In a room filled with some of the city’s biggest movers and shakers Thursday evening, representatives from the University of Illinois Springfield and Southern Illinois University said they are still “planning” but hope to share their collective space needs and programming desires for a downtown university district soon.
“We are planning,” said John Charles, SIU’s executive director for governmental and public affairs, who spoke alongside Bruce Sommer, UIS’s director of economic development and innovation, at Downtown Springfield Inc.’s 27th annual awards dinner at the Wyndham Springfield City Centre.
“But, in the coming weeks, we look forward to solidifying a business plan and sharing with you our goals for this downtown innovation district.”
“When your industry, when your businesses grow, we all benefit,” Sommer told the several hundred in the room, which included several downtown business owners.
UIS re-established its downtown presence in August 2018 when it assumed control of Innovate Springfield, a social innovation and business incubator that now houses a hub in the Illinois Innovation Network.
That University of Illinois system-led initiative is meant to foster economic growth through research and innovation by connecting hubs around the state to the flagship Discovery Partners Institute, a Chicago-based research institute.
Both institutions say that the project will have a greater impact if they work together along with the surrounding business community.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on January 16, 2020.
Read the entire article online.
Showing posts with label downtown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label downtown. Show all posts
Friday, January 17, 2020
Friday, December 20, 2019
UIS chancellor 'optimistic' about university presence downtown
University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch said
Thursday she is “optimistic” about submitting a proposal and eventually
securing funds for a university presence in downtown Springfield.
Koch, in an interview with The State Journal-Register, addressed recent discussion prompted by a peliminary proposal from the Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance calling for a downtown university campus shared by UIS and Southern Illinois University. The campus would be located between Second and Fourth streets to the west and east and Washington and Monroe streets to the north and south.
The proposal raised concerns from some area property owners about being displaced. Several businesses — such as the Sangamo Club, J.P. Kelly’s Pub and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association — are within that boundary.
“I’ve seen those renderings, of course, and I had a meeting with (SSGA executive chairman) Dan Dungan not too long ago and we talked about those renderings,” Koch said. “So your question is, do they represent our vision? My answer to that would be, they could.”
Growing the University of Illinois Springfield in downtown is absolutely a possibility, Koch said. “I don’t know right now whether that’s where this will all settle.”
The article appeared in the State Journal-Register on December 20, 2019.
Read the entire story online.
Koch, in an interview with The State Journal-Register, addressed recent discussion prompted by a peliminary proposal from the Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance calling for a downtown university campus shared by UIS and Southern Illinois University. The campus would be located between Second and Fourth streets to the west and east and Washington and Monroe streets to the north and south.
The proposal raised concerns from some area property owners about being displaced. Several businesses — such as the Sangamo Club, J.P. Kelly’s Pub and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association — are within that boundary.
“I’ve seen those renderings, of course, and I had a meeting with (SSGA executive chairman) Dan Dungan not too long ago and we talked about those renderings,” Koch said. “So your question is, do they represent our vision? My answer to that would be, they could.”
Growing the University of Illinois Springfield in downtown is absolutely a possibility, Koch said. “I don’t know right now whether that’s where this will all settle.”
The article appeared in the State Journal-Register on December 20, 2019.
Read the entire story online.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Preliminary plan for downtown university campus emerges
Early plans for a new downtown university campus to be shared by the University of Illinois Springfield and Southern Illinois University have emerged, with a local economic development group suggesting a location on the business district’s eastern edge.
The Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance has proposed a university campus to be located between Second and Fourth streets to the west and east and Washington and Monroe streets to the north and south. While SSGA interim president and CEO Josh Collins said the proposal is “extremely preliminary,” it is to the point where the group has been quietly meeting with property owners within the potential project’s scope.
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder and other city officials were also briefed on the proposal in late November. “There’s no concrete proposal on anything. Everything’s kind of in draft one or draft .01,”
In August 2018, UIS purchased downtown Springfield’s Innovate Springfield, a business and social innovation incubator. It was then awarded the first hub of the Illinois Innovation Network, a University of Illinois system-led initiative meant to foster economic growth through research and innovation by connecting satellite hubs spread across the state with the flagship Discovery Partners Institute, a Chicago-based research institute. While the hub is housed at Innovate Springfield’s offices on the Old State Capitol Plaza, university officials have been open about their intentions to find a bigger space in downtown Springfield for the expanded hub and other university programs.
In a statement, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp said “the university is considering various options for a new and larger location for the downtown hub that includes an expanded Innovate Springfield and additional activities with funding for construction and/or renovation to be provided in part by a recent legislative appropriation that includes $15 million for the UIS hub.” “We’ve had some discussions with SIU representatives about possible collaborations that would enhance further economic development in the region,” Schnapp said. “As discussions continue, we look forward to collaborating with local and state legislative leaders.”
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on December 4, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
The Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance has proposed a university campus to be located between Second and Fourth streets to the west and east and Washington and Monroe streets to the north and south. While SSGA interim president and CEO Josh Collins said the proposal is “extremely preliminary,” it is to the point where the group has been quietly meeting with property owners within the potential project’s scope.
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder and other city officials were also briefed on the proposal in late November. “There’s no concrete proposal on anything. Everything’s kind of in draft one or draft .01,”
In August 2018, UIS purchased downtown Springfield’s Innovate Springfield, a business and social innovation incubator. It was then awarded the first hub of the Illinois Innovation Network, a University of Illinois system-led initiative meant to foster economic growth through research and innovation by connecting satellite hubs spread across the state with the flagship Discovery Partners Institute, a Chicago-based research institute. While the hub is housed at Innovate Springfield’s offices on the Old State Capitol Plaza, university officials have been open about their intentions to find a bigger space in downtown Springfield for the expanded hub and other university programs.
In a statement, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp said “the university is considering various options for a new and larger location for the downtown hub that includes an expanded Innovate Springfield and additional activities with funding for construction and/or renovation to be provided in part by a recent legislative appropriation that includes $15 million for the UIS hub.” “We’ve had some discussions with SIU representatives about possible collaborations that would enhance further economic development in the region,” Schnapp said. “As discussions continue, we look forward to collaborating with local and state legislative leaders.”
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on December 4, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Downtown university plan floated
The Springfield Sangamon County Growth Alliance is pitching a major university presence in downtown Springfield that sources say would involve the University of Illinois Springfield, Southern Illinois University and perhaps the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Plans aren't concrete, but the first public meetings to unveil ideas are expected in January, said Josh Collins, interim president and CEO of the alliance, a public-private economic development group. Collins confirmed that the alliance has contacted property owners in the area. "I would say this is very preliminary right now," Collins said. "There will be at least two public meetings on this, plus other outreach efforts to property owners and businesses. ... I would say there is an anticipation to have more formalized concepts, hopefully, in the first quarter of 2020.
In an email, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp wrote that the university wants a new location for Innovate Springfield, a business incubator now located near the Old State Capitol that is part of a so-called innovation hub being developed by the University of Illinois that is aimed at helping entrepreneurs. "The university is considering various options for a new and larger location for the downtown hub that includes an expanded Innovate Springfield and additional activities with funding for construction and/or renovation to be provided in part by a recent legislative appropriation that includes $15 million for the UIS hub," Schnapp wrote. "We've had some discussions with SIU representatives about possible collaborations that would enhance further economic development in the region. As discussions continue, we look forward to collaborating with local and state legislative leaders."
This story appeared in the Illinois Times on December 3, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
Plans aren't concrete, but the first public meetings to unveil ideas are expected in January, said Josh Collins, interim president and CEO of the alliance, a public-private economic development group. Collins confirmed that the alliance has contacted property owners in the area. "I would say this is very preliminary right now," Collins said. "There will be at least two public meetings on this, plus other outreach efforts to property owners and businesses. ... I would say there is an anticipation to have more formalized concepts, hopefully, in the first quarter of 2020.
In an email, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp wrote that the university wants a new location for Innovate Springfield, a business incubator now located near the Old State Capitol that is part of a so-called innovation hub being developed by the University of Illinois that is aimed at helping entrepreneurs. "The university is considering various options for a new and larger location for the downtown hub that includes an expanded Innovate Springfield and additional activities with funding for construction and/or renovation to be provided in part by a recent legislative appropriation that includes $15 million for the UIS hub," Schnapp wrote. "We've had some discussions with SIU representatives about possible collaborations that would enhance further economic development in the region. As discussions continue, we look forward to collaborating with local and state legislative leaders."
This story appeared in the Illinois Times on December 3, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Proposed ordinance declares city's 'full support' for downtown university presence
While long considered the most logical site for a downtown university
presence, city officials made it clear Tuesday that the city-owned
Y-block is just one option on the table.
An ordinance declaring the city’s support for an effort to bring a university presence to downtown Springfield sailed through the city council’s Committee of the Whole Tuesday evening, but not before adopting an amendment that significantly broadened the language to be less site-specific.
“The other way it was written, it was a little Y-block-heavy, so to speak,” said Mayor Jim Langfelder. “And really, the intent is to just support the university developments downtown that could be.”
According to the proposed ordinance, “the city of Springfield is in full support of” a proposed downtown development that would be shared by the University of Illinois Springfield and Southern Illinois University.
The original ordinance was site-specific, leaning heavily on the Y-block site as a future location for the proposed campus. But Langfelder said the change in language was prompted by a meeting with state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, and officials from UIS and SIU, who sought not to limit themselves to the constraints of a one city block.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on July 31, 2019.
Read the entire story online.
An ordinance declaring the city’s support for an effort to bring a university presence to downtown Springfield sailed through the city council’s Committee of the Whole Tuesday evening, but not before adopting an amendment that significantly broadened the language to be less site-specific.
“The other way it was written, it was a little Y-block-heavy, so to speak,” said Mayor Jim Langfelder. “And really, the intent is to just support the university developments downtown that could be.”
According to the proposed ordinance, “the city of Springfield is in full support of” a proposed downtown development that would be shared by the University of Illinois Springfield and Southern Illinois University.
The original ordinance was site-specific, leaning heavily on the Y-block site as a future location for the proposed campus. But Langfelder said the change in language was prompted by a meeting with state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, and officials from UIS and SIU, who sought not to limit themselves to the constraints of a one city block.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on July 31, 2019.
Read the entire story online.
Monday, July 22, 2019
SIU, UIS, Sangamon County pushing for downtown Springfield ‘mini-campus’
A broad coalition is forming to push for state funding for a joint campus in downtown Springfield, to be shared by the University of Illinois Springfield and Southern Illinois University.
On July 9, Andy Manar hosted a meeting among leaders of SIU, UIS, the University of Illinois, Sangamon County, the City of Springfield and other stakeholders.
“We put several opportunities on the table — what would go in this building and on this campus, including initiatives related to medicine and law, social service, management of governmental intern positions, public health and policy, and so on,” said SIU Interim President J. Kevin Dorsey. “Collaboration between SIU, the School of Medicine and UIS was seen as critical.”
The Springfield university is already seeking to bolster its downtown presence via a new “Innovation Hub,” funded within the University of Illinois’s $500 million Discovery Partners Institute initiative.
“We’ve already engaged in conversations among community leaders to locate UIS’s Innovation Hub in the downtown area,” Van Meter said. “SIU has been a full partner in this process and we hope SIU will establish its own compatible programs in conjunction.”
As for SIU, the most frequently discussed possibility at Thursday’s board meeting was an extension of the Carbondale-based law school, to offer classes, support to law students interning in the capitol, and continuing education for legal professionals. Ultimately, SIU Board Chair J. Phil Gilbert said he’d like to see a satellite law program in Springfield offering a Juris Doctor degree.
“Having a medical footprint and a law footprint here in Springfield is pretty powerful,” he said. And with SIU leaders stressing they don’t intend to duplicate UIS programs, the Springfield school appears enthusiastic about collaboration.
This article appeared in The Southern Illinoisan on July 18, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
On July 9, Andy Manar hosted a meeting among leaders of SIU, UIS, the University of Illinois, Sangamon County, the City of Springfield and other stakeholders.
“We put several opportunities on the table — what would go in this building and on this campus, including initiatives related to medicine and law, social service, management of governmental intern positions, public health and policy, and so on,” said SIU Interim President J. Kevin Dorsey. “Collaboration between SIU, the School of Medicine and UIS was seen as critical.”
The Springfield university is already seeking to bolster its downtown presence via a new “Innovation Hub,” funded within the University of Illinois’s $500 million Discovery Partners Institute initiative.
“We’ve already engaged in conversations among community leaders to locate UIS’s Innovation Hub in the downtown area,” Van Meter said. “SIU has been a full partner in this process and we hope SIU will establish its own compatible programs in conjunction.”
As for SIU, the most frequently discussed possibility at Thursday’s board meeting was an extension of the Carbondale-based law school, to offer classes, support to law students interning in the capitol, and continuing education for legal professionals. Ultimately, SIU Board Chair J. Phil Gilbert said he’d like to see a satellite law program in Springfield offering a Juris Doctor degree.
“Having a medical footprint and a law footprint here in Springfield is pretty powerful,” he said. And with SIU leaders stressing they don’t intend to duplicate UIS programs, the Springfield school appears enthusiastic about collaboration.
This article appeared in The Southern Illinoisan on July 18, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
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