Freshman determined to graduate

Though UIS freshman Christal Luster isn't the first of her siblings to go to college, she is the first to enroll with the intention of graduating and pursuing a career of her own. Everyone else in Christal's immediate family – both parents, her two sisters, and her brother – works for the family company, Clintex Laboratories, near Chicago.

Luster credits the small-campus atmosphere at UIS with helping her make the transition and keep up her resolve.

Read the article that appeared in the December 6, 2008, State Journal-Register
20081206-sjr-FreshmanDetermined.pdf

New search options gaining popularity

Established Internet search engines such as Google may be facing competition from a variety of newer tools such as Blinkx, Grokker, and ChaCha.

In an article in the November 26, 2008, eSchoolNews, UIS OTEL Director Ray Schroeder noted that these new tools can be a boon to students, especially when their searches involve media other than print.

Download a pdf file of the article
20081126-eSN-NewSearchTools.pdf

Constant connection to work is a mixed blessing

With the advent of e-mail, Blackberries, and smart phones, more and more workers find it hard to be "off duty."

An article in the November 24, 2008, State Journal-Register quotes Keith Burton, assistant professor and chair of Psychology at UIS, who notes that "employees need time to rest in order to be productive.

"We're not built to be constant working machines," he said.

Download a pdf file of the article
20081124-SJR-WiredWorld.pdf