Monday, November 26, 2018

Men's Basketball: Aundrae Williams leads UIS victory

The University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball team shot over 50 percent from the field to defeat MacMurray College at the TRAC Center on Saturday, 84-59.

Lanphier graduate Aundrae Williams led the all scorers with 17 points, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Williams also added four steals and two assists for UIS. 

Vince Walker added 13 points, shooting 3-for-6 from behind the 3-point line.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 24, 2018.

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Monday, November 19, 2018

Men's Basketball: Harper sparks UIS to win

Chatham Glenwood High School graduate Cole Harper scored only two field goals but sank a layup with six minutes to go to put the University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball team ahead for good in an 82-71 defeat of Arkansas Tech in the first game of the Fairfield Inn Classic Friday. 

Harper’s basket jump-started a 7-0 UIS run.

Daniel Soetan added five points in the run, including a 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining. The Prairie Stars went 21-for-27 from the free throw line, including a 7-for-8 stretch to end the game, not allowing the Wonder Boys closer than four.

Fellow Glenwood graduate and transfer Peyton Allen led UIS with 22 points, going 11-for-13 from the free throw line. Lanphier graduate Aundrae Williams added 14 points.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 16, 2018.

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Friday, November 16, 2018

UIS students eligible for additional $1.1 million in scholarships

Students at the University of Illinois Springfield will be eligible for more than $1 million in additional scholarship money starting next fall through a new state pilot program, the university announced Wednesday.

UIS was awarded $543,000 through the AIM HIGH grant, a pilot program designed to keep Illinois’ high-performing students in state for college.

Public universities around the state, pledged to match the state’s $25 million total contribution, bringing the new amount of financial aid available to UIS students up to nearly $1.1 million and up to $50 million for public university students across Illinois.

“The state is really trying to address the issue of sort of the brain-drain — for lack of a technical term — that the state is going through,” said Natalie Herring, UIS’ associate provost for enrollment management. “And so we want to do everything that we can to keep our young, bright scholars here in the state.”

The AIM HIGH grant will give more students access to a high-quality UIS education,” UIS chancellor Susan Koch said in a statement. “We hope this additional financial support will keep more Illinois students living and working in Illinois and encourage them to come to UIS.”

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 14, 2018.

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Thursday, November 15, 2018

Women's Volleyball: Hasler named to all-region team

University of Illinois Springfield senior middle blocker Alyssa Hasler has been named to the All-Region Team by the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association.

The 6-foot Hasler, who hails from South Bend, Indiana, is the first UIS player to earn NCAA first-team all-region honors.

Hasler is ranked second in Division II at 1.53 blocks per set, and she leads the nation with 170 total blocks. She is the Prairie Stars’ all-time leading blocker and has 15 solo blocks and 155 assisted blocks this season. Hasler also is averaging 2.11 kills per set and his hitting .266 this season.

A two-time All-Great Lakes Valley First Team selection, she has more than 1,000 career kills.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 14, 2018.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Women's Volleyball: UIS prepares for first NCAA DII Tournament game against Rockhurst

The University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars are in preparation mode for a rematch game that happens to be in their first ever NCAA DII tournament appearance.

Coaches and players are ready to show the Hawks that they are a better team than who they played back in September.

Head coach Trey Salinas said, "I think we've developed a little bit since then. I think we've been able to execute more game strategy down the stretch. That's been nice. Rockhurst is definitely a team that we wanted to have a rematch with. We're more excited than not."

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on November 12, 2018.

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Dress to impress: UIS helping students prepare for future jobs

The University of Illinois Springfield is helping students dress to impress with their annual suit drive.

It’s all for National Career Development Month.

From now, Monday, Nov. 12, through Nov. 16, UIS will be collecting suits, blazers, slacks, ties, anything you would wear to an interview.

This story aired on Fox 55 News on November 12, 2018.

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Monday, November 12, 2018

Women's Volleyball: UIS volleyball reaches NCAA tourney

The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team will make its first trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The Prairie Stars (25-7) picked up the No. 6 seed Sunday night in the Midwest Region and will play in the first round against No. 3 Rockhurst (30-6) at Drury University in Springfield, Mo.

Drury is the top seed and matches commence Thursday. Times are yet to be announced.

“We are excited about making our first appearance in the NCAA tournament,” said head coach Trey Salinas in a press release. “We had a nice five-set battle against Rockhurst at their place in the regular season. They have a very talented group of kids and we will be preparing appropriately for the tough matchup.”

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 11, 2018.

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UIS Student Union wins design award

The University of Illinois Springfield's new Student Union building was awarded an excellence in design award by the American Institute of Architects earlier this month.

The two story, 52,028-square-foot building, designed by Milwaukee-based Workshop Architects and Peoria-based Dewberry, was lauded by AIA judges for its “striking, inviting sculptural form” as well as for what it represents: “a central place for what’s otherwise a commuter campus.”

“The project offers a modern, fresh and spacious interactive space,” AIA judges wrote. “The proposed program with flexible work spaces and overlapped activities seems very appropriate as a social catalyst for students on campus.”

In a short period of time, the building has become a one-stop shop for the UIS community, housing campus dining services, a Starbucks coffee shop, a ballroom with seating for up to 450 people and a Student Leadership Center that houses student government, volunteer offices and workspaces for student organizations.

The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce will host its 2018 Economic Outlook Breakfast at the UIS Student Union on Tuesday morning. The keynote speaker will be economist James Glassman, a former Bush administration official who’s now a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the head economist of commercial banking for JP Morgan Chase.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 10, 2018.

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Saturday, November 10, 2018

Men's Basketball: UIS men's basketball wins season opener over Malone

The University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars held their Prairie Stars Tipoff Classic at the TRAC for a two-day tournament.

UIS opened their season up with a 81-70 win over Malone.

Gilwan Nelson led the Prairie Stars with 22 points and seven rebounds, followed by the former Glenwood Titan in Peyton Allen with 16 points and six rebounds.

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on November 9, 2018.

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Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Women's Volleyball: UIS volleyball gets share of GLVC title

The University of Illinois Springfield earned a share of the Great Lakes Valley Conference title after rallying from two sets down to defeat Bellarmine Saturday in the regular-season finale.

UIS finished in a three-way tie with Lewis and Drury with a 15-3 mark in the GLVC.

The Prairie Stars trailed by five points late in the fourth set and fell behind 11-4 in the final set before coming back to win.

Taylor Bauer led UIS with 15 kills and Alli Splitt followed with 12. Tiffany Wentworth provided 39 assists and 15 digs and Alyssa Hasler tallied 11 blocks. Jailyn Borum led the Prairie Stars with 18 digs.

UIS advances to the GLVC Tournament, which will be held this week in East Peoria. The Prairie Stars’ 24-6 record is the best since moving into NCAA Division II competition.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 3, 2018.

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UIS hosts the 41st Annual International Festival

The University of Illinois Springfield hosted the 41st Annual International Festival Friday evening.

The event featured games, cultural performances, and food from around the globe.

"Multiculturalism and immersing yourself in different culture and just experiencing something new is good for the soul, and good for the planet, and good for America," said Graduate Assistant Luke D'Elia.

According to UIS, over 400 international students are enrolled at the university from 32 countries.

This story aired on Fox Illinois on November 2, 2018.

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Monday, November 5, 2018

UIS Bookstore moves locations on campus

Those visiting the campus of the University of Illinois Springfield will have to go to a slightly different location to buy their Prairie Stars swag.

The university’s bookstore reopened in the lower level of the Public Affairs Center in the space formerly occupied by the PAC Food Emporium.

The bookstore was previously located in Founders Hall.

According to UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp, Follett, the company that operates UIS’s bookstore (and more than 1,000 campus bookstores around the country), requested the move when the space opened up.

The space became available when university’s dining services relocated to the UIS Student Union, which opened in January.

Schnapp said the newly vacated space in Founders Hall will be converted to office space for the university’s Division of Student Affairs.

The university and Follett recently signed a new contract which will see the company continue to operate the campus bookstore through at least June 2028.

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 2, 2018.

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Thumbs Up: To helping those in need

The editorial board of The State Journal-Register offers this week’s Thumbs Up to students at the University of Illinois Springfield who collected more than 18,000 pounds of food for those in need. 

Instead of seeking treats on Halloween night, 262 UIS students went trick or treating for canned goods and other non-perishable food items. They collected 18,095 pounds of food, most of which will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank, according to a news release from UIS.

About 900 pounds will go to the campus UIS Cares Food Pantry, which assists students in need. The students had previously canvassed the neighborhoods to inform residents of what they were doing, before returning Halloween night to collect items.

Thousands of area residents rely on the generosity of others in order to put food on their tables. The hunger of many of our neighbors should trouble all of us — and push us to do more than just worry about it.

We thank the UIS students for taking the time to collect food, and for all those who donated the items, for putting thoughts into action.

This opinion article appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 2, 2018.

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Thursday, November 1, 2018

Women's Volleyball: UIS ranked sixth in regional poll

The University of Illinois Springfield is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Regional volleyball poll released Wednesday.

The poll serves as the official rankings for the eight-team NCAA regional field at the conclusion of the regular season.

The Prairie Stars have two regular-season matches remaining: at Southern Indiana on Friday and at Bellarmine on Saturday.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on October 31, 2018.

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UIS students trick-or-treat for canned goods

Wednesday, University of Illinois Springfield students went trick-or-treating for canned goods.

A group of about 300 students went door-to-door to collect donations for the Central Illinois Food Bank.

Students said it's been a UIS tradition for around 10 years.

“A lot of people are very open to donating,” Leadership for Live Volunteer Ben Paoletti said. “We've gotten garbage bags full of canned goods. It's really exciting to see the smiles on the people's faces when they hear that we're doing this kind of thing and they often thank us and appreciate what we're doing."

UIS students collected a little over 18,000 pounds of food total.

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on October 31, 2018.

Watch the story online.