With the addition of new assistant professor Dathan Powell, the Theatre Department at University of Illinois Springfield is prepared to tackle new challenges in the coming year, starting with a production of Clifford Odets’s 1935 play Awake and Sing, dealing with timely issues of economic hardship.
For UIS Theatre Director Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, it’s all about education and community.
“Our students learn from the faculty, and the people from the community who work with us learn from the students, and I think we learn a lot from the community folks as well. So it’s a win-win,” he beams.
Auditions for Awake and Sing will be held Jan. 22 and 23. For details visit www.uis.edu/theatre/productions/auditions.html.
UIS Theatre was featured by the Illinois Times on December 20, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Traditional holiday-time employee bonuses fading away
Donna Rogers, an instructor at the University of Illinois Springfield’s College of Business and Management, said there has been a marked shift in the business world from benevolent gifts to merit-based bonuses.
For starters, she said it protects companies from discrimination allegations for celebrating a religious-based holiday. But it also reinforces good work habits.
“Corporations and larger organizations are getting rid of (holiday bonuses) and making it more business oriented, whether related to the profit of the company where everyone shares or strictly performance based,” Rogers said. “It focuses more on identifying those high-performers working hard.
“It hurts morale when those individuals get the same benefit as the people sitting on their butts not doing anything.”
Rogers was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 16, 2012.
Read the article online
For starters, she said it protects companies from discrimination allegations for celebrating a religious-based holiday. But it also reinforces good work habits.
“Corporations and larger organizations are getting rid of (holiday bonuses) and making it more business oriented, whether related to the profit of the company where everyone shares or strictly performance based,” Rogers said. “It focuses more on identifying those high-performers working hard.
“It hurts morale when those individuals get the same benefit as the people sitting on their butts not doing anything.”
Rogers was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 16, 2012.
Read the article online
The healing power of real Christmas trees?
There is one good aspect a real tree has, that an artificial tree doesn't have. It deals with smell. Pine trees have compounds that can have positive effects on the human body.
"Particularly, the leaves," Lucia Vazquez, a biology professor at UIS, said. "They produce a variety of compounds, that when mixed together, emit a scent that we like."
So how can those compounds found in pine trees, like your real Christmas tree, impact you?
"The way scent is processed in our brains, it overlaps the area in the brain with emotions," Vazquez said. "That is why smelling something makes us feel good. You will also have associations with smells and memories."
It's a sign of the season. It's a sign of cheer. The choice of real versus artificial, we'll leave up to you. But if you have real, enjoy the scent, and take in the good vibes.
"It can make you feel good," Vazquez said. "Absolutely. It can have a positive effect on your emotions."
Vazquez was featured by WICS-TV on December 14, 2012.
Watch the story online
"Particularly, the leaves," Lucia Vazquez, a biology professor at UIS, said. "They produce a variety of compounds, that when mixed together, emit a scent that we like."
So how can those compounds found in pine trees, like your real Christmas tree, impact you?
"The way scent is processed in our brains, it overlaps the area in the brain with emotions," Vazquez said. "That is why smelling something makes us feel good. You will also have associations with smells and memories."
It's a sign of the season. It's a sign of cheer. The choice of real versus artificial, we'll leave up to you. But if you have real, enjoy the scent, and take in the good vibes.
"It can make you feel good," Vazquez said. "Absolutely. It can have a positive effect on your emotions."
Vazquez was featured by WICS-TV on December 14, 2012.
Watch the story online
Friday, December 14, 2012
Campus safety over winter break
The University of Illinois Springfield says while about 85 percent of students leave campus for winter break, they keep the same amount of officers on patrol.
Director of Residential Life John Ringle said there is also a safety checklist for students that includes the importance of locking doors, taking valuables with you, and preventing fire hazards.
“[University staff members] double check to make sure all the lights are unplugged," Ringle said. "Appliances are [off]. Like some people leave their refrigerators on."
People also leave valuables like laptops out in the open. UIS police say that's not a good idea.
“Before you leave, you pack your electronics with you," Sgt. Brad Strickler, who has patrolled the campus for 18 years, said. "Take your laptops and anything of any value, jewelry, whatever it may be."
Strickler has seen theft firsthand and said usually it is a crime of opportunity.
"Where somebody will find an open door or open window," Strickler said.
Cameras monitor the dormitory entrances, and only a key card can get you in. But just in case a thief is slippery, UIS police are on patrol all the time.
The story was featured by WICS-TV on December 13, 2012.
Watch the story online
Director of Residential Life John Ringle said there is also a safety checklist for students that includes the importance of locking doors, taking valuables with you, and preventing fire hazards.
“[University staff members] double check to make sure all the lights are unplugged," Ringle said. "Appliances are [off]. Like some people leave their refrigerators on."
People also leave valuables like laptops out in the open. UIS police say that's not a good idea.
“Before you leave, you pack your electronics with you," Sgt. Brad Strickler, who has patrolled the campus for 18 years, said. "Take your laptops and anything of any value, jewelry, whatever it may be."
Strickler has seen theft firsthand and said usually it is a crime of opportunity.
"Where somebody will find an open door or open window," Strickler said.
Cameras monitor the dormitory entrances, and only a key card can get you in. But just in case a thief is slippery, UIS police are on patrol all the time.
The story was featured by WICS-TV on December 13, 2012.
Watch the story online
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Stress reduction crucial during exams
Some stress may be inevitable during finals week, but you don’t have to let it get the best of you.
Dr. Judy Shipp is executive director of the Counseling Center and Student Support Services at the University of Illinois Springfield. To stay levelheaded while studying, she suggests getting enough sleep, making sure to exercise, taking breaks during your studying, planning a study schedule and starting preparation early.
“A lot of times students tend to save things to the last minute, and then there’s never enough time,” Shipp said.
She also encouraged stressed-out students to talk with a family member, friend or counseling professional.
Shipp was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 11, 2012.
Read the article online
Dr. Judy Shipp is executive director of the Counseling Center and Student Support Services at the University of Illinois Springfield. To stay levelheaded while studying, she suggests getting enough sleep, making sure to exercise, taking breaks during your studying, planning a study schedule and starting preparation early.
“A lot of times students tend to save things to the last minute, and then there’s never enough time,” Shipp said.
She also encouraged stressed-out students to talk with a family member, friend or counseling professional.
Shipp was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 11, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, December 10, 2012
Susan Koch: International students bring new perspectives to UIS
The following is a portion of a guest column written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in a December 9, 2012 edition of the State Journal-Register.
"Many members of the Springfield community came to the University of Illinois Springfield campus recently to enjoy the annual International Festival, an evening of performances, exhibits and cuisine that celebrates the cultural diversity of our campus.
International students, who this year come to UIS from 38 different countries, are the heart of this celebration.They reflect a strong increase in international student enrollment across the United States, a trend that signals the continued conviction on the part of international students and their parents that a U.S. degree is an important investment in their future. But what do international enrollments actually contribute to our campus?
I spent some time with three exceptional international students this past week, and their stories provide part of the multi-dimensional answer to that question. Archana, Yiman and Zehra are among 242 international students at UIS and among the approximately 36,000 students who made Illinois their destination for college this year, ranking Illinois fifth in the country for hosting international students (according to the Institute for International Education’s just released annual Open Doors Report)."
Read the full column online
"Many members of the Springfield community came to the University of Illinois Springfield campus recently to enjoy the annual International Festival, an evening of performances, exhibits and cuisine that celebrates the cultural diversity of our campus.
International students, who this year come to UIS from 38 different countries, are the heart of this celebration.They reflect a strong increase in international student enrollment across the United States, a trend that signals the continued conviction on the part of international students and their parents that a U.S. degree is an important investment in their future. But what do international enrollments actually contribute to our campus?
I spent some time with three exceptional international students this past week, and their stories provide part of the multi-dimensional answer to that question. Archana, Yiman and Zehra are among 242 international students at UIS and among the approximately 36,000 students who made Illinois their destination for college this year, ranking Illinois fifth in the country for hosting international students (according to the Institute for International Education’s just released annual Open Doors Report)."
Read the full column online
UIS group provides role models for elementary school students
Three weeks ago, Jeff Cosby was too ill to make his weekly visit to Matheny-Withrow Elementary School.
Jeremiah Fields noticed. “He wrote me a note,” Cosby, 25, said. “It said, ‘You’re the best big brother ever.’”
Cosby has since carried the note with him — a reminder that his weekly visits to see Jeremiah don’t go unnoticed.
Cosby is Jeremiah’s mentor. And Candy Land opponent. And wide receiver. And confidant. Cosby and 10 other members of the Black Male Collegiate Society at the University of Illinois Springfield visit Matheny-Withrow each Friday as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region program.
“They don’t have too many positive male role models,” said Cosby about the students he and his fraternity brothers mentor each week. “We want to show them that it doesn’t take any special ability to get to college — just work hard. And we try to show them that education is more than what they think it is.”
The Black Male Collegiate Society group was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 8, 2012.
Read the article online
Jeremiah Fields noticed. “He wrote me a note,” Cosby, 25, said. “It said, ‘You’re the best big brother ever.’”
Cosby has since carried the note with him — a reminder that his weekly visits to see Jeremiah don’t go unnoticed.
Cosby is Jeremiah’s mentor. And Candy Land opponent. And wide receiver. And confidant. Cosby and 10 other members of the Black Male Collegiate Society at the University of Illinois Springfield visit Matheny-Withrow each Friday as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region program.
“They don’t have too many positive male role models,” said Cosby about the students he and his fraternity brothers mentor each week. “We want to show them that it doesn’t take any special ability to get to college — just work hard. And we try to show them that education is more than what they think it is.”
The Black Male Collegiate Society group was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 8, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS softball players earn academic honors
University of Illinois Springfield softball players Angie Augspols, Tina Buck, Brooke Carroll, Lauren Hollinshead and Shannon Mitchell have been named National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar Athletes.
Sixty-seven Great Lakes Valley Conference softball players made the list. Student-athletes achieved a 3.5 grade point average or higher during the 2011-12 academic year.
UIS also received team academic honors from the NFCA.
The Stars earned 55th place on the organization’s all-academic team with a 3.15 grade point average. UIS was among eight Great Lakes Valley Conference programs who received the honor.
The awards were featured by the State Journal-Register on December 10, 2012.
Read the article online
Sixty-seven Great Lakes Valley Conference softball players made the list. Student-athletes achieved a 3.5 grade point average or higher during the 2011-12 academic year.
UIS also received team academic honors from the NFCA.
The Stars earned 55th place on the organization’s all-academic team with a 3.15 grade point average. UIS was among eight Great Lakes Valley Conference programs who received the honor.
The awards were featured by the State Journal-Register on December 10, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS women put together first winning streak
The University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball team made it two wins in a week with a 70-59 victory Saturday against Lindenwood-Belleville at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
UIS won 74-50 on the road against Oakland City on Wednesday.
“We’re going to try to get a win streak going,” UIS junior guard Megan Bergerud said.
The Prairie Stars (3-4) took control in the second half to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Bergerud’s layup with eight minutes remaining started a 13-0 run that put the Stars ahead 70-55. Lindenwood-Belleville (7-8) went nearly seven minutes without scoring and only had one field goal in the final 8:15.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 9, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS won 74-50 on the road against Oakland City on Wednesday.
“We’re going to try to get a win streak going,” UIS junior guard Megan Bergerud said.
The Prairie Stars (3-4) took control in the second half to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Bergerud’s layup with eight minutes remaining started a 13-0 run that put the Stars ahead 70-55. Lindenwood-Belleville (7-8) went nearly seven minutes without scoring and only had one field goal in the final 8:15.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 9, 2012.
Read the article online
Friday, December 7, 2012
NCAA berth pays recruiting dividends for UIS softball
Coach Mat Mundell used the University of Illinois Springfield softball team’s appearance in the championship round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional, runner-up at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament and its school-record 36 wins last spring to help his chances on the recruiting trail.
The result is his largest class of recruits during the early signing period. He has received letter of intents from seven high school players for the 2013-14 academic year.
“I thought we’d really see the fruits of our labor in this recruiting class,” Mundell said. “With the seven we were able to get, a lot of it came from our success.”
The softball team was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 7, 2012.
Read the article online
The result is his largest class of recruits during the early signing period. He has received letter of intents from seven high school players for the 2013-14 academic year.
“I thought we’d really see the fruits of our labor in this recruiting class,” Mundell said. “With the seven we were able to get, a lot of it came from our success.”
The softball team was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 7, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS men's golf newcomers bring state experience
Marc Cox, Talon Supak and Trevor Flota are names that have appeared among the leaders at state high school golf tournaments.
Starting with the 2013-14 academic year, those three will play for the University of Illinois Springfield men’s team along with Indiana native Cameron Scheller. They’re UIS coach Frank Marsaglia’s latest recruits.
“All four are solid players,” Marsaglia said. “This is definitely one of the better recruiting classes that I’ve had coming in.”
The recruits were featured by the State Journal-Register on December 7, 2012.
Read the article online
Starting with the 2013-14 academic year, those three will play for the University of Illinois Springfield men’s team along with Indiana native Cameron Scheller. They’re UIS coach Frank Marsaglia’s latest recruits.
“All four are solid players,” Marsaglia said. “This is definitely one of the better recruiting classes that I’ve had coming in.”
The recruits were featured by the State Journal-Register on December 7, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Area Colleges: UIS women win at Oakland City
Junior Megan Bergerud’s 21 points led the University of Illinois Springfield to a 74-50 non-conference win against Oakland City Wednesday.
Junior Elizabeth Kelly finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for UIS (2-4). The Prairie Stars grabbed 14 steals with junior Alyssa Palmer getting four.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 6, 2012.
Read the story online
Junior Elizabeth Kelly finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for UIS (2-4). The Prairie Stars grabbed 14 steals with junior Alyssa Palmer getting four.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 6, 2012.
Read the story online
Monday, December 3, 2012
UIS hosts Make-a-Wish fundraiser
Dozens of kids are breaking a sweat to raise money to help other kids who may not be able to be as active.
Friday night, about 75 kids played tennis, basketball, soccer, and volleyball, among other activities. It was "Kids Night Out" at UIS.
Children aged 5-13 spent $20 to hang out with UIS student athletes, and all proceeds from the event benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Last year, Kids Night Out raised $1,800 for the foundation, and organizers are counting on another successful year.
"We get to see the kids we're impacting and knowing we're so lucky to be able to do these things and other kids sometimes aren't as fortunate," Tina Buck of the UIS Student Athlete Advisory Committee said. "So it really makes us feel good that we're giving other kids an opportunity."
UIS student athletes plan several fundraisers throughout the year, with a goal of sending $3,000 to the Make-A-Wish foundation at the end of the school year.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on December 3, 2012.
Read the story online
Friday night, about 75 kids played tennis, basketball, soccer, and volleyball, among other activities. It was "Kids Night Out" at UIS.
Children aged 5-13 spent $20 to hang out with UIS student athletes, and all proceeds from the event benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Last year, Kids Night Out raised $1,800 for the foundation, and organizers are counting on another successful year.
"We get to see the kids we're impacting and knowing we're so lucky to be able to do these things and other kids sometimes aren't as fortunate," Tina Buck of the UIS Student Athlete Advisory Committee said. "So it really makes us feel good that we're giving other kids an opportunity."
UIS student athletes plan several fundraisers throughout the year, with a goal of sending $3,000 to the Make-A-Wish foundation at the end of the school year.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on December 3, 2012.
Read the story online
Chick-fil-A unlikely to come to UIS campus
If Chick-fil-A makes a return to Springfield, it probably won’t be on the University of Illinois Springfield campus.
A task force composed of student and faculty members submitted a report Sunday to the Student Government Association opposing any franchise restaurant.
Last year, the possibility of the fast-food chicken restaurant locating at UIS drew sharp opposition from people who said the company supports anti-gay organizations.
In response to the controversy, the SGA created a task force to study whether or not bringing Chick-fil-A or any other franchise restaurant would be a good idea.
It’s not, the report found.
Instead, the group suggested having a restaurant operated by UIS food services that would carry brand-name foods, such as Papa Murphy’s pizza, TGI Fridays chicken or White Castle hamburgers, for example.
The story was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 3, 2012.
Read the article online
A task force composed of student and faculty members submitted a report Sunday to the Student Government Association opposing any franchise restaurant.
Last year, the possibility of the fast-food chicken restaurant locating at UIS drew sharp opposition from people who said the company supports anti-gay organizations.
In response to the controversy, the SGA created a task force to study whether or not bringing Chick-fil-A or any other franchise restaurant would be a good idea.
It’s not, the report found.
Instead, the group suggested having a restaurant operated by UIS food services that would carry brand-name foods, such as Papa Murphy’s pizza, TGI Fridays chicken or White Castle hamburgers, for example.
The story was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 3, 2012.
Read the article online
Women's soccer: UIS garners academic award
The University of Illinois Springfield women’s soccer team is among 717 college teams that have earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award.
The honor is bestowed on teams that post a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Under coach Pete Kowall, the Prairie Stats attained a 3.30 GPA.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 3, 2012.
Read the article online
The honor is bestowed on teams that post a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Under coach Pete Kowall, the Prairie Stats attained a 3.30 GPA.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on December 3, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, November 29, 2012
UIS music at UIS
The following is a portion of an Illinois Times article written by Tom Irwin:
Most of the live music shows held at the University of Illinois Springfield, our still growing, four-year institution of higher learning on the southern outskirts of Springfield’s civilized world, come from beyond the college’s borders. Part of the reason for this apparent lack of college-based music making comes from the absence of an extensive formal music program at UIS.
You can major in business, history, English, communications and many more subjects, but for now, an aspiring musician at UIS doesn’t have a lot of choices in pursuing a formal degree as a major or minor in music. There are courses in historical aspects of music and computer-related recording technology, along with opportunities to perform in UIS sponsored groups, but nothing that specifically offers a degree in music.
Determined to continue and poised to grow, the department has its sights set on soon becoming an academic minor. With Susan Koch, the new chancellor at the UIS helm, possessing a healthy history in liberal arts education and especially supportive of the arts, the UIS music department is in a good position to be making beautiful music for years to come as a vital part of the university community.
The article was published in the Illinois Times on November 29, 2012.
Read the article online
Most of the live music shows held at the University of Illinois Springfield, our still growing, four-year institution of higher learning on the southern outskirts of Springfield’s civilized world, come from beyond the college’s borders. Part of the reason for this apparent lack of college-based music making comes from the absence of an extensive formal music program at UIS.
You can major in business, history, English, communications and many more subjects, but for now, an aspiring musician at UIS doesn’t have a lot of choices in pursuing a formal degree as a major or minor in music. There are courses in historical aspects of music and computer-related recording technology, along with opportunities to perform in UIS sponsored groups, but nothing that specifically offers a degree in music.
Determined to continue and poised to grow, the department has its sights set on soon becoming an academic minor. With Susan Koch, the new chancellor at the UIS helm, possessing a healthy history in liberal arts education and especially supportive of the arts, the UIS music department is in a good position to be making beautiful music for years to come as a vital part of the university community.
The article was published in the Illinois Times on November 29, 2012.
Read the article online
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Sparkman lifts UIS past Robert Morris in men's basketball
University of Illinois Springfield forward Dylan Sparkman is emerging as a force.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore led the UIS men’s basketball team in scoring for the second consecutive game, and his career-high 24 points helped the Stars to a 72-56 non-conference victory over Robert Morris University on Tuesday at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
UIS scored its second victory of the season.
Sparkman has become a go-to option in a young season. He scored 18 points against Cedarville and tossed in 12 points each against Northwood and Benedictine University at Springfield.
He had career highs of seven points and five rebounds last season as a freshman. “I knew I was going to have to come in and step up to fill the shoes of Michael Fakuade,” Sparkman said. “He was a big player for us, so I knew I had to step up.”
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 28, 2012.
Read the article online
The 6-foot-10 sophomore led the UIS men’s basketball team in scoring for the second consecutive game, and his career-high 24 points helped the Stars to a 72-56 non-conference victory over Robert Morris University on Tuesday at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
UIS scored its second victory of the season.
Sparkman has become a go-to option in a young season. He scored 18 points against Cedarville and tossed in 12 points each against Northwood and Benedictine University at Springfield.
He had career highs of seven points and five rebounds last season as a freshman. “I knew I was going to have to come in and step up to fill the shoes of Michael Fakuade,” Sparkman said. “He was a big player for us, so I knew I had to step up.”
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 28, 2012.
Read the article online
Physical UIS stops Robert Morris in women's basketball
The University of Illinois Springfield’s aggressive play earned the Prairie Stars more fouls than they would have liked, but it also earned them a much-needed 60-47 win over Robert Morris University in a non-conference women’s basketball game Tuesday at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
“What Coach (Chad) Oletzke tries to instill in us is toughness, especially on the defensive end,” UIS junior forward Elizabeth Kelly said. “At times, I don’t know if we were as intense as we want to be, but I know it’s something we’re working to improve on because we think it will be one of the best ways to help us win games this year.”
It was the first victory of the season for the Prairie Stars (1-3) and their first contest in 10 days.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 28, 2012.
Read the article online
“What Coach (Chad) Oletzke tries to instill in us is toughness, especially on the defensive end,” UIS junior forward Elizabeth Kelly said. “At times, I don’t know if we were as intense as we want to be, but I know it’s something we’re working to improve on because we think it will be one of the best ways to help us win games this year.”
It was the first victory of the season for the Prairie Stars (1-3) and their first contest in 10 days.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 28, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, November 26, 2012
Online education trend expands
Another day, another development in the rapidly evolving world of massive open online courses, also known as MOOCs.
Over the past several months, dozens of universities have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by Sci-Tech Today on November 26, 2012.
Read the article online
Over the past several months, dozens of universities have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by Sci-Tech Today on November 26, 2012.
Read the article online
The “fiscal cliff” and the argument for progressive taxation
We’re likely to continue hearing the term “fiscal cliff” as President Obama and congressional leaders work toward a deficit-reduction deal ahead of a December 31st deadline.
Most Republicans in Washington are staunchly opposed to raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans to help reduce the deficit.
But an author and philosophy scholar at the University of Illinois Springfield says the rich must be taxed more if the country is to rebound from a recession and invest in its future.
UIS Emeritus Professor of Philosophy Peter Wenz spoke with WUIS’ Peter Gray about his new book "Take Back The Center", and why regaining what he calls a “sane center” in American politics is so important as the “fiscal cliff” looms.
Wenz was featured by WUIS on November 26, 2012.
Listen to the story online
Most Republicans in Washington are staunchly opposed to raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans to help reduce the deficit.
But an author and philosophy scholar at the University of Illinois Springfield says the rich must be taxed more if the country is to rebound from a recession and invest in its future.
UIS Emeritus Professor of Philosophy Peter Wenz spoke with WUIS’ Peter Gray about his new book "Take Back The Center", and why regaining what he calls a “sane center” in American politics is so important as the “fiscal cliff” looms.
Wenz was featured by WUIS on November 26, 2012.
Listen to the story online
Monday, November 19, 2012
Online-education trend expands
Another day, another development in the rapidly evolving world of massive open online courses, otherwise known as MOOCs.
Over the past several months, dozens of universities, including the University of Texas System, Brown and Wesleyan, have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Two days later, a consortium of 10 universities, including Northwestern, Wake Forest and Notre Dame, announced plans to develop an alternative approach — classes are still taught online, but with just 15 to 20 students. The courses, to be offered next fall through an initiative called Semester Online, wouldn't be free, like MOOCs are, but students who pass the course could earn credit.
On Monday, edX, a MOOC founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, is expected to announce plans to bring a computer science course to two Massachusetts community colleges next spring.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game-changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by USA Today on November 18, 2012.
Read the article online
Over the past several months, dozens of universities, including the University of Texas System, Brown and Wesleyan, have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Two days later, a consortium of 10 universities, including Northwestern, Wake Forest and Notre Dame, announced plans to develop an alternative approach — classes are still taught online, but with just 15 to 20 students. The courses, to be offered next fall through an initiative called Semester Online, wouldn't be free, like MOOCs are, but students who pass the course could earn credit.
On Monday, edX, a MOOC founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, is expected to announce plans to bring a computer science course to two Massachusetts community colleges next spring.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game-changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by USA Today on November 18, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS employees given ESGR "patriotic" awards
Chad Cooperider's son, Corey, was deployed to Afghanistan in September, but thanks to his employers at the University of Illinois Springfield, he'll have a job when he comes back.
"You can't ask for anything more than that," Cooperider says. "Like I said, as someone who's been there, you can't ask for anything more than that. It's good to know that you don't have to worry about that stuff while you're gone.
Cooperider, a Navy reservist, says some of his fellow service members have lost their jobs when going overseas -- and thanks the Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for stepping up and making sure that doesn't happen to Corey.
The ESGR has dubbed UIS a "Patriotic Employer" thanks to the public efforts of Corey's supervisors, Scott Fay and Keith McMath.
The honor was reported by WTAX-AM on November 16, 2012.
Read the story online
"You can't ask for anything more than that," Cooperider says. "Like I said, as someone who's been there, you can't ask for anything more than that. It's good to know that you don't have to worry about that stuff while you're gone.
Cooperider, a Navy reservist, says some of his fellow service members have lost their jobs when going overseas -- and thanks the Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for stepping up and making sure that doesn't happen to Corey.
The ESGR has dubbed UIS a "Patriotic Employer" thanks to the public efforts of Corey's supervisors, Scott Fay and Keith McMath.
The honor was reported by WTAX-AM on November 16, 2012.
Read the story online
Friday, November 16, 2012
Survey: Bright future for Springfield economy
The forecast for economic growth in Springfield is bright, but there will be some bumps along the way to a smoother economy.
According to a survey of Sangamon County business members, the economic horizon will see big gains in healthcare, and the future for the downtown area looks bright. But a dip in manufacturing is expected.
When considering Sangamon County as a whole, the survey shows short-term pain but long-term gain.
"What's exciting about the survey results is that when people look at their own business, they're expecting capital investment in their firm to stay positive," UIS research office director Ashley Kirzinger said. "They're expecting employment to stay about the same, and they're not going to decrease in their employment numbers."
The survey was featured by WICS-TV 20 on November 15, 2012.
Watch the story online
According to a survey of Sangamon County business members, the economic horizon will see big gains in healthcare, and the future for the downtown area looks bright. But a dip in manufacturing is expected.
When considering Sangamon County as a whole, the survey shows short-term pain but long-term gain.
"What's exciting about the survey results is that when people look at their own business, they're expecting capital investment in their firm to stay positive," UIS research office director Ashley Kirzinger said. "They're expecting employment to stay about the same, and they're not going to decrease in their employment numbers."
The survey was featured by WICS-TV 20 on November 15, 2012.
Watch the story online
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Exploring credits for free online courses
Elite universities have learned this year that offering free online courses will draw a huge global audience.
Now educators want to know whether those courses are worthy of academic credit and how they might be used to help more people pursue college degrees.
The American Council on Education, which represents university presidents, said Tuesday it is teaming with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the free online education provider Coursera on an initiative to seek answers to those questions.
The announcement is the latest sign of the emerging influence of what are known as massive open online courses, or MOOCs. MOOCs have gained momentum, with universities drawn toward mass audiences and consumers lured by the prospect of sampling elite education for free.
“It’s growing and continues to grow rapidly,” said Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield, a participant in the new research on MOOCs. “People are looking for affordable access to higher education.”
Schroeder was featured by the Washington Post on November 13, 2012.
Read the article online
Now educators want to know whether those courses are worthy of academic credit and how they might be used to help more people pursue college degrees.
The American Council on Education, which represents university presidents, said Tuesday it is teaming with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the free online education provider Coursera on an initiative to seek answers to those questions.
The announcement is the latest sign of the emerging influence of what are known as massive open online courses, or MOOCs. MOOCs have gained momentum, with universities drawn toward mass audiences and consumers lured by the prospect of sampling elite education for free.
“It’s growing and continues to grow rapidly,” said Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield, a participant in the new research on MOOCs. “People are looking for affordable access to higher education.”
Schroeder was featured by the Washington Post on November 13, 2012.
Read the article online
Benedictine tries to build basketball rivalry with UIS
Benedictine University at Springfield men’s basketball coach Ian McKeithen is hoping for a cross-town rivalry with the University of Illinois Springfield.
Benedictine is playing hoops again after a 12-year hiatus. When McKeithen was hired, one of the first people he called was UIS men’s basketball coach Ben Wierzba.
The result of that conversation is a non-conference meeting tonight at 7:30 between host UIS and Benedictine at The Recreation and Athletic Center. It is the Prairie Stars’ home opener.
Benedictine and UIS are both in search of their first win. The Stars are 0-2 after losing over the weekend to Northwood (69-58) and Lake Superior State (67-62) at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover tourney. Besides winless records, the team’s share another common thread. Both experienced mixed defensive results in games.
“In the first half of both games we defended very well,” Wierzba said. “In the first five minutes of the second halves, we were outscored 25-7. That’s the difference in the two ballgames.”
The men's basketball team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 14, 2012.
Read the article online
Benedictine is playing hoops again after a 12-year hiatus. When McKeithen was hired, one of the first people he called was UIS men’s basketball coach Ben Wierzba.
The result of that conversation is a non-conference meeting tonight at 7:30 between host UIS and Benedictine at The Recreation and Athletic Center. It is the Prairie Stars’ home opener.
Benedictine and UIS are both in search of their first win. The Stars are 0-2 after losing over the weekend to Northwood (69-58) and Lake Superior State (67-62) at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover tourney. Besides winless records, the team’s share another common thread. Both experienced mixed defensive results in games.
“In the first half of both games we defended very well,” Wierzba said. “In the first five minutes of the second halves, we were outscored 25-7. That’s the difference in the two ballgames.”
The men's basketball team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 14, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, November 12, 2012
Susan Koch: UIS home to many student-athletes
The following is part of a guest column written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in an November 11, 2012, edition of the State Journal-Register.
"Several years ago, Indiana University professor Murray Sperber published a fascinating book titled, 'Beer and Circus.' Considered the country’s leading authority on college sports, Sperber argued that big-time intercollegiate athletics has had a profound and tragic impact on higher education, depriving students of the education they deserved.
'Beer and Circus' has become a “must-read” for every college president and chancellor. As chancellor of one of the 300 NCAA Division II schools in the United States and Canada, however, I can tell you that the “beer and circus” scenario is a world away from what I see every day on the University of Illinois Springfield campus.
Division II Athletics is based on an institutional commitment to providing a balanced educational experience for student-athletes. According to the Division II philosophy, students who participate in athletics are students first, with the same opportunities and expectations for academic achievement as other students."
Read the full column online
"Several years ago, Indiana University professor Murray Sperber published a fascinating book titled, 'Beer and Circus.' Considered the country’s leading authority on college sports, Sperber argued that big-time intercollegiate athletics has had a profound and tragic impact on higher education, depriving students of the education they deserved.
'Beer and Circus' has become a “must-read” for every college president and chancellor. As chancellor of one of the 300 NCAA Division II schools in the United States and Canada, however, I can tell you that the “beer and circus” scenario is a world away from what I see every day on the University of Illinois Springfield campus.
Division II Athletics is based on an institutional commitment to providing a balanced educational experience for student-athletes. According to the Division II philosophy, students who participate in athletics are students first, with the same opportunities and expectations for academic achievement as other students."
Read the full column online
Young residents one of the keys to downtown revival
Mayor Mike Houston took up the theme of young people living downtown while introducing the downtown Springfield Sustainable Design Assessment Team report. A natural source of 20-something shoppers, pedestrians and residents, he said, is at the University of Illinois Springfield.
UIS has state government interns, the mayor reasoned, and interns might like to live near state government.
“An ideal situation for UIS students would be some type of housing that would allow them to walk to work,” Houston said.
The idea isn’t entirely farfetched, said Edward Wojcicki, UIS associate chancellor of constituent relations.
Wojcicki said a survey of UIS graduate students early this year found they would like to see options for living downtown.
“We have done some preliminary internal discussions, and we do occasionally talk to people in the community who might be able to develop some type of residential space for college students,” Wojcicki said. “We know there’s some interest ... but we are closer to being in the idea stage than any kind of implementation.”
The downtown living options were featured by the State Journal-Register on November 11, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS has state government interns, the mayor reasoned, and interns might like to live near state government.
“An ideal situation for UIS students would be some type of housing that would allow them to walk to work,” Houston said.
The idea isn’t entirely farfetched, said Edward Wojcicki, UIS associate chancellor of constituent relations.
Wojcicki said a survey of UIS graduate students early this year found they would like to see options for living downtown.
“We have done some preliminary internal discussions, and we do occasionally talk to people in the community who might be able to develop some type of residential space for college students,” Wojcicki said. “We know there’s some interest ... but we are closer to being in the idea stage than any kind of implementation.”
The downtown living options were featured by the State Journal-Register on November 11, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Innocent, but still guilty
Although Anthony Murray walked out of prison on Oct. 31 a free man after 14 years, gaining his freedom required admitting to a murder he says he didn’t commit.
“It’s been a long road,” the 41-year-old Chicago resident said in a Marion County courtroom in Salem during a hearing the day before his release. “I’m not guilty of the charges. I want this to go on the record.”
Murray’s case is the fifth in which the Illinois Innocence Project, based at the University of Illinois Springfield, helped free a prisoner whom they believe to be actually innocent. But this case is different from most others the project handles. It wasn’t some new piece of evidence that set Murray free; it was his exasperated willingness to strike a deal that marks him as a killer.
John Hanlon, legal director for IIP, says Murray’s case highlights problems in the criminal justice system that can produce wrongful convictions, and no one is fully satisfied with the outcome.
The case was featured by the Illinois Times on November 8, 2012.
Read the article online
“It’s been a long road,” the 41-year-old Chicago resident said in a Marion County courtroom in Salem during a hearing the day before his release. “I’m not guilty of the charges. I want this to go on the record.”
Murray’s case is the fifth in which the Illinois Innocence Project, based at the University of Illinois Springfield, helped free a prisoner whom they believe to be actually innocent. But this case is different from most others the project handles. It wasn’t some new piece of evidence that set Murray free; it was his exasperated willingness to strike a deal that marks him as a killer.
John Hanlon, legal director for IIP, says Murray’s case highlights problems in the criminal justice system that can produce wrongful convictions, and no one is fully satisfied with the outcome.
The case was featured by the Illinois Times on November 8, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS men on the defensive for basketball opener
The University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball team left the University of Evansville’s Ford Center Saturday with a clear practice plan for this week.
Coach Ben Wierzba pinpointed exactly what the Prairie Stars needed to address after Evansville’s 79-54 exhibition win over UIS. “We didn’t defend as well as we can,” Wierzba said.
“We gave up too many easy baskets and offensive rebounding. It’s what we’ve been working on in practice this week.
“We went back to the basics of stopping the ball one on one and getting the ball stopped when it’s dribbled at you.”
The Stars are preparing for Friday’s season-opening game against Northwood at 7 p.m. in the Great Lakes Valley.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 8, 2012.
Read the article online
Coach Ben Wierzba pinpointed exactly what the Prairie Stars needed to address after Evansville’s 79-54 exhibition win over UIS. “We didn’t defend as well as we can,” Wierzba said.
“We gave up too many easy baskets and offensive rebounding. It’s what we’ve been working on in practice this week.
“We went back to the basics of stopping the ball one on one and getting the ball stopped when it’s dribbled at you.”
The Stars are preparing for Friday’s season-opening game against Northwood at 7 p.m. in the Great Lakes Valley.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 8, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS women's hoops coach sees potential in Stars
Little flashes of possibilities were visible to University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball coach Chad Oletzke.
A 15-minute spurt in the first half of an exhibition against Eastern Illinois University Sunday clued in the first-year coach on what could be.
“We climbed back from a 10-point deficit and gained the lead,” Oletzke said. “We played them even for 15 minutes. The last minute and a half, we kind of broke down. For a 15-minute stretch, we had exactly what we were looking for on both ends of floor.
“We were doing a good job on the defensive end and turning them over. We weren’t giving them easy shots. We were pushing it in transition. We were executing things offensively.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 8, 2012.
Read the article online
A 15-minute spurt in the first half of an exhibition against Eastern Illinois University Sunday clued in the first-year coach on what could be.
“We climbed back from a 10-point deficit and gained the lead,” Oletzke said. “We played them even for 15 minutes. The last minute and a half, we kind of broke down. For a 15-minute stretch, we had exactly what we were looking for on both ends of floor.
“We were doing a good job on the defensive end and turning them over. We weren’t giving them easy shots. We were pushing it in transition. We were executing things offensively.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 8, 2012.
Read the article online
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The Year of the MOOC
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been around for a few years as collaborative techie learning events, but this is the year everyone wants in. Elite universities are partnering with Coursera at a furious pace. It now offers courses from 33 of the biggest names in postsecondary education, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Duke. In September, Google unleashed a MOOC-building online tool, and Stanford unveiled Class2Go with two courses.
Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois, Springfield, says three things matter most in online learning: quality of material covered, engagement of the teacher and interaction among students. The first doesn’t seem to be an issue — most professors come from elite campuses, and so far most MOOCs are in technical subjects like computer science and math, with straightforward content. But providing instructor connection and feedback, including student interactions, is trickier.
“What’s frustrating in a MOOC is the instructor is not as available because there are tens of thousands of others in the class,” Dr. Schroeder says. How do you make the massive feel intimate?
Schroeder was featured by the New York Times on November 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois, Springfield, says three things matter most in online learning: quality of material covered, engagement of the teacher and interaction among students. The first doesn’t seem to be an issue — most professors come from elite campuses, and so far most MOOCs are in technical subjects like computer science and math, with straightforward content. But providing instructor connection and feedback, including student interactions, is trickier.
“What’s frustrating in a MOOC is the instructor is not as available because there are tens of thousands of others in the class,” Dr. Schroeder says. How do you make the massive feel intimate?
Schroeder was featured by the New York Times on November 4, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS students tie yellow ribbons for vets
If you've wondered why yellow ribbons are hanging on the trees around the University of Illinois - Springfield campus, they're there to remind us of our veterans.
Students and volunteers wrapped them around hundreds of trees on campus. It all started when a student who has a boyfriend in the service wanted to do something to show appreciation.
"The idea came about because my boyfriend's currently deployed, and I wanted to tie one single ribbon on a tree outside my apartment," organizer Samia Ahmad said. "And I kind of figured it would be taken down by someone, so I was talking to some students and they're like, 'Why don't you tie a ribbon around every tree around campus?' And I was like, 'Why not just the trees on the outer drive?,' which is like 403 trees."
This is the first year the event has taken place. Besides ribbons, students also held a toiletry drive.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on November 4, 2012.
Watch the story online
Students and volunteers wrapped them around hundreds of trees on campus. It all started when a student who has a boyfriend in the service wanted to do something to show appreciation.
"The idea came about because my boyfriend's currently deployed, and I wanted to tie one single ribbon on a tree outside my apartment," organizer Samia Ahmad said. "And I kind of figured it would be taken down by someone, so I was talking to some students and they're like, 'Why don't you tie a ribbon around every tree around campus?' And I was like, 'Why not just the trees on the outer drive?,' which is like 403 trees."
This is the first year the event has taken place. Besides ribbons, students also held a toiletry drive.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on November 4, 2012.
Watch the story online
UIS students pay tribute to vets
Some college students are paying tribute to the troops this Veterans Day. School wasn't in session, but students were out on campus at University of Illinois Springfield.
They were tying yellow ribbons to more than 400 trees. The volunteers had a lot of ground to cover, but say it was worth it. Organizers hope they'll raise awareness about veterans.
The students also held a toiletry drive. All the items will be given to the American Legions and then sent to soldiers overseas.
The story was featured by WCIA-TV on November 4, 2012.
Watch the story online
They were tying yellow ribbons to more than 400 trees. The volunteers had a lot of ground to cover, but say it was worth it. Organizers hope they'll raise awareness about veterans.
The students also held a toiletry drive. All the items will be given to the American Legions and then sent to soldiers overseas.
The story was featured by WCIA-TV on November 4, 2012.
Watch the story online
Issues key to turnout of young voters
While many of Springfield’s teenagers are forced to sit out on Election Day, they’re wholly vested in who Americans will send to the White House.
On top of a job shortage, many teenagers are headed to college and are concerned about student loans.
Students are right to be concerned, said Gerard Joseph, director of financial assistance at the University of Illinois Springfield. State funds have been stagnant, he said, and students have to apply earlier and earlier to try and access help from Illinois’ Monetary Assistance Program.
“You’ve got more students trying for the same pool of dollars,” Joseph said.
High school respondents also ranked quality of college education, elementary and high school education, and war, Iraq, Afghanistan and terrorism as their other leading concerns.
Joseph was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 4, 2012.
Read the article online
On top of a job shortage, many teenagers are headed to college and are concerned about student loans.
Students are right to be concerned, said Gerard Joseph, director of financial assistance at the University of Illinois Springfield. State funds have been stagnant, he said, and students have to apply earlier and earlier to try and access help from Illinois’ Monetary Assistance Program.
“You’ve got more students trying for the same pool of dollars,” Joseph said.
High school respondents also ranked quality of college education, elementary and high school education, and war, Iraq, Afghanistan and terrorism as their other leading concerns.
Joseph was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Friday, November 2, 2012
Former UIS administrator named interim IBHE director
Harry Berman, a former provost and interim chancellor at the University of Illinois Springfield, has been appointed interim executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
Berman takes over for George Reid, who announced his decision to step down after nearly two years in the position.
State officials will launch a nationwide search for the permanent IBHE director.
The appointment was reported by the State Journal-Register on November 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Berman takes over for George Reid, who announced his decision to step down after nearly two years in the position.
State officials will launch a nationwide search for the permanent IBHE director.
The appointment was reported by the State Journal-Register on November 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Meagan Cass encourages students to discover what moves them
Almost everyone who has tried their hand at fiction has heard the advice: Write what you know. By doing so, the thinking goes, the writer will be able to draw upon the familiar, and then the prose will begin to fly.
Meagan Cass is an author and assistant professor of English at the University of Illinois Springfield. Many of her short stories contain autobiographical elements — in particular, her experiences playing sports while growing up in upstate New York. While Cass does mine her own past for material, she puts a caveat on the “write what you know” axiom.
“The trick is writing about what you don’t know about what you know. Because if you only write about what you know, there wouldn’t be any element of discovery,” Cass says.
In her creative writing and short fiction writing courses, she tells her students to focus on subjects that interest and inspire them on an individual level. Rather than simply writing a rote description of historical events, Cass encourages them to use what they know as a starting point from which invention and creativity can spring.
Cass was featured by Springfield's Own Magazine on November 2, 2012.
Read the article online
Meagan Cass is an author and assistant professor of English at the University of Illinois Springfield. Many of her short stories contain autobiographical elements — in particular, her experiences playing sports while growing up in upstate New York. While Cass does mine her own past for material, she puts a caveat on the “write what you know” axiom.
“The trick is writing about what you don’t know about what you know. Because if you only write about what you know, there wouldn’t be any element of discovery,” Cass says.
In her creative writing and short fiction writing courses, she tells her students to focus on subjects that interest and inspire them on an individual level. Rather than simply writing a rote description of historical events, Cass encourages them to use what they know as a starting point from which invention and creativity can spring.
Cass was featured by Springfield's Own Magazine on November 2, 2012.
Read the article online
Educator working to raise awareness of health concerns in black community
When Dorine Brand received an invitation to attend and present at the national meeting of the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network (AACORN) in Philadelphia this past August, she says it put a smile on her face.
Brand recently joined the faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield as an assistant professor of public health. AACORN, formed in 2002 and funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a colloquium of national and international researchers that serves as a catalyst in the implementation of obesity research and interventions.
Brand, who did her doctoral research on Illinois and North Carolina churches being agents of change for health in African-American communities, says she plans to reach out to Springfield leaders and community organizers, especially those in the faith community, to see what programs are in place to help address obesity and weight-related issues.
Brand was featured in Springfield's Own Magazine on November 2, 2012.
Read the article online
Brand recently joined the faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield as an assistant professor of public health. AACORN, formed in 2002 and funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a colloquium of national and international researchers that serves as a catalyst in the implementation of obesity research and interventions.
Brand, who did her doctoral research on Illinois and North Carolina churches being agents of change for health in African-American communities, says she plans to reach out to Springfield leaders and community organizers, especially those in the faith community, to see what programs are in place to help address obesity and weight-related issues.
Brand was featured in Springfield's Own Magazine on November 2, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS' Oletzke inherits experienced players
It’s a new beginning for the University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball team, which returns nearly its entire core from last season.
Coach Chad Oletzke succeeded Marne Fauser and inherited a squad that produced a 9-17 record and finished next to last in the West Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference with a 4-14 mark.
With a new coaching staff, eight returning players and two newcomers, UIS takes the court tonight at 7 in an exhibition game against host Illinois-Chicago.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 2, 2012.
Read the article online
Coach Chad Oletzke succeeded Marne Fauser and inherited a squad that produced a 9-17 record and finished next to last in the West Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference with a 4-14 mark.
With a new coaching staff, eight returning players and two newcomers, UIS takes the court tonight at 7 in an exhibition game against host Illinois-Chicago.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on November 2, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, November 1, 2012
UIS students help those in need
While little ones were out getting candy on Halloween, some college students from the University of Illinois Springfield were helping those in need.
Students from UIS went door-to-door asking for canned goods. All of the donations will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank. Last year, they collected about 8,000 pounds of food. This year they hope to collect even more.
The story was featured by WCIA-TV on October 31, 2012.
Watch the story online
Students from UIS went door-to-door asking for canned goods. All of the donations will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank. Last year, they collected about 8,000 pounds of food. This year they hope to collect even more.
The story was featured by WCIA-TV on October 31, 2012.
Watch the story online
Course-Management companies challenge MOOC providers
Two software companies that sell course-management systems, Blackboard and Instructure, have entered the race to provide free online courses for the masses.
Arizona State University, the State University of New York’s Buffalo State College, and the University of Illinois Springfield chose Blackboard after considering other MOOC providers.
Instructors may be drawn toward teaching MOOC’s on those platforms rather than Udacity or Coursera because they are already familiar with the companies’ course-management software.
Because the Springfield campus has used Blackboard for years, instructors will be able to teach MOOC’s more comfortably, said Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning and director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service. “There are plenty of challenges with MOOC’s, aside from just the technical challenges,” he said. “The different languages, the different cultures, serving thousands of students at a time—this platform allows us to focus our energies on those things instead.”
The software choice was featured by the Chronicle of Higher Education on November 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Arizona State University, the State University of New York’s Buffalo State College, and the University of Illinois Springfield chose Blackboard after considering other MOOC providers.
Instructors may be drawn toward teaching MOOC’s on those platforms rather than Udacity or Coursera because they are already familiar with the companies’ course-management software.
Because the Springfield campus has used Blackboard for years, instructors will be able to teach MOOC’s more comfortably, said Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning and director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service. “There are plenty of challenges with MOOC’s, aside from just the technical challenges,” he said. “The different languages, the different cultures, serving thousands of students at a time—this platform allows us to focus our energies on those things instead.”
The software choice was featured by the Chronicle of Higher Education on November 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Innocence Project helps free Chicago man
A Chicago man convicted of a southern Illinois murder 14 years ago is scheduled to be set free Oct. 31 because of the efforts of the Illinois Innocence Project housed at the University of Illinois Springfield.
Anthony Murray, 40, had been convicted of first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the death of Seneca Jones of Centralia. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
A Marion County judge in August ordered vacated Murray‘s conviction for stabbing Jones to death after a dice game.
UIS students helped review the case and assisted Innocence Project lawyer John Hanlon and Marion County public defender Timothy Hewitt. The students searched for new evidence, interviewed Murray and attended a June hearing challenging his conviction.
The Innocence Project case was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 31, 2012.
Read the article online
Anthony Murray, 40, had been convicted of first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the death of Seneca Jones of Centralia. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
A Marion County judge in August ordered vacated Murray‘s conviction for stabbing Jones to death after a dice game.
UIS students helped review the case and assisted Innocence Project lawyer John Hanlon and Marion County public defender Timothy Hewitt. The students searched for new evidence, interviewed Murray and attended a June hearing challenging his conviction.
The Innocence Project case was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 31, 2012.
Read the article online
Illinois man pleads no contest in fatal stabbing, will leave prison after 14 years
With help from the Illinois Innocence Project, a man is expected to leave prison Wednesday after serving 14 years for a murder he's adamantly denied committing.
Anthony Murray, whose last address before prison was in Chicago, pleaded no contest to a charge of a second-degree murder on Tuesday in Marion County Circuit Court, allowing him to walk out of jail. The Alford plea means he does not admit guilt, but concedes prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him.
Murray was serving 45 years in prison in the 1998 stabbing of Seneca Jones when he asked for help from the Illinois Innocence Project, which includes students and staff from the University of Illinois Springfield, the Southern Illinois University Law School and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Law. The team found new evidence pointing to Murray's innocence, Executive Director Larry Golden said.
The Innocence Project case was featured by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 30, 2012.
Read the article online
Anthony Murray, whose last address before prison was in Chicago, pleaded no contest to a charge of a second-degree murder on Tuesday in Marion County Circuit Court, allowing him to walk out of jail. The Alford plea means he does not admit guilt, but concedes prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him.
Murray was serving 45 years in prison in the 1998 stabbing of Seneca Jones when he asked for help from the Illinois Innocence Project, which includes students and staff from the University of Illinois Springfield, the Southern Illinois University Law School and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Law. The team found new evidence pointing to Murray's innocence, Executive Director Larry Golden said.
The Innocence Project case was featured by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 30, 2012.
Read the article online
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
UIS partners with California college to expand online reach
California’s Coastline Community College is set to create low-cost, online bachelor’s degree pathways where students can enroll simultaneously at one of three public universities, none of which are in California.
The new partnership between Coastline and the University of Massachusetts Online, Penn State University’s World Campus and the University of Illinois-Springfield should go live next spring. The project’s leaders hope it will serve as a model for expanding capacity at California’s community colleges, which have been forced to turn away hundreds of thousands of students because of budget cuts.
Under the project, students would attend Coastline full-time for their first year of course offerings, with a targeted haul of 30 credits. They would then be concurrently enrolled at the college and one of its three university partners for the next two years. The curriculum of that segment would be 60 credits. Then, the final year would be 30 credits of “capstone” courses at the online university. Students could complete their associate degree on their way to a bachelor’s.
The partnership was featured by Inside Higher Education on October 30, 2012.
Read the article online
The new partnership between Coastline and the University of Massachusetts Online, Penn State University’s World Campus and the University of Illinois-Springfield should go live next spring. The project’s leaders hope it will serve as a model for expanding capacity at California’s community colleges, which have been forced to turn away hundreds of thousands of students because of budget cuts.
Under the project, students would attend Coastline full-time for their first year of course offerings, with a targeted haul of 30 credits. They would then be concurrently enrolled at the college and one of its three university partners for the next two years. The curriculum of that segment would be 60 credits. Then, the final year would be 30 credits of “capstone” courses at the online university. Students could complete their associate degree on their way to a bachelor’s.
The partnership was featured by Inside Higher Education on October 30, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, October 29, 2012
Women's basketball: UIS seventh in West poll
The University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball team was voted to finish seventh in the West Division of Great Lakes Valley Conference in a preseason coaches poll.
UIS finished seventh in the conference last season with a 4-14 record and was 9-17 overall.
Drury received 10 first-place votes and 115 points for first place. Maryville was second and had five first-place votes. Quincy was third with one first-place point. Missouri S&T, William Jewell, Missouri-St. Louis, UIS and Rockhurst round out the eight-team list.
The rankings were featured by the State Journal-Register on October 26, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS finished seventh in the conference last season with a 4-14 record and was 9-17 overall.
Drury received 10 first-place votes and 115 points for first place. Maryville was second and had five first-place votes. Quincy was third with one first-place point. Missouri S&T, William Jewell, Missouri-St. Louis, UIS and Rockhurst round out the eight-team list.
The rankings were featured by the State Journal-Register on October 26, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, October 25, 2012
'Tartuffe' opens UIS theatre season
A comedy by “France’s Shakespeare” this weekend kicks off the 2012-13 season of plays presented by the University of Illinois Springfield theatre program.
“Tartuffe,” a 17th-century farce by Moliere about the machinations of a religious fraud, will be presented in a contemporary setting in an English translation that preserves the poetic nature of the 350-year-old French script, said director Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson.
“The text is translated from French into English rhyming couplets,” said Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor of theatre at UIS. “It’s a blend of modern colloquial language with poetry.”
“Tartuffe” (comedy)
Read the article online
“Tartuffe,” a 17th-century farce by Moliere about the machinations of a religious fraud, will be presented in a contemporary setting in an English translation that preserves the poetic nature of the 350-year-old French script, said director Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson.
“The text is translated from French into English rhyming couplets,” said Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor of theatre at UIS. “It’s a blend of modern colloquial language with poetry.”
“Tartuffe” (comedy)
- When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and Nov. 1-3; 2 p.m. Sunday. Preview/dress rehearsal 7:30 p.m. today.
- Where: UIS Studio Theatre, lower level, Public Affairs Center, University of Illinois Springfield
- Tickets: $6 (age 17 and under), $8 (college/university students with ID), $10 (UIS faculty/staff), $12 (age 65 and older), and $14 (adults), available 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the Sangamon Auditorium box office or by calling 206-6160.
Read the article online
UIS men's basketball No. 4 in preseason poll
The University of Illinois Springfield was voted by league coaches to finish fourth in the West Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason men’s basketball poll with 69 points.
The Prairie Stars finished second in the division last year with a 12-6 conference record. They were 15-13 overall.
Missouri-St. Louis was picked to win the West with eight first-place votes and 113 points. Drury was second with seven first-place votes. Quincy received one first-place vote and was voted third. UIS, Maryville, William Jewell, Missouri S&T and Rockhurst rounded out the eight-team list.
The ranking was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 25, 2012.
Read the story online
The Prairie Stars finished second in the division last year with a 12-6 conference record. They were 15-13 overall.
Missouri-St. Louis was picked to win the West with eight first-place votes and 113 points. Drury was second with seven first-place votes. Quincy received one first-place vote and was voted third. UIS, Maryville, William Jewell, Missouri S&T and Rockhurst rounded out the eight-team list.
The ranking was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 25, 2012.
Read the story online
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Lt. Governor calls for college affordability
University of Illinois Springfield sophomore Nekira Cooper is putting herself through school by piecing together grants, loans, a scholarship, a part-time job off campus and a federal work study.
She’s not alone. Statistics show the cost of higher education increases every year. That is not true of people's incomes.
“It did have to come out of pocket a little because financial aid did not cover all of it,” UIS senior Kyle Palmer said.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is on a mission to keep Illinois' colleges affordable so students who are educated at places like UIS can go on to compete with the rest of the world.
“When I was a kid we talked about competing against Indiana," Simon said. "Now we need to be able to compete against India."
The Monetary Award Program is one option for students in need, but with budgets being squeezed every which way, those are not as readily available.
Simon's appearance at UIS was featured by WICS-TV 20 on October 23, 2012.
Watch the story online
She’s not alone. Statistics show the cost of higher education increases every year. That is not true of people's incomes.
“It did have to come out of pocket a little because financial aid did not cover all of it,” UIS senior Kyle Palmer said.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is on a mission to keep Illinois' colleges affordable so students who are educated at places like UIS can go on to compete with the rest of the world.
“When I was a kid we talked about competing against Indiana," Simon said. "Now we need to be able to compete against India."
The Monetary Award Program is one option for students in need, but with budgets being squeezed every which way, those are not as readily available.
Simon's appearance at UIS was featured by WICS-TV 20 on October 23, 2012.
Watch the story online
Simon advocates lowering college costs
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is advocating ways to keep college affordable as new research shows average student loan debt has topped $26,000.
Simon presented ideas during a Tuesday visit to the University of Illinois Springfield. She supports legislation to require all colleges in the state to publish so-called College Choice Reports disclosing net costs, average debt and completion rates. That would allow prospective students to comparison shop.
Simon wants the Monetary Award Program to provide more targeted assistance and reduce the achievement gap between low-income and higher-income students.
Simon's appearance at UIS was featured by the Associated Press on October 24, 2012.
Read the article online
Simon presented ideas during a Tuesday visit to the University of Illinois Springfield. She supports legislation to require all colleges in the state to publish so-called College Choice Reports disclosing net costs, average debt and completion rates. That would allow prospective students to comparison shop.
Simon wants the Monetary Award Program to provide more targeted assistance and reduce the achievement gap between low-income and higher-income students.
Simon's appearance at UIS was featured by the Associated Press on October 24, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, October 22, 2012
UIS hosts talk on peace-keeping
The World Affairs Council will present a lecture at Brookens Auditorium at UIS on United Nations peace-keeping efforts in Syria by Kristina Koch-Avan at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 25.
Koch-Avan is employed by the United Nations and was involved in the peace-keeping efforts in former Yugoslavia.
The appearance was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 22, 2012.
Read the article online
Koch-Avan is employed by the United Nations and was involved in the peace-keeping efforts in former Yugoslavia.
The appearance was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 22, 2012.
Read the article online
Debate watch party to bring Democrats, Republicans together at UIS
Those watching the final presidential debate of 2012 Monday will include a bipartisan group at the University of Illinois Springfield campus, with college Democrats and Republicans each hoping for a good showing from their respective favorite candidate.
And those who attend will also get to talk about what they saw once the debate ends, with political science professors overseeing a post-debate discussion.
The free and public debate event at the Homer L. Butler Housing Commons at UIS is sponsored by the college party organizations as well as the UIS Global Issues Club. The gathering will begin about 7:30, and there will be refreshments. The debate is at 8 p.m.
The watch party was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 22, 2012.
Read the article online
And those who attend will also get to talk about what they saw once the debate ends, with political science professors overseeing a post-debate discussion.
The free and public debate event at the Homer L. Butler Housing Commons at UIS is sponsored by the college party organizations as well as the UIS Global Issues Club. The gathering will begin about 7:30, and there will be refreshments. The debate is at 8 p.m.
The watch party was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 22, 2012.
Read the article online
Men's soccer: UIS grabs first road win
Mark Williams scored the lone goal of the match early in the second half and goalkeeper Cole Wardlow and the UIS defense made it stand up as the Prairie Stars defeated Maryville 1-0 in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match Sunday at Maryville Field.
After a scoreless opening half, Williams put the Prairie Stars on the board with a header at the 53:20 mark as he took a cross from Mark Czarny.
Making his first start of the season, Wardlow had eight saves in net to record his first win of 2012.
The Prairie Stars, 3-14 overall and 2-12 in the GLVC.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 22, 2012.
Read the article online
After a scoreless opening half, Williams put the Prairie Stars on the board with a header at the 53:20 mark as he took a cross from Mark Czarny.
Making his first start of the season, Wardlow had eight saves in net to record his first win of 2012.
The Prairie Stars, 3-14 overall and 2-12 in the GLVC.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 22, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS volleyball wins 5th in row
The University of Illinois Springfield won its fifth straight match by sweeping Illinois Tech 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 Thursday at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
The Prairie Stars improved to 9-12 on the season and the winning streak is their longest since 2007.
The Stars went on a 10-0 run in the first set to lead 12-2. UIS scored the first nine points of the third set and led 12-1 before closing out the match. Kellee Mahaffay led UIS with 14 kills, and Rebeka Pruemer had 20 assists.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 19, 2012.
Read the article online
The Prairie Stars improved to 9-12 on the season and the winning streak is their longest since 2007.
The Stars went on a 10-0 run in the first set to lead 12-2. UIS scored the first nine points of the third set and led 12-1 before closing out the match. Kellee Mahaffay led UIS with 14 kills, and Rebeka Pruemer had 20 assists.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 19, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, October 18, 2012
UIS presence could expand in Peoria
Though enrollment at University of Illinois Springfield programs in Peoria has generally decreased over the past five years, UIS Chancellor Susan Koch is "cautiously optimistic" about expanding the college's programs locally.
Koch met with Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis and Illinois Central College President John Erwin separately Wednesday during a visit with the U of I's new president, Robert Easter.
The mayor and Erwin have been pushing to establish a four-year public university in Peoria. Developing a strategy to get one here is one of the City Council's top priorities.
Creating a four-year state school would require state approval from the General Assembly and the Illinois Board of Higher Education. But expanding UIS' offerings in Peoria is conceivable.
Koch's comments were featured by the Peoria Journal-Star on October 18, 2012.
Read the article online
Koch met with Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis and Illinois Central College President John Erwin separately Wednesday during a visit with the U of I's new president, Robert Easter.
The mayor and Erwin have been pushing to establish a four-year public university in Peoria. Developing a strategy to get one here is one of the City Council's top priorities.
Creating a four-year state school would require state approval from the General Assembly and the Illinois Board of Higher Education. But expanding UIS' offerings in Peoria is conceivable.
Koch's comments were featured by the Peoria Journal-Star on October 18, 2012.
Read the article online
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
UIS hosts Wepner Symposium on Lincoln
The University of Illinois Springfield Political Science Department presents the third annual Wepner Symposium on the Lincoln Legacy and Contemporary Scholarship, to be held Friday, Oct. 19 and Saturday, Oct. 20. Portions of the symposium will take place on the UIS campus and the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield.
The symposium brings together scholars with diverse intellectual backgrounds, from political science to history and economics, and also seeks to bridge the gap between K-12 and university education. This year's theme is "Emancipation: What Came Before, How It Worked, and What Followed". All events are free and open to the general public.
The symposium was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 17, 2012.
Read the article online
The symposium brings together scholars with diverse intellectual backgrounds, from political science to history and economics, and also seeks to bridge the gap between K-12 and university education. This year's theme is "Emancipation: What Came Before, How It Worked, and What Followed". All events are free and open to the general public.
The symposium was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 17, 2012.
Read the article online
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
First-time dad Wierzba ready for start of UIS men's hoops practice
The convergence of two events had University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball coach Ben Wierzba buzzing with excitement Monday.
He brought his newborn daughter home from the hospital over the weekend with wife, Liz. And Monday was the first official day of basketball practice.
Wierzba was on Cloud Nine on his first day back at work since last Wednesday. One minute, he was talking about first-time fatherhood. The next, he was chatting about the upcoming season and returning and new players.
“One through 13, we’ve got a lot of depth,” Wierzba said. “To watch this team grow is going to be fun.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 16, 2012.
Read the article online
He brought his newborn daughter home from the hospital over the weekend with wife, Liz. And Monday was the first official day of basketball practice.
Wierzba was on Cloud Nine on his first day back at work since last Wednesday. One minute, he was talking about first-time fatherhood. The next, he was chatting about the upcoming season and returning and new players.
“One through 13, we’ve got a lot of depth,” Wierzba said. “To watch this team grow is going to be fun.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 16, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS women's basketball team ready to get to work
It’s hard to tell who was more amped up on the first day of practice Monday, University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball coach Chad Oletzke or the players.
“I was hanging up practice gear in the locker room,” Oletzke said. “It said, ‘The first day of practice get all jacked up’ on the dry erase board. It’s nice that players are writing notes to each other. You really sense there’s some excitement going into the first day.”
While it’s a new venture for the first-year coach and assistant Andrea Riebock at UIS, the Prairie Stars retained the bulk of last season’s roster. Freshmen Meredith Marti and Nicole Collins are the only new players.
Collins is a graduate of Barrington High School. The 5-foot-9 guard was voted to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 3A/4A all-state fourth team and averaged 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals as a senior.
“She can play the point,” Oletzke said. “That’s probably her more natural position. She can also shoot it pretty well.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 16, 2012.
Read the article online
“I was hanging up practice gear in the locker room,” Oletzke said. “It said, ‘The first day of practice get all jacked up’ on the dry erase board. It’s nice that players are writing notes to each other. You really sense there’s some excitement going into the first day.”
While it’s a new venture for the first-year coach and assistant Andrea Riebock at UIS, the Prairie Stars retained the bulk of last season’s roster. Freshmen Meredith Marti and Nicole Collins are the only new players.
Collins is a graduate of Barrington High School. The 5-foot-9 guard was voted to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 3A/4A all-state fourth team and averaged 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals as a senior.
“She can play the point,” Oletzke said. “That’s probably her more natural position. She can also shoot it pretty well.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 16, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS' Vorreyer ties for 10th at golf invitational
University of Illinois Springfield senior Abby Vorreyer finished in a tie for 10th place Monday at the Western Illinois Autumn Invitational at the Harry Mussatto Golf Club.
Vorreyer, a Chatham Glenwood High School graduate, fired a final-round 82 to finish at 169 (87-82).
Liz Kesinger was the No. 2 finisher for UIS and tied for 20th overall at 94-89—183. Becca Ramirez finished 22nd overall at 99-86—185. Brittany Stout was 25th at 106-101—207, and Gabby Zeigler rounded out the Prairie Stars’ lineup in 26th place with a 107-104—211.
The Prairie Stars finished fifth 744.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 16, 2012.
Read the article online
Vorreyer, a Chatham Glenwood High School graduate, fired a final-round 82 to finish at 169 (87-82).
Liz Kesinger was the No. 2 finisher for UIS and tied for 20th overall at 94-89—183. Becca Ramirez finished 22nd overall at 99-86—185. Brittany Stout was 25th at 106-101—207, and Gabby Zeigler rounded out the Prairie Stars’ lineup in 26th place with a 107-104—211.
The Prairie Stars finished fifth 744.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 16, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, October 15, 2012
Chancellor Koch reflects on her first year at UIS
University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan J. Koch was interviewed by WTAX radio's Bob Murrary about her first year in Springfield, the future of UIS, and higher education in general.
The interviewed aired on October 14, 2012, during the station's "Focus" program.
Listen to the interview
(Note: This link may expire)
The interviewed aired on October 14, 2012, during the station's "Focus" program.
Listen to the interview
(Note: This link may expire)
Savion Glover gives tap dancers lesson before UIS show
Tony Award-winning tap dancer, Savion Glover, says his mother preached the importance of giving back to the community when he was growing up.
He did not hesitate, as a result, when University of Illinois Springfield officials asked him to teach tap dancing to young dancers before his performance Sunday night at Sangamon Auditorium.
“That’s how I was raised,” he said. “Be ready to give back at all times.”
The one-hour, tap-dancing workshop was held in Southeast High School’s auditorium. About 25 dancers signed up for the class to get tips from the award-winning hoofer.
Glover was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 15, 2012.
Read the article online
He did not hesitate, as a result, when University of Illinois Springfield officials asked him to teach tap dancing to young dancers before his performance Sunday night at Sangamon Auditorium.
“That’s how I was raised,” he said. “Be ready to give back at all times.”
The one-hour, tap-dancing workshop was held in Southeast High School’s auditorium. About 25 dancers signed up for the class to get tips from the award-winning hoofer.
Glover was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 15, 2012.
Read the article online
Volleyball: UIS goes 3-0 in tourney
The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team beat Michigan Tech 28-26, 25-18, 25-18 and Lake Superior State 18-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-20 to finish 3-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Crossover Tournament.
UIS’ Ann Nottingham tallied 29 kills over the two matches. Teammates Kellee Mahaffay had 26 digs and Rebeka Pruemer dished out 70 assists.
The Prairie Stars (7-12) beat Saginaw State Friday.
The wins were featured by the State Journal-Register on October 14, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS’ Ann Nottingham tallied 29 kills over the two matches. Teammates Kellee Mahaffay had 26 digs and Rebeka Pruemer dished out 70 assists.
The Prairie Stars (7-12) beat Saginaw State Friday.
The wins were featured by the State Journal-Register on October 14, 2012.
Read the article online
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Students learn about managing debt
The combination of rising college costs, a shrinking job market and difficult-to-resist credit card pitches can lead to crushing debt for many young adults.
The America Saves Competition is an example of the effort to prepare students for financial realities beyond the classroom. Last year, the University of Illinois Springfield beat out the other two U of I campuses to see whose students could save the most money.
Before this school year began, representatives of the U of I’s Student Money Management Center came to talk to incoming students about how best to manage their finances.
“These programs are valuable because they’re something students especially need to learn,” said Mary Elizabeth Umbarger, the student organization and leadership coordinator at UIS.
The program was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 9, 2012.
Read the article online
The America Saves Competition is an example of the effort to prepare students for financial realities beyond the classroom. Last year, the University of Illinois Springfield beat out the other two U of I campuses to see whose students could save the most money.
Before this school year began, representatives of the U of I’s Student Money Management Center came to talk to incoming students about how best to manage their finances.
“These programs are valuable because they’re something students especially need to learn,” said Mary Elizabeth Umbarger, the student organization and leadership coordinator at UIS.
The program was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 9, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, October 8, 2012
Susan Koch: College education worth the investment
The following is part of an op-ed written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in a October 7, 2012 edition of the State Journal-Register.
"As I walked through Chicago’s Union Station several days ago, this Newsweek headline caught my eye: 'Is college a lousy investment?'
The article, by a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and blogger, cites familiar data. 'The price of a college education has doubled since 1995.' 'The amount of student loan debt has more than quintupled since 1999.' The author concludes that investing in a college education may not be worth it for an increasing number of young people today.
As a university chancellor, I share the author’s concern about increasing college costs, and we’re providing more financial aid and scholarships at the University of Illinois Springfield to make college more affordable; but despite our shared concerns I am moved to a conclusion that differs from the Newsweek writer."
Read the full editorial online
"As I walked through Chicago’s Union Station several days ago, this Newsweek headline caught my eye: 'Is college a lousy investment?'
The article, by a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and blogger, cites familiar data. 'The price of a college education has doubled since 1995.' 'The amount of student loan debt has more than quintupled since 1999.' The author concludes that investing in a college education may not be worth it for an increasing number of young people today.
As a university chancellor, I share the author’s concern about increasing college costs, and we’re providing more financial aid and scholarships at the University of Illinois Springfield to make college more affordable; but despite our shared concerns I am moved to a conclusion that differs from the Newsweek writer."
Read the full editorial online
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Public colleges pledge to graduate 3.8 million by 2025
The United States has dropped from first to 14th in the developed world in the number of people with a college education. That's based on population statistics.
Now, nearly 500 public colleges across the country, including many in Illinois, are pledging to have an additional 3.8 million graduates by 2025. It's called Project Degree Completion. The mission is to help reach a national goal of having 60 percent of adults hold a college degree.
The University of Illinois and the University of Illinois Springfield are both on board.
UIS Chancellor Susan Koch said, "It is necessary that the U.S. have a very well educated and skillful workforce in order for us to be globally competitive."
Right now, the public colleges joining the effort hand out just over 1 million degrees every year. At current rates, that means about 14.6 million degrees by 2025. The new target is 18.4 million.
"We've been working hard to provide the financial aid students need to help them start college and stay in college to get their degree," Koch said.
Koch was interviewed by WICS-TV 20 on October 3, 2012.
Watch the story online
Now, nearly 500 public colleges across the country, including many in Illinois, are pledging to have an additional 3.8 million graduates by 2025. It's called Project Degree Completion. The mission is to help reach a national goal of having 60 percent of adults hold a college degree.
The University of Illinois and the University of Illinois Springfield are both on board.
UIS Chancellor Susan Koch said, "It is necessary that the U.S. have a very well educated and skillful workforce in order for us to be globally competitive."
Right now, the public colleges joining the effort hand out just over 1 million degrees every year. At current rates, that means about 14.6 million degrees by 2025. The new target is 18.4 million.
"We've been working hard to provide the financial aid students need to help them start college and stay in college to get their degree," Koch said.
Koch was interviewed by WICS-TV 20 on October 3, 2012.
Watch the story online
Volleyball: Stars snap five-game skid
The University of Illinois Springfield broke a five-match losing streak by sweeping Eureka College 25-9, 25-11, 25-12 in a non-conference match at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
Freshman outside hitter Connor Borgmeier tallied 10 kills and had eight digs to lead the Prairie Stars (4-10). Senior Ann Nottingham and junior Kellee Mahaffay each added nine kills for UIS.
Senior Rebeka Pruemer topped the Stars with 27 assists, and defensive specialist Bianca Sanchez had eight digs.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Freshman outside hitter Connor Borgmeier tallied 10 kills and had eight digs to lead the Prairie Stars (4-10). Senior Ann Nottingham and junior Kellee Mahaffay each added nine kills for UIS.
Senior Rebeka Pruemer topped the Stars with 27 assists, and defensive specialist Bianca Sanchez had eight digs.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on October 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Internationally renowned artist Roger Shimomura coming to UIS
Roger Shimomura, an internationally renowned artist known for his prints, paintings and performance works, talks at the University of Illinois Springfield Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Following the lecture, there will be an exhibit reception from 6:30-8 p.m. in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery.
Shimomura’s collection of prints, America Behind Barbed Wire, colors a Pop Art-flavored yet serious commentary on American and Asian-American cultures and stereotypes imbued with his own experience as a child during WWII when his family was displaced from their home in Seattle to a Japanese-American internment camp in Idaho. Shimomura’s work is in more than 85 permanent museum collections nationwide including New York City and The Smithsonian Institution.
The exhibit runs through Dec. 1. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit www.uis.edu/visualarts/gallery for more information.
The exhibition was featured by the Illinois Times on October 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Shimomura’s collection of prints, America Behind Barbed Wire, colors a Pop Art-flavored yet serious commentary on American and Asian-American cultures and stereotypes imbued with his own experience as a child during WWII when his family was displaced from their home in Seattle to a Japanese-American internment camp in Idaho. Shimomura’s work is in more than 85 permanent museum collections nationwide including New York City and The Smithsonian Institution.
The exhibit runs through Dec. 1. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit www.uis.edu/visualarts/gallery for more information.
The exhibition was featured by the Illinois Times on October 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, October 1, 2012
UIS goes blue for Homecoming
The University of Illinois Springfield is celebrating its 16th annual Homecoming Weekend beginning Friday with the theme “Bright Lights, Blue City.”
Among highlights of the weekend are the homecoming parade and barbecue and men’s and women’s soccer games on Friday.
A variety of family activities are planned for Saturday, as is the 4th annual Homecoming 5K Run/Walk. A basketball game pitting students against UIS alumni, faculty and staff also is scheduled for Saturday.
Cynthia Thompson, director of the UIS Student Life office, said students nominate several themes for homecoming, a committee narrows them down and then students vote for the winner.
“The Blue City references the kind of spirit-building that we’re seeing around here,” Thompson said. “We’ve added a lot of spirit-building type things to the schedule this year.” The UIS colors are blue and white.
Homecoming was featured by the State Journal-Register on Oct. 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Among highlights of the weekend are the homecoming parade and barbecue and men’s and women’s soccer games on Friday.
A variety of family activities are planned for Saturday, as is the 4th annual Homecoming 5K Run/Walk. A basketball game pitting students against UIS alumni, faculty and staff also is scheduled for Saturday.
Cynthia Thompson, director of the UIS Student Life office, said students nominate several themes for homecoming, a committee narrows them down and then students vote for the winner.
“The Blue City references the kind of spirit-building that we’re seeing around here,” Thompson said. “We’ve added a lot of spirit-building type things to the schedule this year.” The UIS colors are blue and white.
Homecoming was featured by the State Journal-Register on Oct. 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Friday, September 28, 2012
Shimomura to display works at UIS Visual Arts Gallery
The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery welcomes Roger Shimomura, an internationally renowned and celebrated artist known for his prints, paintings and performance works.
The gallery exhibit, "America Behind Barbed Wire", runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 1. Shimomura will present a lecture from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 in the Public Affairs Center. A gallery reception will follow from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.
The exhibit was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 27, 2012.
Read the article online
The gallery exhibit, "America Behind Barbed Wire", runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 1. Shimomura will present a lecture from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 in the Public Affairs Center. A gallery reception will follow from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.
The exhibit was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 27, 2012.
Read the article online
Lincoln Legacy Lectures returns for 10th year Oct. 11
The 10th annual Lincoln Legacy Lectures, "Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation,” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 at Brookens Auditorium, University of Illinois Springfield.
The lectures will offer “Four Roads to Emancipation” presented by Allen Guelzo, and “Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today” presented by Ron Soodalter with Michael Burlingame as the moderator.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information call 206-7094.
The lectures were featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 27, 2012.
Read the article online
The lectures will offer “Four Roads to Emancipation” presented by Allen Guelzo, and “Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today” presented by Ron Soodalter with Michael Burlingame as the moderator.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information call 206-7094.
The lectures were featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 27, 2012.
Read the article online
Hayden speaks to full house at UIS
Political activist Tom Hayden told students and community members at the University of Illinois Springfield Thursday that change can come, but it sometimes takes a while.
“The lesson I’d like to pass along to anybody who needs to hear it is that change comes. It comes inch by inch, it comes no matter how impatient, how radical you are, or how urgent you are, it comes very slowly,” Hayden said.
Hayden was one of the founders of the 1960s group, Students for a Democratic Society. In 1968, he was one of the “Chicago 7” who were charged with conspiracy for disturbances at the Democratic convention.
Hayden spoke to a packed house of more than 200 people at UIS's Brookens Auditorium.
Hayden's appearance was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 28, 2012.
Read the article online
“The lesson I’d like to pass along to anybody who needs to hear it is that change comes. It comes inch by inch, it comes no matter how impatient, how radical you are, or how urgent you are, it comes very slowly,” Hayden said.
Hayden was one of the founders of the 1960s group, Students for a Democratic Society. In 1968, he was one of the “Chicago 7” who were charged with conspiracy for disturbances at the Democratic convention.
Hayden spoke to a packed house of more than 200 people at UIS's Brookens Auditorium.
Hayden's appearance was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 28, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Spare and elegant: The William Maxwell style
When Barbara Burkhardt, an associate professor of English at the University of Illinois Springfield, published her biography of William Maxwell in 2005, reviewers were justifiably enthusiastic. Maxwell, who spent his early years in Lincoln, Ill., in which he set many of his fictional works, died in New York in 2000, at the age of 92, after a career that produced an impressive array of novels, stories, fables and letters, many of the latter in exchanges with the legendary writers he worked with in his 40 years as a fiction editor at The New Yorker. Burkhardt’s William Maxwell: A Literary Life captured the spirit and style of this consummate literary craftsman.
And now comes another effort by Burkhardt to spread the word about the quiet life and estimable work of one of the great under-appreciated authors of the 20th century. Burkhardt has edited Conversations with William Maxwell, a compilation of 29 disparate items which, together, provide a detailed impression of his literary influences, his goals and motivations, his generous, compassionate character, and his unassuming personality.
Burkhardt's book was featured by the Illinois Times on September 27, 2012.
Read the article online
And now comes another effort by Burkhardt to spread the word about the quiet life and estimable work of one of the great under-appreciated authors of the 20th century. Burkhardt has edited Conversations with William Maxwell, a compilation of 29 disparate items which, together, provide a detailed impression of his literary influences, his goals and motivations, his generous, compassionate character, and his unassuming personality.
Burkhardt's book was featured by the Illinois Times on September 27, 2012.
Read the article online
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
UIS sponsors Voter Registration Day
The University of Illinois Springfield was one of hundreds of locations across the country to host voter-registration drives Tuesday.
The campaign, dubbed National Voter Registration Day, was an effort to remind people to take the necessary steps to be eligible to vote this year.
The groups behind the event say 6 million Americans who could have voted in 2008 didn’t do so because they didn’t know how to register or because they missed the registration deadline.
Mark Dochterman, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, said members of different student organizations, both Republicans and Democrats, worked together to organize the drive, which took place on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center.
David Gill, the Democratic candidate for Congress from the 13th District, spoke at the event. Rodney Davis, the Republican hopeful, was unable to attend.
The registration drive was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 26, 2012.
Read the story online
The campaign, dubbed National Voter Registration Day, was an effort to remind people to take the necessary steps to be eligible to vote this year.
The groups behind the event say 6 million Americans who could have voted in 2008 didn’t do so because they didn’t know how to register or because they missed the registration deadline.
Mark Dochterman, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, said members of different student organizations, both Republicans and Democrats, worked together to organize the drive, which took place on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center.
David Gill, the Democratic candidate for Congress from the 13th District, spoke at the event. Rodney Davis, the Republican hopeful, was unable to attend.
The registration drive was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 26, 2012.
Read the story online
UIS students sponsor voter registration drive
With just 41 days to the November election, there's a big push to help get out the vote.
Tuesday was the first-ever National Voter Registration Day, and students at the University of Illinois Springfield encouraged fellow students to get involved.
Several student organizations at UIS sponsored a voter registration drive at the Public Affairs Center on Sept. 25. Just in the first hour, more than 50 people registered to vote. In 2008, six million Americans didn't vote because they missed the registration deadline or didn't know how register.
The event also taught people about election issues and the importance of voting.
ABC Newschannel 20's Liz Foster talked with UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center Director Mark Dochterman about the goals of the event in a September 25, 2012 report.
Watch the story online
Tuesday was the first-ever National Voter Registration Day, and students at the University of Illinois Springfield encouraged fellow students to get involved.
Several student organizations at UIS sponsored a voter registration drive at the Public Affairs Center on Sept. 25. Just in the first hour, more than 50 people registered to vote. In 2008, six million Americans didn't vote because they missed the registration deadline or didn't know how register.
The event also taught people about election issues and the importance of voting.
ABC Newschannel 20's Liz Foster talked with UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center Director Mark Dochterman about the goals of the event in a September 25, 2012 report.
Watch the story online
Monday, September 24, 2012
UIS hosts Leadership Fair for high school students
College admissions, financial aid, and leadership skills are just some of the things hundreds of local high school students learned at a special event at UIS. The university hosted a leadership fair with help from the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute on Friday, Sept. 21.
The Chicago-based nonprofit is hosting events like this nationwide, and although they target Hispanic students, the events are open for all high school students who feel they need them.
"The thing they want to remember is that it doesn't stop here," event coordinator Vicente Valtierra said. "This is just the start of it. Now they're going to go back to their communities--wherever they reside--and whoever they come in contact with, and share this information and spread the word."
The students spent the day with nationally prominent motivational speakers. They also spent one-on-one time with recruiters from numerous colleges, tech schools, and even the military.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on September 21, 2012.
Watch the story online
The Chicago-based nonprofit is hosting events like this nationwide, and although they target Hispanic students, the events are open for all high school students who feel they need them.
"The thing they want to remember is that it doesn't stop here," event coordinator Vicente Valtierra said. "This is just the start of it. Now they're going to go back to their communities--wherever they reside--and whoever they come in contact with, and share this information and spread the word."
The students spent the day with nationally prominent motivational speakers. They also spent one-on-one time with recruiters from numerous colleges, tech schools, and even the military.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on September 21, 2012.
Watch the story online
Women's soccer: UIS roll to win
Carin Fearing had two goals to lead an offensive explosion for the University of Illinois Springfield as the Prairie Stars rolled to a 5-1 win over Missouri S&T in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match Sunday at Kiwanis Stadium.
The Prairie Stars, 3-4-1 overall and 2-4 in the GLV C, started the scoring when Eileen Kenny scored off a feed from Kim Tokarski just over six minutes into the contest.
The Miners (4-4, 2-4) tied it at the 23:30 mark as Lauren Todd scored from an assist from Kelsey Salzman. But the Stars regained the lead just before halftime when Fearing — on assists from Erin Egolf and Ally Redington — scored the first of her goals at the 40:28 mark.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 24, 2012.
Read the article online
The Prairie Stars, 3-4-1 overall and 2-4 in the GLV C, started the scoring when Eileen Kenny scored off a feed from Kim Tokarski just over six minutes into the contest.
The Miners (4-4, 2-4) tied it at the 23:30 mark as Lauren Todd scored from an assist from Kelsey Salzman. But the Stars regained the lead just before halftime when Fearing — on assists from Erin Egolf and Ally Redington — scored the first of her goals at the 40:28 mark.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 24, 2012.
Read the article online
Friday, September 21, 2012
UIS names chief fundraiser
A Southern Illinois University development official has been named vice chancellor for development at the University of Illinois Springfield and senior vice president of the University of Illinois Foundation.
Jeff Lorber, who will assume his duties later next month, will provide leadership for the strategy development and management of fundraising plans, priorities, and activities at UIS. He will work closely with UIS Chancellor Susan Koch and UIF President Sidney Micek.
He comes to UIS from SIU-Carbondale, where he currently serves as associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement and executive director of development for the SIU Foundation. He has been at SIU since 2005 and served as the campaign director for its first comprehensive campaign, a successful $106 million effort.
Lober was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 20, 2012.
Read the article online
Jeff Lorber, who will assume his duties later next month, will provide leadership for the strategy development and management of fundraising plans, priorities, and activities at UIS. He will work closely with UIS Chancellor Susan Koch and UIF President Sidney Micek.
He comes to UIS from SIU-Carbondale, where he currently serves as associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement and executive director of development for the SIU Foundation. He has been at SIU since 2005 and served as the campaign director for its first comprehensive campaign, a successful $106 million effort.
Lober was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 20, 2012.
Read the article online
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
UIS celebrates Constitution Day
Monday marks the 225th anniversary of a big moment in U.S. history. The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787.
In honor of the 225th anniversary, UIS took a look at the constitutional system for electing U.S. presidents. The school welcomed two reporters--Amanda Vinicky from WUIS, and the Chicago Sun-Times' Dave McKinney--to discuss their experiences covering both parties' conventions.
"We're having an event that really focuses on some of the election events that are happening this fall, and gives students an opportunity to start to think about those events in light of the constitution, and how that might impact the election," said Karen Moranski, UIS Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education.
The event was part of the school's "Engaged Citizenship, Common Experience" speaker series.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on September 17, 2012.
Watch the story online
In honor of the 225th anniversary, UIS took a look at the constitutional system for electing U.S. presidents. The school welcomed two reporters--Amanda Vinicky from WUIS, and the Chicago Sun-Times' Dave McKinney--to discuss their experiences covering both parties' conventions.
"We're having an event that really focuses on some of the election events that are happening this fall, and gives students an opportunity to start to think about those events in light of the constitution, and how that might impact the election," said Karen Moranski, UIS Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education.
The event was part of the school's "Engaged Citizenship, Common Experience" speaker series.
The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 on September 17, 2012.
Watch the story online
Monday, September 17, 2012
"Cheers" to UIS for U.S. News & World Report ranking
CHEERS to the University of Illinois Springfield and its No. 2 rank in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report in the public regional universities category of its annual edition of America’s Best Colleges and Universities. UIS moved up two positions nationally and ranked as the best regional public university in Illinois for the fifth year in a row. UIS has grown up over the past several decades from a commuter school to a burgeoning full-scale university with more and more undergraduates living on campus.
The ranking was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 17, 2012.
Read the article online
The ranking was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 17, 2012.
Read the article online
Embassy attacks a test of Libyan government, UIS prof says
Whether or not the Libyan government can put those arrested in connection with Tuesday’s deadly attack on the U.S. Embassy through due process and transparency will be a real test of the new government, says a professor at the University of Illinois Springfield.
“If they can, it will be a really good sign that Libya is functioning as a real democracy,” said Kristi Barnwell, assistant professor of history with a concentration in the modern Middle East.
Barnwell said one question that prevails as some Arab countries go through the process of establishing democratic governments is whether those governments will be secular and moderate or Islamic and fundamentalist.
“We’ve found it’s a mixed bag,” she said. “Egypt held parliamentary elections, and the fundamentalists had a strong showing. Libya was a victory for the secular moderates, and we’re still waiting on Yemen.”
Barnwell was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 15, 2012.
Read the article online
“If they can, it will be a really good sign that Libya is functioning as a real democracy,” said Kristi Barnwell, assistant professor of history with a concentration in the modern Middle East.
Barnwell said one question that prevails as some Arab countries go through the process of establishing democratic governments is whether those governments will be secular and moderate or Islamic and fundamentalist.
“We’ve found it’s a mixed bag,” she said. “Egypt held parliamentary elections, and the fundamentalists had a strong showing. Libya was a victory for the secular moderates, and we’re still waiting on Yemen.”
Barnwell was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 15, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS volleyball team triumphs
The University of Illinois Springfield posted its first Great Lakes Valley Conference volleyball victory of the season, beating Maryville in a marathon five-set match, 25-17, 19-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-9 Saturday at Moloney Arena.
The Prairie Stars moved to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in the GLVC, while the Saints are 1-10 and 0-2.
The UIS offense was paced by freshman Connor Borgmeier, who had 19 kills and hit .350 (19 kills, five errors and 40 attacks) for the match. Junior Kellee Mahaffay added 15 kills.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 16, 2012.
Read the article online
The Prairie Stars moved to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in the GLVC, while the Saints are 1-10 and 0-2.
The UIS offense was paced by freshman Connor Borgmeier, who had 19 kills and hit .350 (19 kills, five errors and 40 attacks) for the match. Junior Kellee Mahaffay added 15 kills.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 16, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, September 13, 2012
UIS moves up in college rankings
U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Illinois Springfield second among public universities in the Midwest in its annual edition of America’s Best Colleges released Wednesday.
The 2013 ranking is two positions higher than 2012, when UIS was fourth in the same category.
UIS was ranked as the top regional public university in the state for the fifth consecutive year.
“This prestigious ranking reflects the strength of our student body as well as high quality, teaching-focused experience provided at the University of Illinois Springfield,” said UIS Chancellor Susan Koch. “Our class sizes allow that personal interaction between professors and students in an environment where leadership is lived every day.”
The rankings were featured by the State Journal-Register on September 13, 2012.
Read the article online
The 2013 ranking is two positions higher than 2012, when UIS was fourth in the same category.
UIS was ranked as the top regional public university in the state for the fifth consecutive year.
“This prestigious ranking reflects the strength of our student body as well as high quality, teaching-focused experience provided at the University of Illinois Springfield,” said UIS Chancellor Susan Koch. “Our class sizes allow that personal interaction between professors and students in an environment where leadership is lived every day.”
The rankings were featured by the State Journal-Register on September 13, 2012.
Read the article online
Tom Hayden of Chicago 7 to speak at UIS
Tom Hayden, co-founder of Students for A Democratic Society in the 1960s and one of the activists who faced trial for disrupting the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, will speak at the University of Illinois Springfield later this month.
The speech, which is free and open to the public, will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 in Brookens Auditorium.
The appearance is part of a speaker series that students can attend as part of their curriculum but that is also open to the public, said Kimberly Craig, coordinator of the series at the school.
His speech is titled “Activism in the 21st Century: Towards a New Port Huron Statement.”
Hayden was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 13, 2012.
Read the article online
The speech, which is free and open to the public, will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 in Brookens Auditorium.
The appearance is part of a speaker series that students can attend as part of their curriculum but that is also open to the public, said Kimberly Craig, coordinator of the series at the school.
His speech is titled “Activism in the 21st Century: Towards a New Port Huron Statement.”
Hayden was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 13, 2012.
Read the article online
Marsaglia encouraged as UIS golf opener approaches
Better averages in practice suggest the University of Illinois Springfield men’s golf team has what it needs to improve upon last season’s success.
The Prairie Stars’ qualifying scores are encouraging to coach Frank Marsaglia as they prepare for the first tournament of the fall campaign, Monday’s Wisconsin-Parkside Fall Invitational.
“The averages are all better than what they were last year at this time,” he said. “Last year, my averages ranged from 73 in practice to 86. Right now I range from 72 up to 78. My upper end is down a lot.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 13, 2012.
Read the article online
The Prairie Stars’ qualifying scores are encouraging to coach Frank Marsaglia as they prepare for the first tournament of the fall campaign, Monday’s Wisconsin-Parkside Fall Invitational.
“The averages are all better than what they were last year at this time,” he said. “Last year, my averages ranged from 73 in practice to 86. Right now I range from 72 up to 78. My upper end is down a lot.”
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 13, 2012.
Read the article online
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
UIS enrollment dips; still tops 5,000
Although both undergraduate and graduate student enrollment dropped slightly, the University of Illinois Springfield’s fall 2012 enrollment has topped 5,000 students for the third consecutive year.
The total number of enrolled students at UIS after the first 10 days of classes — the day enrollment figures are officially established — is 5,048.
“Students choose the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois, and parents encourage them to come to UIS, because of the personalized, high quality experience that we provide every day,” said UIS Chancellor Susan Koch. “It is a right-sized, supportive community."
There are 3,054 undergraduates at UIS this fall, compared to 3,112 last fall semester, a decline of 1.9 percent.
However, the number of freshmen attending UIS increased by nearly 16 percent this semester. A total of 283 freshmen are enrolled compared to 244 in fall 2011.
The numbers were featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 12, 2012.
Read the article online
The total number of enrolled students at UIS after the first 10 days of classes — the day enrollment figures are officially established — is 5,048.
“Students choose the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois, and parents encourage them to come to UIS, because of the personalized, high quality experience that we provide every day,” said UIS Chancellor Susan Koch. “It is a right-sized, supportive community."
There are 3,054 undergraduates at UIS this fall, compared to 3,112 last fall semester, a decline of 1.9 percent.
However, the number of freshmen attending UIS increased by nearly 16 percent this semester. A total of 283 freshmen are enrolled compared to 244 in fall 2011.
The numbers were featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 12, 2012.
Read the article online
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Innocence Project gets $590,000 grant
Illinois will receive more than $1 million in federal grants for two criminal justice programs, including the Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority will administer nearly $590,000 for the Illinois Innocence Project. It has focused on wrongful-conviction cases in downstate Illinois, but the grant will allow it to expand to the northern part of the state.
The money will help it identify and investigate the strength of DNA evidence where available.
The grant was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 11, 2012.
Read the article online
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority will administer nearly $590,000 for the Illinois Innocence Project. It has focused on wrongful-conviction cases in downstate Illinois, but the grant will allow it to expand to the northern part of the state.
The money will help it identify and investigate the strength of DNA evidence where available.
The grant was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 11, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, September 10, 2012
Innocence Project work leads to new trial for murder suspect
Students at the University of Illinois Springfield, working with the Illinois Innocence Project, have helped obtain a new trial for a Centralia man convicted of murder in 1998.
A Marion County judge last month ordered vacated Anthony Murray’s conviction for stabbing to death Seneca Jones of Centralia after a dice game. Murray was serving a 45-year sentence at Menard Correctional Center.
UIS students helped review the case and assisted Innocence Project lawyer John Hanlon and Marion County public defender Timothy Hewitt. The students searched for new evidence, interviewed Murray, and attended a June hearing challenging his conviction.
“We spent a lot of time going through trial transcript and contacting witnesses,” said Rebecca Jo Luke, a senior legal studies major completing an applied study term with the Innocence Project. “I think it was clear to everyone that there had been a miscarriage of justice.”
The story was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 10, 2012.
Read the article online
A Marion County judge last month ordered vacated Anthony Murray’s conviction for stabbing to death Seneca Jones of Centralia after a dice game. Murray was serving a 45-year sentence at Menard Correctional Center.
UIS students helped review the case and assisted Innocence Project lawyer John Hanlon and Marion County public defender Timothy Hewitt. The students searched for new evidence, interviewed Murray, and attended a June hearing challenging his conviction.
“We spent a lot of time going through trial transcript and contacting witnesses,” said Rebecca Jo Luke, a senior legal studies major completing an applied study term with the Innocence Project. “I think it was clear to everyone that there had been a miscarriage of justice.”
The story was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 10, 2012.
Read the article online
Friday, September 7, 2012
UIS instructor keeps 'play' front-of-mind in classroom, while creating
The campus office of University of Illinois Springfield assistant professor of visual art Shane Harris is populated with tiny ceramic figures and abstract forms, but in one small corner of the office, a well-curated collection of M&M candy dispensers holds court. The tiny figures and abstract forms represent part of Harris’s body of work as a ceramicist, but the collection of M&M candy dispensers is a source of inspiration — the sign of a creative mind at play.
Harris, the father of a 4-year old, appreciates the role of play in creativity.
“Deep inside, I feel like I am a kid. We get in this rut in our society where we take our lives so seriously, but that does not mean we have to stop playing,” he says.
Instead, Harris suggests, adults could graduate to a kind of sophisticated play in which the playfulness and imagination of the child informs the work of the adult. Playing with his daughter reminds Harris of the pleasures of play.
“I am always surprised when I sit down to play with my daughter and time goes by so quickly,” he says. “She uses her imagination to create whole worlds to inhabit. “When I was a kid, I remember going to a playground with an old wooden structure — it could have been anything, a fort or a castle,” Harris says. “When you go to a playground as a kid, you use your imagination. It is that imagination I try to harness in my work.”
Harris was featured by Springfield's Own Magazine on September 7, 2012.
Read the story online
Harris, the father of a 4-year old, appreciates the role of play in creativity.
“Deep inside, I feel like I am a kid. We get in this rut in our society where we take our lives so seriously, but that does not mean we have to stop playing,” he says.
Instead, Harris suggests, adults could graduate to a kind of sophisticated play in which the playfulness and imagination of the child informs the work of the adult. Playing with his daughter reminds Harris of the pleasures of play.
“I am always surprised when I sit down to play with my daughter and time goes by so quickly,” he says. “She uses her imagination to create whole worlds to inhabit. “When I was a kid, I remember going to a playground with an old wooden structure — it could have been anything, a fort or a castle,” Harris says. “When you go to a playground as a kid, you use your imagination. It is that imagination I try to harness in my work.”
Harris was featured by Springfield's Own Magazine on September 7, 2012.
Read the story online
Innocence Project gets new trial for Southern Illinois man
Students at the University of Illinois Springfield have helped a southern Illinois man, who was convicted murder in 1988, get a new trial.
The students, who are part of the Illinois Innocence Project, reviewed Anthony Murray's case, interviewed him, and attended a June 2012 hearing challenging his conviction. A judge has since ruled Murray's conviction be vacated due to ineffective representation. That means his conviction has been overturned and a new trial will take place.
"This is something not a lot of undergraduate students get to do," Rebecca Jo Luke, a UIS Student said. "We are one of the only projects that allows undergraduates to get involved in investigation, I've had the opportunity to go with an investigator and talk with witnesses, working with legal documents gives me a lot of hands on experience."
The Innocence Project is currently reviewing 25 cases to see if evidence points to a wrongful conviction.
The case was featured by WICS-TV on September 6, 2012.
Watch the story online
The students, who are part of the Illinois Innocence Project, reviewed Anthony Murray's case, interviewed him, and attended a June 2012 hearing challenging his conviction. A judge has since ruled Murray's conviction be vacated due to ineffective representation. That means his conviction has been overturned and a new trial will take place.
"This is something not a lot of undergraduate students get to do," Rebecca Jo Luke, a UIS Student said. "We are one of the only projects that allows undergraduates to get involved in investigation, I've had the opportunity to go with an investigator and talk with witnesses, working with legal documents gives me a lot of hands on experience."
The Innocence Project is currently reviewing 25 cases to see if evidence points to a wrongful conviction.
The case was featured by WICS-TV on September 6, 2012.
Watch the story online
Local employment outlook as seasonal jobs end
The economy is starting to
pick up a little bit,” University of Illinois Springfield Career Development
Director Tammy Craig said. Craig is an expert at jump starting careers. She
helps students at UIS do it every day.
“Typically in the Springfield area a lot of times we run about a year behind what is going on in Chicago. It takes us a little while we're so government driven."
That might not be such a good thing when it comes to hiring. Craig says local jobs in government are getting harder and harder to come by.
“I think because of the budget you know across the board whether that's at the state level or the national level. You know any time that the government is in deficit then we're trying to cut those jobs as much as we possibly can," she said.
Craig was featured by WICS-TV 20 on September 6, 2012.
Watch the story online
“Typically in the Springfield area a lot of times we run about a year behind what is going on in Chicago. It takes us a little while we're so government driven."
That might not be such a good thing when it comes to hiring. Craig says local jobs in government are getting harder and harder to come by.
“I think because of the budget you know across the board whether that's at the state level or the national level. You know any time that the government is in deficit then we're trying to cut those jobs as much as we possibly can," she said.
Craig was featured by WICS-TV 20 on September 6, 2012.
Watch the story online
White Out night at UIS Kiwanis Stadium
The University of Illinois Springfield men’s and women’s soccer teams kick off the Great Lakes Valley Conference season Friday against Kentucky Wesleyan with White Out Kiwanis Stadium Night.
Fans are encouraged to wear all white to the women’s match at 5 p.m. and the men’s game at 7:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the best white outfit. Spirit sticks will be given away.
The game was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 7, 2012.
Read the article online
Fans are encouraged to wear all white to the women’s match at 5 p.m. and the men’s game at 7:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the best white outfit. Spirit sticks will be given away.
The game was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 7, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS softball diamond, roster receive upgrades
The diamond at the Land of Lincoln Junior Olympic Softball Complex where the University of Illinois Springfield plays is undergoing a facelift.
Concrete dugouts are under construction. The previous dugouts consisted of benches surrounded by a chain-link fence. Changes are being made to the fence around the field to give it more of a “collegiate look,’’ according to coach Mat Mundell.
The program itself took on a new look this past spring: that of a winner.
The Prairie Stars’ history-making 2012 season carried them to the championship round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. They became the first UIS team in any sport to reach a national tournament in the school’s Division II era that began in 2010.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 7, 2012.
Read the full article online
Concrete dugouts are under construction. The previous dugouts consisted of benches surrounded by a chain-link fence. Changes are being made to the fence around the field to give it more of a “collegiate look,’’ according to coach Mat Mundell.
The program itself took on a new look this past spring: that of a winner.
The Prairie Stars’ history-making 2012 season carried them to the championship round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. They became the first UIS team in any sport to reach a national tournament in the school’s Division II era that began in 2010.
The team was featured by the State Journal-Register on September 7, 2012.
Read the full article online
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Service-A-Thon gets UIS students off on right foot
Mark Dochterman, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, said about 50 volunteers participated in projects around Springfield on Friday as part of the Service-A-Thon.
In addition to the Habitat site on Fifth Street, volunteers worked at another building site on Enterprise Street and the Habitat ReStore.
Other students volunteered at Southeast High School and Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington middle schools with the Springfield School District’s AVID tutoring program. A third group helped Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach to sort medical supplies for distribution worldwide.
Getting students involved in the community early is an important part of the event, Dochterman said.
“We want to start the year off on a good foot,” he said. “We find that if we get them involved right away, a lot of times it sticks.”
The Service-A-Thon was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 1, 2012.
Read the article online
In addition to the Habitat site on Fifth Street, volunteers worked at another building site on Enterprise Street and the Habitat ReStore.
Other students volunteered at Southeast High School and Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington middle schools with the Springfield School District’s AVID tutoring program. A third group helped Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach to sort medical supplies for distribution worldwide.
Getting students involved in the community early is an important part of the event, Dochterman said.
“We want to start the year off on a good foot,” he said. “We find that if we get them involved right away, a lot of times it sticks.”
The Service-A-Thon was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 1, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS men's soccer team wins opener in overtime
Mark Czarny scored six minutes into overtime Monday to lift the University of Illinois Springfield to a season-opening 2-1 victory over Viterbo at Kiwanis Stadium.
It was the first victory for second-year UIS coach Jesse Miech, whose team went 0-14-2 last season.
The Prairie Stars outshot Viterbo 21-4, but the V-Hawks (0-3) clung to a 1-0 lead after Jake Dellamuth scored on an assist from Tye Kreutzfeldt in the 19th minute.
UIS tied it at the 77-minute mark when senior Victor Martinez scored on an assist from junior Nicolas Alonso del Moral.
It remained 1-1 through the end of regulation before Czarny won it on a header. Assists went to Nikita Fadeev and Dylan Hoschar.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 4, 2012.
Read the article online
It was the first victory for second-year UIS coach Jesse Miech, whose team went 0-14-2 last season.
The Prairie Stars outshot Viterbo 21-4, but the V-Hawks (0-3) clung to a 1-0 lead after Jake Dellamuth scored on an assist from Tye Kreutzfeldt in the 19th minute.
UIS tied it at the 77-minute mark when senior Victor Martinez scored on an assist from junior Nicolas Alonso del Moral.
It remained 1-1 through the end of regulation before Czarny won it on a header. Assists went to Nikita Fadeev and Dylan Hoschar.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 4, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS women's soccer blanks Lindenwood
The University of Illinois Springfield women's soccer team took its first win of the season with a dominating 4-0 victory over Lindenwood-Belleville Sunday at Kiwanis Stadium.
The win improved UIS to 1-0-1 on the young season while Lindenwood-Belleville dropped to 0-2-0.
Kim Tokarski opened the Prairie Stars’ scoring 28 minutes into the match with a goal assisted by Ashley Stariha. Freshman Eileen Kenny later took a pass from Erin Egolf and scored late in the first half for a 2-0 halftime lead.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 3, 2012.
Read the article online
The win improved UIS to 1-0-1 on the young season while Lindenwood-Belleville dropped to 0-2-0.
Kim Tokarski opened the Prairie Stars’ scoring 28 minutes into the match with a goal assisted by Ashley Stariha. Freshman Eileen Kenny later took a pass from Erin Egolf and scored late in the first half for a 2-0 halftime lead.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 3, 2012.
Read the article online
UIS splits volleyball matches
The University of Illinois Springfield bounced back from a season-opening loss with a 25-22, 25-18, 11-25, 27-25 victory over Missouri Southern at the Pittsburg State Classic on Friday.
Host Pittsburg State was a 25-22, 18-25, 27-25 winner over the Prairie Stars earlier in the day. Freshman Connor Borgmeier led UIS with 14 kills and 14 points in the match.
She tallied a team-high 22 kills against Missouri Southern. UIS senior setter Rebeka Pruemer had 40 assists and 10 digs. Pruemer had 34 assists in the first match.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Host Pittsburg State was a 25-22, 18-25, 27-25 winner over the Prairie Stars earlier in the day. Freshman Connor Borgmeier led UIS with 14 kills and 14 points in the match.
She tallied a team-high 22 kills against Missouri Southern. UIS senior setter Rebeka Pruemer had 40 assists and 10 digs. Pruemer had 34 assists in the first match.
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on Sept. 1, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, August 30, 2012
WUIS interviews Chancellor Susan Koch
University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch sat down with WUIS’ Sean Crawford to talk about the university’s new visibility campaign, the changing demographic in the UIS student population, and future enrollment goals.
Listen to Part #1 of the Interview
Listen to Part #2 of the Interview
The report aired August 29 and 30, 2012.
Listen to Part #1 of the Interview
Listen to Part #2 of the Interview
The report aired August 29 and 30, 2012.
UIS encourages students to volunteer
The University of Illinois Springfield Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center is hosting a Welcome Week Service-A-Thon to give students a chance to learn about service and give back to the community.
Students can choose to work various shifts throughout the day on Friday, Aug. 31. This year the project will benefit three local organizations: Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County, Springfield School District 186’s AVID tutoring program, and Hospital Sister’s Mission Outreach.
Students working with Habitat will help prepare and build a house located on North Fifth Street, a block South of North Grand Ave. They will also spend time at the Habitat ReStore, 1514 W. Jefferson St. helping organize and prepare resalable items.
AVID tutoring program volunteers will be aiding teachers in 4 schools, Southeast, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Washington, as they prepare the students and the materials required for the students to be successful in the AVID program.
Students working at Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, 4849 Laverna Road, will be sorting medical supplies for shipment to places worldwide that are in need of specific supplies.
The project was featured by the State Journal-Register on August 30, 2012.
Read the article online
Students can choose to work various shifts throughout the day on Friday, Aug. 31. This year the project will benefit three local organizations: Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County, Springfield School District 186’s AVID tutoring program, and Hospital Sister’s Mission Outreach.
Students working with Habitat will help prepare and build a house located on North Fifth Street, a block South of North Grand Ave. They will also spend time at the Habitat ReStore, 1514 W. Jefferson St. helping organize and prepare resalable items.
AVID tutoring program volunteers will be aiding teachers in 4 schools, Southeast, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Washington, as they prepare the students and the materials required for the students to be successful in the AVID program.
Students working at Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, 4849 Laverna Road, will be sorting medical supplies for shipment to places worldwide that are in need of specific supplies.
The project was featured by the State Journal-Register on August 30, 2012.
Read the article online
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