback and Drury won 9-5.

UIS junior Derek Shoman’s two-run single tied the game at 4-all in the fifth. Drury’s Colton Jones hit a grand slam in the sixth for an 8-5 lead.

The team was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 14, 2013.

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UIS softball splits against Rockhurst

2013-04-15T12:02:00.001-05:00

Brooke Carroll hit home runs for University of Illinois Springfield in both an 8-0 win and a 12-9 loss to Rockhurst in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at UIS Athletics West.

Carroll’s two-run home run in the third inning of the second game propelled the Prairie Stars (17-19, 11-10) to the victory. Freshman Cheyanne Bowman threw seven strikeouts in five innings and allowed two hits and two walks.

In the first game, UIS held an 8-5 lead until Rockhurst scored seven runs in the top of the seventh. The Hawks are 19-14 and 7-10.

The team was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 14, 2013.

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