The University of Illinois Springfield is selling season passes for soccer and volleyball home matches.
A soccer season pass is $25 and is good for both men’s and women’s games. A volleyball season pass is $25.
UIS faculty and staff family passes are also on sale. A $25 pass admits an entire family of any UIS faculty or staff member to all home athletic events.
For more information, call 206-7017 or log on to www.uisprairiestars.com or visit the The Recreation and Athletic Center at UIS.
The passes were featured in an August 27, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the story online
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
UIS to hold auditions for 'I Hate Hamlet'
The Theatre Program at the University of Illinois Springfield will hold open auditions for the first production of its 2011-2012 season, Paul Rudnick’s “I Hate Hamlet,” at 7 p.m. Aug. 28-29 in the Studio Theatre, located on level one of the Public Affairs Center on the campus. Callbacks will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 30.
Auditions are open to anyone, with or without experience and will consist of “cold readings” from the script. Prepared monologues are welcome but not mandatory, and resumes are appreciated but are not required. Scripts are available for check-out at Brookens Library.
Those interested in working on a crew will be asked to fill out a crew application form and meet briefly at 6 p.m. Aug. 28 or 29 in the Studio Theatre.
Production dates are Oct. 28-30 and Nov. 3-5.
The play was featured in an August 25, 2011, article in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier.
Read the story online
Auditions are open to anyone, with or without experience and will consist of “cold readings” from the script. Prepared monologues are welcome but not mandatory, and resumes are appreciated but are not required. Scripts are available for check-out at Brookens Library.
Those interested in working on a crew will be asked to fill out a crew application form and meet briefly at 6 p.m. Aug. 28 or 29 in the Studio Theatre.
Production dates are Oct. 28-30 and Nov. 3-5.
The play was featured in an August 25, 2011, article in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier.
Read the story online
Thursday, August 25, 2011
UIS/LLCC bus route shows unexpected summer ridership
A night bus route that serves the Sixth Street Walmart, the University of Illinois Springfield campus and Lincoln Land Community College has produced some unexpected ridership numbers over the past year.
The route has seen growth, but the highest ridership numbers were in the summer months when there are fewer students at the two campuses. In July of this year, for instance, 998 people rode the route compared to 726 in January.
Steven Simpson-Black, a Springfield resident and senior at UIS, is trying to raise awareness of the night route on campus. He’s ridden the route and also noticed that a lot of passengers get on and off at the Walmart.
“I would say (student use) is sparse at this time,” Simpson-Black said. “It has a lot to do with the fact that students still bring their cars to campus. Gas prices are not quite high enough to cause them to leave their cars at home.”
The numbers were featured in an August 25, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
The route has seen growth, but the highest ridership numbers were in the summer months when there are fewer students at the two campuses. In July of this year, for instance, 998 people rode the route compared to 726 in January.
Steven Simpson-Black, a Springfield resident and senior at UIS, is trying to raise awareness of the night route on campus. He’s ridden the route and also noticed that a lot of passengers get on and off at the Walmart.
“I would say (student use) is sparse at this time,” Simpson-Black said. “It has a lot to do with the fact that students still bring their cars to campus. Gas prices are not quite high enough to cause them to leave their cars at home.”
The numbers were featured in an August 25, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
UIS Baseball: Grunzke says the time was right to leave
When South Dakota State University baseball coach Dave Schrage asked former University of Illinois Springfield coach Brian Grunzke to join his staff, it wasn’t the first time.
Grunzke resigned last week to become an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I school. The 54-year-old began his duties Wednesday at South Dakota State.
“He asked me to come with him two or three other times and the timing wasn’t right,” Grunzke said. “It just wasn’t right for me to go with him. I guess this time it was.”
Schrage and Grunzke go way back. South Dakota State hired Schrage away from Notre Dame earlier this month.
Grunzke agonized about leaving a program he was hired to start in 2009. He was a Division I assistant at Northern Iowa and Arkansas-Little Rock before UIS.
“This is by far the toughest decision I had to make,” he said. “The head coach got the job on Aug. 8. I interviewed on Aug. 12. Five days later, I had to make a decision. It was a hard two weeks for me.”
Grunzke was featured in an August 25, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Grunzke resigned last week to become an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I school. The 54-year-old began his duties Wednesday at South Dakota State.
“He asked me to come with him two or three other times and the timing wasn’t right,” Grunzke said. “It just wasn’t right for me to go with him. I guess this time it was.”
Schrage and Grunzke go way back. South Dakota State hired Schrage away from Notre Dame earlier this month.
Grunzke agonized about leaving a program he was hired to start in 2009. He was a Division I assistant at Northern Iowa and Arkansas-Little Rock before UIS.
“This is by far the toughest decision I had to make,” he said. “The head coach got the job on Aug. 8. I interviewed on Aug. 12. Five days later, I had to make a decision. It was a hard two weeks for me.”
Grunzke was featured in an August 25, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Study: College students consider their emotional health worse than ever
A recent study conducted by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute found the percentage of students who rated their emotional health as above average fell to 52 percent — a 12 percentage-point drop since 1985, when the institute began the survey.
Valerie Gebhardt, a therapist in the University of Illinois Springfield’s counseling center, said the university generally keeps new freshman busy for two or three weeks to avoid adjustment issues popping up.
“That first week we are just bombarding the students with activities and introducing them to different places on campus,” she said. “The counseling center being one — we are a resource for depression, anxiety or loneliness.”
Gebhardt was featured in an August 23, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Valerie Gebhardt, a therapist in the University of Illinois Springfield’s counseling center, said the university generally keeps new freshman busy for two or three weeks to avoid adjustment issues popping up.
“That first week we are just bombarding the students with activities and introducing them to different places on campus,” she said. “The counseling center being one — we are a resource for depression, anxiety or loneliness.”
Gebhardt was featured in an August 23, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Help your kids deal with stress and school
Valerie Gebhardt is the AOD (alcohol and other drug) prevention coordinator at the University of Illinois Springfield, where she works in the counseling center. During orientation at the start of the school year, the center tries to get the word out to parents that they will be there if their children start feeling pressure from academic demands or social situations.
"I really stress with the parents that they have already paid for our services with the student activity fee, so there is no reason why their student can't come to our office for support," Gebhardt said.
Gebhardt added one of the best ways for parents to help prepare their children for college is to ensure they have mastered some basic life skills. Things such as doing laundry, cooking meals, paying bills and budgeting time can become overwhelming if a student has never had to attend to these tasks before.
Gebhardt was featured in an August 23, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
"I really stress with the parents that they have already paid for our services with the student activity fee, so there is no reason why their student can't come to our office for support," Gebhardt said.
Gebhardt added one of the best ways for parents to help prepare their children for college is to ensure they have mastered some basic life skills. Things such as doing laundry, cooking meals, paying bills and budgeting time can become overwhelming if a student has never had to attend to these tasks before.
Gebhardt was featured in an August 23, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Study: College students rarely use librarians' expertise
A recent five-campus ethnographic study examining how students view and use their campus libraries: students rarely ask librarians for help, even when they need it. The idea of a librarian as an academic expert who is available to talk about assignments and hold their hands through the research process is, in fact, foreign to most students. Those who even have the word "librarian" in their vocabularies often think library staff are only good for pointing to different sections of the stacks.
The ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) project -- a series of studies conducted at Illinois Wesleyan, DePaul University, and Northeastern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois's Chicago and Springfield campuses -- was a meta-exercise for the librarians in practicing the sort of deep research they champion. Instead of relying on surveys, the libraries enlisted two anthropologists, along with their own staff members, to collect data using open-ended interviews and direct observation, among other methods.
The goal was to generate data that, rather than being statistically significant yet shallow, would provide deep, subjective accounts of what students, librarians and professors think of the library and each other at those five institutions. The resulting papers are scheduled to be published by the American Library Association this fall, under the title: "Libraries and Student Culture: What We Now Know."
The study was reported in an August 22, 2011, edition of USA Today.
Read the story online
The ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) project -- a series of studies conducted at Illinois Wesleyan, DePaul University, and Northeastern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois's Chicago and Springfield campuses -- was a meta-exercise for the librarians in practicing the sort of deep research they champion. Instead of relying on surveys, the libraries enlisted two anthropologists, along with their own staff members, to collect data using open-ended interviews and direct observation, among other methods.
The goal was to generate data that, rather than being statistically significant yet shallow, would provide deep, subjective accounts of what students, librarians and professors think of the library and each other at those five institutions. The resulting papers are scheduled to be published by the American Library Association this fall, under the title: "Libraries and Student Culture: What We Now Know."
The study was reported in an August 22, 2011, edition of USA Today.
Read the story online
Monday, August 22, 2011
Make the most of your empty nest
Jillian Briggs, a University of Illinois Springfield admissions counselor, said, “I tend to be sympathetic toward parents sending their children off to school. Wanting to help your child isn’t the worst thing in the world. Parents just have to remember that this is a transition point. Students need to learn to take responsibility for what’s happening in their lives.”
If you accompany your student as she visits various campus offices, Briggs suggests you listen as much as you speak.
“I love when parents want to ask questions. It makes the visit better — more interactive and fun for the student, rather than me doing all the talking, but parents should also encourage their children to ask about their own questions and concerns, too,” Briggs said. “They’re going to have to learn to ask their own questions in college.”
Briggs was featured in an August 21, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
If you accompany your student as she visits various campus offices, Briggs suggests you listen as much as you speak.
“I love when parents want to ask questions. It makes the visit better — more interactive and fun for the student, rather than me doing all the talking, but parents should also encourage their children to ask about their own questions and concerns, too,” Briggs said. “They’re going to have to learn to ask their own questions in college.”
Briggs was featured in an August 21, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Friday, August 19, 2011
UIS baseball coach taking job in South Dakota
Brian Grunzke started the University of Illinois Springfield baseball program in 2009 and saw it through the inaugural season in 2011, but he will not have a chance to see it develop.
He resigned Thursday as head coach to become an assistant coach, a newly created position, at South Dakota State under Dave Schrage. Schrage was hired as head coach earlier this month.
By joining the staff at South Dakota State, Grunzke returns to the NCAA Division I ranks.
Grunzke and Schrage have previously coached at a couple of the same schools.
Grunzke succeeded Schrage as head coach at Waldorf College in 1990.
Grunzke’s resignation is effective immediately. A search for his replacement will begin immediately.
The news was featured in an August 19, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
He resigned Thursday as head coach to become an assistant coach, a newly created position, at South Dakota State under Dave Schrage. Schrage was hired as head coach earlier this month.
By joining the staff at South Dakota State, Grunzke returns to the NCAA Division I ranks.
Grunzke and Schrage have previously coached at a couple of the same schools.
Grunzke succeeded Schrage as head coach at Waldorf College in 1990.
Grunzke’s resignation is effective immediately. A search for his replacement will begin immediately.
The news was featured in an August 19, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Nappy Roots to play UIS Quad on Sunday
The country-rap outfit Nappy Roots will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday on the Quad at the University of Illinois Springfield.
The concert is part of the UIS Welcome Week, and is sponsored by UIS Student Life, Student Activities Committee, Diversity Center, Orientation and Parent Programs.
Admission is free.
The performance was featured in an August 18, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
The concert is part of the UIS Welcome Week, and is sponsored by UIS Student Life, Student Activities Committee, Diversity Center, Orientation and Parent Programs.
Admission is free.
The performance was featured in an August 18, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the article online
Friday, August 12, 2011
UI-Springfield finalizes course transfer agreements
The University of Illinois-Springfield has finalized transfer agreements with four community colleges in Illinois, including Parkland.
The new agreements are also with Illinois Valley Community College (Oglesby), Lake Land College (Mattoon), and Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville).
The partnership will make it easier for students enrolled in accountancy, business administration, economics, management, and management information systems programs to transfer to UIS.
"These agreements serve as an effective 'road map' for the students who want to earn their undergraduate degree in a timely manner," Raymond Barnett, UIS transfer coordinator, said in a press release.
The agreements were featured in an August 12, 2011, article in the Champaign News-Gazette.
Read the article online
The new agreements are also with Illinois Valley Community College (Oglesby), Lake Land College (Mattoon), and Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville).
The partnership will make it easier for students enrolled in accountancy, business administration, economics, management, and management information systems programs to transfer to UIS.
"These agreements serve as an effective 'road map' for the students who want to earn their undergraduate degree in a timely manner," Raymond Barnett, UIS transfer coordinator, said in a press release.
The agreements were featured in an August 12, 2011, article in the Champaign News-Gazette.
Read the article online
UIS volleyball picked sixth in GLVC West
The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s eight-team West Division.
The Stars earned 44 points in the GLVC coaches’ poll. Missouri-St. Louis received 108 points along with 10 first-place votes and was picked to win the division. Rockhurst, Drury, Missouri S&T, Quincy rounded out the top five. League newcomer William Jewell was voted seventh and Maryville eighth.
The ranking was featured in an August 12, 2011, article by The State Journal-Register.
Read the story online
The Stars earned 44 points in the GLVC coaches’ poll. Missouri-St. Louis received 108 points along with 10 first-place votes and was picked to win the division. Rockhurst, Drury, Missouri S&T, Quincy rounded out the top five. League newcomer William Jewell was voted seventh and Maryville eighth.
The ranking was featured in an August 12, 2011, article by The State Journal-Register.
Read the story online
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
UIS astronomer wins grant to study giant stars
University of Illinois Springfield astronomer John Martin has been awarded a $62,096 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the end stages of massive, exploding stars known as supernovae.
Most of the research will take place at UIS’s Henry R. Barber Research Observatory west of Springfield “under much darker skies than our observatory on campus,” Martin said, and will involve undergraduate students. The Barber Observatory has both 16-inch and 20-inch telescopes.
Martin, an assistant professor of astronomy and physics, will collaborate with researchers at the University of Minnesota to observe the stages of some of the most massive stars in the universe.
“We’ll be looking at what happens to massive stars and the end of their lifetimes,” Martin said. “We don’t know a lot about the evolution of the star.”
Martin's research was featured in an August 9, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the story online
Most of the research will take place at UIS’s Henry R. Barber Research Observatory west of Springfield “under much darker skies than our observatory on campus,” Martin said, and will involve undergraduate students. The Barber Observatory has both 16-inch and 20-inch telescopes.
Martin, an assistant professor of astronomy and physics, will collaborate with researchers at the University of Minnesota to observe the stages of some of the most massive stars in the universe.
“We’ll be looking at what happens to massive stars and the end of their lifetimes,” Martin said. “We don’t know a lot about the evolution of the star.”
Martin's research was featured in an August 9, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the story online
Thursday, August 4, 2011
UIS student studying international affairs visits Israel
Latrice Nettles wants to be the first female African-American president of the United States – or at least an American ambassador to a Middle Eastern country. So it’s probably a good thing for Israel that Nettles, a student at the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois, came to the Jewish state to learn about Israeli democracy and how the country treats its minorities.
The trip was part of the Israel Experience College Scholarship Program, a rigorous, three-week study tour of Israel, which takes top Christian students from universities in the U.S., and other countries, and educates them about Israel.
Nettles, who is getting a masters in international affairs and Middle East studies, said that when she saw the Knesset and Foreign Ministry were on the trip’s agenda, she decided she had to come.
“Being in the presence of people working in the Israeli government has been a highlight,” she said.
Nettles was featured in an August 4, 2011, article in The Jerusalem Post.
Read the article online
The trip was part of the Israel Experience College Scholarship Program, a rigorous, three-week study tour of Israel, which takes top Christian students from universities in the U.S., and other countries, and educates them about Israel.
Nettles, who is getting a masters in international affairs and Middle East studies, said that when she saw the Knesset and Foreign Ministry were on the trip’s agenda, she decided she had to come.
“Being in the presence of people working in the Israeli government has been a highlight,” she said.
Nettles was featured in an August 4, 2011, article in The Jerusalem Post.
Read the article online