Women's Basketball: Ladowski's accuracy at line lifts UIS past Indianapolis

Lauren Ladowski was given a second chance and the junior guard took advantage of the opportunity for the University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball team.

Ladowski scored 11 points in overtime and lifted the Prairie Stars to a 69-63 victory over Indianapolis on Thursday in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at Nicoson Hall.

Ladowski — who finished with a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds and five steals — immediately regrouped by putting UIS ahead in OT when she made a jumper at 4:17. After the Greyhounds knotted the score at 55, UIS junior guard Grace Weber scored four straight points for a 59-55 advantage, and the Prairie Stars never trailed again.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on January 28, 2021.

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Abraham Lincoln Birthday symposium to be held remotely

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of Coronavirus may speedily pass away,” said Abraham Lincoln Association President Michael Burlingame as he paraphrased the famous Lincoln quotation.

Burlingame made the statement while announcing that the annual symposium commemorating Lincoln's 212th Birthday will be held remotely this year, with the full slate of speakers available on-line.

The Symposium is named for Benjamin P. Thomas (1902-1956), the renowned Lincoln biographer and one-time Executive Secretary of The Abraham Lincoln Association. The symposium is supported by a generous gift of Thomas's daughter, Sarah Thomas, and her family to The Abraham Lincoln Association Endowment Fund. The event is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Springfield. For more information about the Abraham Lincoln Association, visit www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org.

This story appeared in the Canton Daily Ledger on January 28, 2021.

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Springfield firefighters required to do weekly saliva COVID-19 testing

The Springfield Fire Department officially began weekly rapid saliva COVID-19 testing in partnership with the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS).

The Springfield Fire Department is requiring their workers to get tested for COVID-19 every week on the UIS campus.

“We are sending every crew every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of every week to go to UIS and to get tested,” Springfield Fire Chief Brandon Blough said.

The Springfield Fire Department expects to test around 150 to 200 people a week. Most should expect the results from UIS within 24 hours.

This story aired on WICS on Jan. 26, 2021.

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UIS online bachelor’s degree programs ranked among the top 10 percent in the country

The University of Illinois Springfield’s online bachelor’s degree programs have been ranked 34th best in the country (out of 357 institutions) by U.S. News and World Report.

The 2021 ranking put UIS among the top 10 percent of best online bachelor’s degree programs in the United States.

UIS’ online master’s degree programs were also ranked highly by U.S. News and World Report. The management information systems online master’s degree was ranked 53 out of 184 in the non-MBA business category. The UIS online master’s degree in education was ranked 91 out of 317 degrees.

“UIS has ranked among the top tier of U.S. News Best Online Program rankings of undergraduate programs since their inception in 2012,” said Ray Schroeder, UIS associate vice chancellor of online learning. “We are honored to once again be ranked among the top 10 percent of online programs by the rigorous and highly respected rankings by U.S. News. With this recognition comes our promise to continue to provide excellence in all of our online classes and programs.”

This story appeared on WAND January 26, 2021.

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University of Illinois tuition hike, delayed because of COVID-19, will kick in next year, as trustees consider room and board cost increase

The University of Illinois will become more expensive for some in-state students next fall if the board of trustees agrees to raise fees for housing and campus services.

Despite concerns about the ballooning cost of college, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, university officials proposed the increases at a Wednesday meeting of the board’s academic and student affairs committee.

The full board will vote Thursday on the measure, which would boost undergraduate room and board rates by 1.4% at the Springfield campus for new students in the 2021-22 school year. The proposal also calls for student fees and assessments to rise by 0.8% at the two most populous locations.

While the proposal keeps tuition the same, new in-state undergraduates and sophomores will have to pay more for the first time since 2014.

Barbara Wilson, vice president for academic affairs for the U. of I. system, described the proposed increases in student fees and housing as “modest” and necessary to offset inflation.

This story appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Jan. 20, 2021.

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UIS health roundtable will discuss vaccines, herd immunity

The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a Zoom public webinar titled “COVID-19 Vaccine: The Journey to Immunity” at noon on Friday.

The roundtable will feature public health and health care panelists discussing the COVID-19 vaccine and answering questions around the safety and efficacy of each vaccine, allocation and distribution.

Additionally, panelists will discuss COVID-19’s impact on specific populations and how the impact has determined vaccine prioritization, along with giving some understanding of when herd immunity will be reached.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on Jan. 12, 2021.

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Men's Basketball: Wendling lights it up from downtown to lead UIS over Lewis

Matt Wendling went six for seven from three point range and finished with 20 points to help UIS beat Lewis 69-54 on Tuesday evening.

Chase Robinson led the Prairie Stars with 21 points while Keymonta Johnson chipped in 16 points and 13 rebounds.

This story aired on Sports Radio 1450 on January 12, 2021.

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Bulls Tab Chigozie Umeadi as Director of Basketball Operations

The Chicago Bulls have made yet another addition to their basketball operations department

Chigozie Umeadi is the newest member of the Bulls’ front office, joining Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley in their first year in the basketball operagtions department.

Umeadi, a Chicago native and basketball product of Fenton high school, comes from NBA HQ, where he worked for nearly eight years.

After graduating from the University of Illinois-Springfield, Umeadi worked his way through the NBA’s basketball operations, strategy, and analytics departments before getting the nod from his hometown team.

This story appeared in On Tap Sports Net on January 7, 2021.

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“Whatever it takes” – UIS official led with love

Dr. Clarice Ford lived a storied life before coming to Springfield where her impact will be felt for generations to come. Her first positions at University of Illinois Springfield, in 2008, were executive director of the diversity center and associate vice chancellor of student services. In 2014, she became the vice chancellor for student affairs. She died earlier this year after a brief illness.

Ford’s best known phrase was “whatever it takes” – a missive to students to graduate and succeed no matter the obstacles. 

One testament to the power of her mentorship is evident in her protégé, Justin Rose, a former student who is now in the position she first held at UIS as director of the diversity center. Rose said Ford’s role in the lives of students often transcended that of adviser. Many came to call her “Mama Ford."

Ford’s legacy will live on, not only in the countless students whose lives she touched, but also in a UIS fund in her name and a planned section of the UIS library in her honor. The Outlet has also set up a scholarship fund in her name. 

This story appeared in the Illinois Times on December 31, 2020.

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