Taste of UIS looks at history of Lincoln Home and neighborhood

The next program in the Taste of UIS Lunchtime Lecture Series will be “Here I Have Lived: The History of the Lincoln Home and Neighborhood,” beginning at noon on Wednesday, October 19, at Maldaner’s Upstairs, 222 South Sixth St., Springfield. Featured speaker will be Tim Townsend, UIS alumnus and a historian at the Lincoln Home historic site. Read more>>

Crawford named WUIS Statehouse bureau chief

Public Radio WUIS 91.9-WIPA 89.3 has named Sean Crawford to be the new Statehouse bureau chief for the station and the Illinois Public Radio news network. Crawford has been a Statehouse reporter for WUIS since 1997. He covered local news on the Morning Edition broadcasts for two years, has been a frequent panelist on State Week in Review, and has received numerous awards for his coverage of state government and politics. Read more>>

Visual Arts Gallery to present “Reverent/Irreverent”

“Reverent/Irreverent,” works by Brian DeLevie, will be on display at the Visual Arts Gallery at UIS from October 6 through 27. The gallery will host an evening with the artist on Thursday, October 6, beginning with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. followed by a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. DeLevie is a digital artist, experimental filmmaker, and writer, as well as assistant professor of multimedia at the University of Colorado at Denver. Read more>>

Forum on “Politics, the Constitution, and Supreme Court Appointments”

Martin Redish, a professor at the Northwestern University School of Law, will deliver the keynote address at a public forum on “Politics, the Constitution, and Supreme Court Appointments” beginning at 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 19, in Brookens Auditorium at UIS. Read more>>

UIS alumni to host Come Back to Campus Open House

Alumni and friends of UIS are invited to a Come Back to Campus Open House to be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, September 30. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a variety of 45-minute presentations and demonstrations beginning at 3, 4, and 5 p.m. Read more>>

EDL program to offer courses to displaced students, law students, attorneys

During the second half of the 2005 fall semester (October 17 to December 10), the Educational Leadership Program at UIS will make space available in its graduate online courses in the legal aspects of education to students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Displaced graduate students interested in public policy, law, advocacy, political science, and labor relations in educational settings are encouraged to apply. The courses may also be of interest to displaced students enrolled in law school or to attorneys who are required to take classes or seminars to satisfy continuing legal education credit required for licensure in their respective states. Read more>>

Governor signs bill proposed by UIS professor

Anthony Sisneros, associate professor of Public Administration at UIS, was instrumental in the effort to pass a new law designed to help state agencies increase hiring among the Hispanic community at supervisory, technical, professional, and managerial levels, as well as to fill more positions with people who can speak Spanish fluently. The bill was signed into law by Governor Blagojevich on August 15. Read more>>

More students attending UIS this fall

UIS has experienced an increase in enrollment this fall fueled by a larger number of students taking coursework online as well as growth in the Capital Scholars Honors Program.

Marya Leatherwood, director of Enrollment Management, reported that there are a total of 4,517 students attending UIS this fall, a 2.8 percent increase over last fall. Read more>>

WUIS to broadcast hurricane relief concert

Public radio 91.9 FM WUIS/89.3 WIPA, in conjunction with National Public Radio and station WGBO/Newark, will broadcast “Higher Ground,” a relief concert for Hurricane Katrina victims, live from Lincoln Center in New York City, Saturday, September 17, starting at 7 p.m. CDT.

Led by New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis and emceed by actor Laurence Fishburn, the concert features a stellar guest list. Read more>>

UIS to present discussion of goddess beliefs and cultures

Scholar Caron Cadle will present a slide show and discussion of “Goddess: A New (Old) Vision” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 21, in PAC conference room H at UIS. A life-long scholar of goddess religions and goddess-centered cultures, Cadle has traveled widely to various goddess sites around the world and is a sought-after speaker on the topic. Read more>>

Constitution Day Forum at UIS to focus on Supreme Court

“Politics, the Constitution, and Supreme Court Appointments” is the topic of a forum to be held at UIS on Monday, September 19, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. The event is presented by the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership in observance of U.S. Constitution Day.

The keynote speaker, Martin H. Redish, Professor of Law, Northwestern University School of Law, will discuss the role of the Supreme Court in American constitutional democracy. Read more>>

UIS places record number of Graduate Public Service interns

Graduate students enrolled in UIS' Graduate Public Service Internship program have found placements with participating state agencies in record numbers for the third year in a row. According to Kim Hayden, director of UIS’ Office of Graduate Intern Programs, this year's group is the largest cohort to begin the fall term in the 30-year history of the program. Read more>>

Brookens Library to host broadcasts for Constitution Day

Brookens Library at UIS will sponsor the broadcast of three special programs on Friday, September 16, in observance of Constitution Day. The programs are “Beyond the Patriot Act,” “Our Constitution: A Conversation with Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Stephen Breyer,” and “Free Speech in the Digital Age.” Read more>>

Approval of new curriculum makes UIS full four-year university

UIS became a full four-year university Thursday for the first time in its 35-year history. The milestone was reached when the U of I Board of Trustees approved a new general education curriculum that will allow UIS to enroll a larger number of freshmen in a full baccalaureate experience in fall 2006.

“We are now a four-year university in the truest sense of the word,” said UIS Chancellor Richard Ringeisen.

U of I President Joe White called the Board’s approval “a watershed moment for UIS." Read more>>

Statewide political magazine celebrates 30 years

Former Gov. Jim Edgar will moderate a panel discussion on the state’s future at a special luncheon honoring Illinois Issues magazine’s 30th Anniversary. The celebration will be held Friday, September 30, at the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 West Jackson. The luncheon will provide an opportunity to explore, from a fresh perspective, some of the policy challenges Illinois could face in the coming decades. Read more>>

UIS to present Einstein centennial lecture

"Einstein’s Insights: How They Shaped Our Modern View of the Universe” will be the subject of a lecture by Charles Schweighauser, professor emeritus of Astronomy/Physics, English, and Environmental Studies at UIS, to be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 16, in conference room F, located on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center.

Schweighauser will deliver this non-technical lecture in observance of the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Read more>>

UIS to host foreign and independent film series

The Division of Student Affairs at UIS is sponsoring a Foreign and Independent Film Series on Friday nights this fall, beginning September 9. All films are shown at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend. See the line-up of films>>

Book signing set for UIS faculty member’s new poetry collection

A book signing and reception for Marcellus Leonard, associate professor of English at UIS and author of Shake the Thunder Down, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, September 22, in MacDonald Lounge, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on campus. The collection of poetry gathers together both well-known and never-before-published selections from his work. Read more>>

National initiative to keep students learning conceived at UIS

A major national initiative funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to provide free online college courses for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina was conceived by an administrator at UIS.

Ray Schroeder, director of the Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning at UIS, along with Burks Oakley, director of U of I Online, originated the initiative toward which the Sloan Foundation will contribute more than $1 million. The initiative, which is expected to accommodate about 10,000 student enrollments, consists of offering displaced students a first ever, free special eight-week accelerated semester to keep them learning, beginning on October 10. Read more>>

UIS announces plans to enroll students affected by hurricane

UIS announced today that it is prepared to immediately welcome students who were enrolled and planning to attend fall classes at colleges and universities now closed in areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Marya Leatherwood, UIS Director of Enrollment Management, said students affected by the hurricane who wish to continue their education uninterrupted should contact the UIS Office of Admissions as soon as possible to make arrangements. Read more>>