Recipients of 2006 Armstrong scholarships announced

Three graduate students in UIS' Public Affairs Reporting program – Laura Camper, Christine Magbanua, and Erik Potter – have been named recipients of the James E. Armstrong Scholarships for 2006.

Sue Schmitt, publisher of the State Journal-Register, presented the scholarships at a luncheon held November 29 at the SJ-R offices. The scholarships – given in memory of Armstrong, who was publisher of the Illinois State Journal and the Illinois State Register, predecessors of the State Journal-Register – are awarded to PAR students who have demonstrated strong interest and potential in the field of government and political reporting. Read more>>

Visual Arts Gallery to hold annual silent auction

UIS' Visual Arts Gallery will hold its Annual Benefit and Silent Auction fundraiser Tuesday, December 5, through Thursday, December 7. Art and crafts will be on display for silent bids each day in the gallery, located in HSB 201. The event concludes Thursday evening with a reception and final bidding from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. Donations of artwork will be accepted through December 5. Read more>>

Media Advisory: Presentations by Peter Neufeld

Peter Neufeld, co-founder of the National Innocence Project, will be in Springfield for two presentations on Tuesday, November 28. At noon, he will speak at a luncheon for members of the bar at the Sangamo Club. At 7 p.m., he will speak on “The Crisis of Wrongful Conviction” in Brookens Auditorium. Read more>>

UIS Music to host annual Winter Open House

The UIS Music Program will host its annual Winter Open House from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 8, in the Visual and Performing Arts Building. The Chorus, Band, Chamber Orchestra, and Chamber Ensembles will perform and there will be a special holiday singalong. Read more>>

Archives receives gift of James Jones letters

The Archives/Special Collections unit of Brookens Library has received a collection of letters written by novelist James Jones, author of the bestselling 1951 novel From Here to Eternity. The gift was made to UIS by Jones' daughter, Kaylie.

The collection includes eight letters written by Jones to his brother, as well as letters written to Jones, a collection of newspaper clippings, and a charcoal drawing of Jones. UIS Archivist Thomas Wood said that the new gift will be incorporated into the Archives' Handy Colony Collection. Read more>>

English graduate wins outstanding master's thesis award

Joshua Alan Doetsch received UIS' Outstanding Master's Thesis award for the 2005-06 academic year for his creative writing exercise, a novel titled Souls Unsure: A Dark Epic in Prose and Poetry.

Deborah Shotts, who earned a master of science degree in Management Information Systems, and Amanda Winters, who earned a master of arts degree in History, received Special Merit Awards.

This year, a total of nine theses and projects were nominated by graduate programs at UIS. Read more>>

Next "political art" event will look at "The Future of Food"

UIS' Political Art and the Public Sphere series will continue Thursday, November 30, with the film "The Future of Food" at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. The film will be followed by a discussion session.

"The Future of Food" offers a critical investigation into the advent of genetically engineered food and examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what people eat as multinational corporations move toward control of the world’s food system. Read more>>

Faculty member named National City Distinguished Professor

Richard Judd, longtime business professor at UIS, has been named National City Distinguished Professor in Banking and Finance. During more than 25 years at UIS, Judd has taught a wide range of business classes, from entrepreneurship and small business management to franchising and business strategy. He now serves as director of the Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business and Management. Read more>>

Faculty member is lead author of article suggesting change in massive star

John Martin, assistant professor of Astronomy/Physics at UIS, is the lead author of a paper to be published in the December issue of Astronomical Journal suggesting that the most massive star in our galaxy is about to undergo dramatic change. Martin is part of a team that spent the past eight years monitoring the star Eta Carinae using the Hubble Space Telescope. They believe that the star's accelerating brightness heralds an impending change of great significance. Read more>>

Schroeder invited to join editorial staff of major online publication

OTEL Director Ray Schroeder has been invited to become an editor at Citizendium, a new initiative of Wikipedia, the online, editable encyclopedia. Under the new effort, which Wikipedia founder Larry Sanger described as a "progressive fork" of the existing encyclopedia, volunteer editors with expertise in a field will monitor posted articles to help ensure their accuracy. Schroeder has asked for an editorial assignment in educational technology. Read more>>

Visual Arts program to host sculptor

Michael Jones McKean will deliver a Visiting Artist Lecture from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, November 17, in VPA 150. McKean is assistant professor in the Sculpture and Extended Media Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. Read more>>

Innocence Project hosts presentation on wrongful conviction

The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at UIS will host a presentation by Peter Neufeld, co-founder of the National Innocence Project, beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28, in Brookens Auditorium. Neufeld’s topic will be "The Crisis of Wrongful Conviction."

The Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, New York City, which Neufeld co-founded and co-directs, has served as a model for similar programs across the country. Read more>>

Scholarship donors and recipients honored

The donors and recipients of scholarships for 2006 at UIS were honored at a luncheon held on campus on November 1. See a list of scholarships and the students who received them>>

Applications being accepted for Brundage scholarships

Applications for the 34th annual Avery Brundage Scholarship competition for U of I students who excel in both academics and athletics are being accepted now through Wednesday, January 31, 2007. Read more>>

Next Campus Preview Day

UIS will host a Campus Preview Day for prospective students and their families from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 11. See more details>>