UIS to offer "A Survey of the Universe"

UIS will offer ASP 101 A Survey of the Universe, taught by Assistant Professor of Astronomy/Physics John Martin, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Mondays from January 14 through April 28, on the UIS campus. The course is designed for non-science majors and is offered for credit to UIS students and also as a non-credit program to others who are curious about astronomy.

More information, including how to register>>

Adjunct faculty member wins Humane Society new course award

Dr. Boria Sax, an adjunct faculty member in UIS' Philosophy department, has won a Distinguished New Course Award in the national Animals and Society awards program of the Humane Society of the United States. The award recognizes the course Animals and Human Civilization, which Sax developed and teaches online as a Liberal Studies Colloquium at UIS.

Animals and Society awards recognize academic excellence in courses focusing on the relationship between people and animals. An acclaimed author, scholar, and authority on online learning, Sax has also served as a consultant to a number of human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Helsinki Watch. Read more>>

Award-winning journalist will head Illinois Issues

Dana Heupel, a 30-year veteran of the newspaper business, has been named executive editor of Illinois Issues magazine and director of Center Publications at UIS. He will succeed Peggy Boyer Long, who will retire on December 31.

Anthony Halter, executive director of UIS' Center for State Policy and Leadership, where the magazine is located, said that Illinois Issues' readers "have come to expect independent, in-depth reporting and analysis of state government and politics that is provocative and informative. We are confident that we've selected the right person to carry on that tradition." Read more>>

Stage rigging seminar to be held at Sangamon Auditorium

Sangamon Auditorium will host a hands-on stage rigging seminar on January 5 and 6, designed for anyone interested in working in the arts. The program will be led by rigging expert Jay Glerum, author of Stage Rigging Handbook, the only book on the design, care, and use of stage rigging.

Advance registration is required; space is limited. Read more>>

Swan Lake coming soon to Sangamon Auditorium

The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre will present Tchaikovsky's masterpiece Swan Lake at Sangamon Auditorium on Wednesday, January 16, at 7:30 p.m. The production will feature 56 dancers, full sets, and magnificent costumes. First performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1877, Swan Lake is perhaps the world's most famous and beloved classical ballet. Read more>>

WUIS sponsoring annual "This I Believe" essay contest

Public radio WUIS 91.9/WIPA 89.3 is sponsoring its second annual "This I Believe" essay contest, which asks area high school seniors to submit original essays of their personal beliefs.

WUIS airs the NPR series This I Believe, the descendent of a 1950s-era series with Edward R. Murrow. Creators of the modern series sought to broaden civil discourse by writing a corresponding high school curriculum that would "give students an opportunity to share their own voice with the broader society."

Submissions to this year's contest should be postmarked no later than December 15. Ten winners will be announced in January. Read more>>

UIS child care center earns national accreditation

Cox Children's Center at UIS is one of the first early childhood programs in the country to earn full five-year accreditation through a new system of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Earning NAEYC accreditation is a voluntary process that involves an extensive self-study and an on-site assessment. Center director Stacey Hembrough said that the accreditation "lets families and others in the community know that children in our program are getting the best care and early learning experiences possible." Read more>>

Criminal Justice honor society inducts 18 at UIS

Eighteen new members will be inducted into the Epsilon Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society, during ceremonies to be held December 5 at UIS. Alpha Phi Sigma recognizes the academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students. Read more, including a list of new inductees>>

UIS Queer-Straight Alliance to host "Beyond Beats & Rhymes" Campaign

"HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes," a documentary by Byron Hurt, will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 29, in Brookens Auditorium. A panel discussion featuring UIS faculty and staff will immediately follow.

Hurt's film takes an in-depth look at issues of masculinity, sexism, consumerism, and homophobia in hip-hop culture and in the larger American society.

The event is presented by UIS' Queer-Straight Alliance in partnership with the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition. Read more>>

Anderson named associate director for marketing at Illinois Issues

Linda S. Anderson has been named associate director for marketing and circulation of Illinois Issues magazine and Center Publications at UIS. She will oversee the magazine's marketing, advertising, and underwriting and will direct promotion of all other materials produced by Center Publications. Anderson has over 19 years experience in public relations, communications, and marketing with various nonprofit, government, and corporate organizations. Read more>>

Gallery to hold silent auction benefit

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery will hold its Annual Benefit and Silent Auction fundraiser Wednesday, December 5, through Friday, December 7. Art and crafts in every medium will be on display for silent bids each day in the gallery. The event concludes Friday evening with a reception and final bidding from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Donations of artwork will be accepted through December 4. The auction is the gallery's only fundraiser and all proceeds are used to support future exhibitions. Read more>>

Natural products chemist to deliver Merck Science Seminar at UIS

Dr. James Chapman will be the keynote speaker at the Fall Merck Science Seminar at UIS. Chapman's presentation, "Nature's Chemical Complexity: A Chemist's Study of Plants," will be from 11 a.m. to noon, Friday, November 30, in PAC Conference Room G.

Chapman, an associate professor of chemistry at Rockhurst University, is part of a group engaged in exploring the chemistry of plants. Results from this work help land managers understand the importance of periodic prairie fires and have vital implications in the search for new medicines.

The seminar is part of the Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program. UIS was one of only 11 universities in the nation to receive the three-year award in 2006. Read more>>

Music groups to present Fall Showcase Concert

UIS music groups will present their annual Fall Showcase concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 30, in the PAC Studio Theatre. The concert will feature the UIS Chorus, Chamber Orchestra, Band, World Percussion Club, and Blue Rhapsody A Cappella Club performing a variety of pieces and styles, from classical to African drum rhythms.

Tickets are $6; $5 from each ticket will benefit the UIS Music Student Merit Award fund. Read more>>

Graduate student receives Richmond scholarship

Shawna Mayer, a graduate student in the UIS English Department, is the recipient of the 2007 Rosie Richmond Scholarship. Nancy Perkins, who serves as Mayer's adviser, noted, "Shawna is a very strong writer and I am enjoying working with her to develop her creative voice."

Richmond was a graduate of Sangamon State University and later taught creative writing on campus. She was also a co-founder of local women writers' group Brainchild. The scholarship in her name is awarded annually to an English major at UIS. Read more>>

U of I students may apply for Brundage scholarships

Applications for the 35th annual Avery Brundage Scholarship competition for University of Illinois students who excel in both academics and athletics are being accepted now through Wednesday, January 31, 2008. Applications can be submitted only online.

Academic and athletic competence will be considered over financial need. Last year, 20 winners were awarded $2,500 each. Read more>>

UIS to host presentation by multimedia artist

A presentation by multimedia artist James Luna will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, November 30, in Brookens Auditorium. Luna is an artist, performer, and educator whose work deals with identity and the contrasts between romanticized stereotypes and the reality of being a Native American in contemporary culture.

His appearance is also presented in conjunction with UIS' Engaged Citizenship Common Experience Speakers Series. Read more>>

UIS hosts international collegiate programming contest

On November 3, UIS was host site for the regional segment of an international programming contest -- the 32nd annual International Collegiate Programming Contest, also known as the Global "Battle of the Brains" Software Competition.

The event has become the largest and most prestigious competition of its kind. Following regional contests held from September to December world-wide, 90 teams will advance to the World Finals. At UIS, 19 teams from eight colleges and universities competed.

The contest is sponsored by IBM and the Association for Computing Machinery. Read more>>

Marie Osmond coming to Sangamon Auditorium

Iconic entertainer Marie Osmond will celebrate "The Magic of Christmas" at UIS' Sangamon Auditorium on Tuesday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m. Osmond brings warmth, joy, and the "magic" of the season to the stage with favorite holiday songs, an impromptu medley of some of her own hits, and a video sharing of memories from some televised Osmond Family Christmas shows of the past. Read more>>

Political art series to show "Zapatista"

Political Art and the Public Sphere will conclude for the fall semester with a screening of the film Zapatista: A Big Noise Film at 6 p.m. Monday, November 26, in Brookens Auditorium.

On January 1, 1994, the day that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, several thousand Mayan soldiers took over half the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas. Zapatista is a look at the first four years of that uprising and tells the story of a transnational movement that transformed Mexican and international political culture in critical ways. Read more>>

English graduate wins outstanding master's thesis award

Denise Howard Long has won the UIS Chapin Outstanding Master's Thesis award for the 2006-07 academic year. Her thesis – titled "The Breadwinner in Post-World War II American Literature: Constructing Masculinity at Midcentury" – was chosen from among eight theses and projects nominated by graduate departments at the university.

Mona Colburn, who earned a master of arts degree in Environmental Studies, and Michael Howard Kelley Jr., who earned a master of arts degree in History, received Special Merit Awards. Other students who were nominated are: Lisa M. Bosworth (Educational Leadership), Eugenio Fernandez (Management Information Systems), Teresa Sharp Holton (Individual Option), Dorothy L. Johnson (Human Services), and Vishal D. Parikh (Computer Science). Read more>>

Barbara Burkhardt named University Scholar

Barbara Burkhardt, UIS associate professor of English, has been named University Scholar for 2007-2008. She is one of 13 faculty members, and the only one from UIS, chosen for this award honoring and rewarding outstanding teachers and scholars at the three U of I campuses.

Materials nominating Burkhardt for the award hailed her as "a model teacher/scholar" who "uses her experience with research, writing, and publishing to benefit UIS students and enrich her classes at all levels." Read more>>

Media Advisory: Government Accountability and a Free Press

On Wednesday, Noember 7, UIS will host the first two programs in its Government Accountability and a Free Press Project: a luncheon seminar featuring Charles Lewis, president of The Fund for Independence in Journalism, and an evening panel discussion featuring Judith Miller, Pulitzer Prize-winner and former investigative reporter for The New York Times.

The luncheon seminar will begin at noon in the Public Affairs Center Lobby. The discussion featuring Judith Miller will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Studio Theatre. Read more>>

Annual Hunger Banquet

UIS will host its annual Oxfam Hunger Banquet from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 14, in the LRH Great Room. The event is presented in observance of National Hunger and Homelessness Week and will focus on the theme "Poverty Has a Woman's Face." Read more>>

Annual Faculty Recognition Luncheon

Outstanding accomplishments of UIS faculty were recognized at the fifteenth Faculty Recognition Luncheon, held October 31 in the PAC. The annual event recognizes scholarly achievements of current and emeriti faculty for the previous calendar year in a number of areas.

See a list of faculty who were recognized this year>>

Pre-Law Center to present "The Exonerated"

UIS' Pre-Law Center will present a reading of the play "The Exonerated," by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, as its third annual Fall Forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 13, in Brookens Auditorium. Using mostly their own words, "The Exonerated" tells the story of six people who were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death. The play was originally produced in 2002 in Los Angeles and off-Broadway in New York, and has been adapted for film by Court-TV. Read more>>

Book discussion marks Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

UIS will host a discussion of Barbara Ehrenreich's 2001 bestseller, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 14, in the Capitol Perks coffee bar area of the PAC lobby. The event is presented in observance of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week – November 11 through 17.

Ehrenreich's book is a look at low-wage America and the realities faced by people who work in these positions. It has been called "a painful but necessary glimpse into our culture's proclivity toward classism, sexism, and racism." Read more>>

Sunday Star Party for people with disabilities

UIS will hold a special Star Party for people with disabilities on Sunday evening, November 18, at 8 p.m., weather permitting, in the observatory. The Star Party is free, but reservations are required and should be made by November 9. The featured object for viewing will be the moon. Read more>>

UIS to present Government Accountability and a Free Press Project

On November 7 UIS will host the first two programs in the Government Accountability and a Free Press Project, a series of events designed to explore legal, ethical, and practical political and policy issues that may arise as members of the press engage in investigative reporting that is intended to uncover less-than-transparent government conduct.

A luncheon seminar -- featuring Charles Lewis, president of The Fund for Independence in Journalism, and a panel of investigative reporters -- will explore a number of related issues at noon in the PAC Lobby.

At 7:30 p.m. a panel discussion featuring Judith Miller, Pulitzer Prize-winner and former investigative reporter for The New York Times, will be held in the PAC Studio Theatre. Miller will begin the program with a keynote address about freedom of the press. Lewis and a panel of investigative reporters will respond. Read more>>

UIS to host presentations by noted astronomers

UIS will host public presentations by two internationally known astronomers on Friday, November 9. At 11:30 a.m. in UHB 2034, Roberta Humphreys will lead "A Conversation on Being WISE: Women in Science and Engineering." That evening, at 7:30 p.m. in UHB 2008, Kris Davidson will speak on "The Violent Supernova Impostor."

Davidson and Humphreys are both faculty members at the University of Minnesota, where Davidson is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Astronomy and Humphreys is Institute of Technology Distinguished Professor of Astronomy. Both collaborate with UIS Assistant Professor of Astronomy/Physics John Martin on ongoing research projects involving the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Telescope in Chile. Read more>>

UIS wins major national award for online teaching, learning

UIS has won a major national award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Teaching & Learning Programming from the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C). UIS' exceptional leadership in advancing online education was cited in the announcement from Boston Monday.

"For UIS to receive a national award of this magnitude for excellence among the thousands of colleges and universities with online programs across the country is most extraordinary," said UIS Chancellor Richard Ringeisen. "This award illustrates our commitment to three primary strategic goals -- academic excellence, enriching individual lives, and making a difference in the world." Read more>>

WUIS listeners pledge record amount in fall membership drive

Listeners of public radio WUIS-WIPA made record-setting pledges of more than $142,000 during the station's fall membership drive that ended at 9 a.m. on October 19.

This fall, members could choose to receive traditional pledge gifts such as mugs or hats, or they could elect to have trees planted in their honor at Emiquon Nature Preserve or at Lincoln Memorial Garden. More than 950 trees will be planted as a result of the drive. Read more>>

Diavolo coming to Sangamon Auditorium

The modern dance company Diavolo will perform at the UIS' Sangamon Auditorium on Friday, November 9, at 8 p.m. Diavolo company members are dancers, gymnasts, actors, and athletes who redefine dance through dynamic movement and interact with oversized surrealistic structures that provide a backdrop for their dramatic leaps and twisting movements. Read more>>

Visual Arts Gallery presents "Hecho en Cuba"

"Hecho en Cuba," a group of works inspired by artist Philip Hartigan's month-long stay in Cuba, will be on display at the Visual Arts Gallery beginning Tuesday, November 6. The gallery will host an artist's talk and opening reception on Thursday, November 8. Works in the exhibit explore themes of displacement, rootlessness, and cultural disorientation as they affect an observer in a foreign culture. Read more>>

UIS to host 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 3. The program will include an academic fair, campus tours, lunch, and greetings from the chancellor and provost. Make a reservation>>

Broadway classic Gypsy coming soon to Sangamon Auditorium

The Broadway classic Gypsy is coming to Sangamon Auditorium on Monday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m.

The story traces the showbiz rise of two sisters, fueled by an ambitious mother whose larger-than-life dreams turned them into stars. Songs include "Let Me Entertain You," "Some People," "You Gotta Have a Gimmick," and "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Tickets are on sale now. Read more>>

Media Advisory: CWLP Smart Energy Forum

UIS will host a City Water, Light & Power Smart Energy Forum from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, October 18, in PAC conference room G. A panel of CWLP personnel will discuss the agreement with Sierra Club aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of the new power plant under construction and will solicit ideas for energy conservation from the audience. Co-sponsor of the event is UIS student group Students Allied for a Greener Earth. Read more>>

President White to discuss leadership

U of I President B. Joseph White will speak on "The Nature of Leadership," at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 1, in Brookens Auditorium. Dr. White will share insights about leadership gained from his experience both in academia and in the private sector.

Following his presentation, he will be the guest of honor at a reception in the PAC restaurant and will sign copies of his book, The Nature of Leadership: Reptiles, Mammals, and the Challenge of Becoming a Great Leader.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of Brookens Library and is also part of the ECCE (Engaged Citizenship Common Experience) Speakers Series at UIS. Read more>>

Musicians invited to audition for basketball bands

Community musicians interested in performing at UIS home basketball games are invited to audition for spots on two new pep bands.

The Basketball Pep Band, a traditional collegiate pep band, will perform at men's home games and will be comprised of brass, woodwind, percussion, and electronic instruments such as guitar, bass, and keyboard.

The Basketball Jazz Combo will be a six-member group comprised of a rhythm section and horns. This group will perform at women's home games.

Auditions are October 15, 17, and 20. Read more>>

Cavalry band will play at Strawbridge House

The 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Band – a recreation of the original brass band that accompanied the regiment during the Civil War – will perform in concert beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 20, at Old Settlers Day at the Strawbridge-Shepherd Farmstead, located between the UIS and LLCC campuses on Shepherd Road.

Playing music of the Civil War era on period instruments, the band is an affiliated ensemble of UIS Music and is directed by Todd Cranson. Read more>>

Attorney General foregoes appeal in case supported by UIS Innocence Project

Students and staff of the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at UIS were instrumental in helping attorneys for Herbert Whitlock, currently serving a life sentence for murder, in their successful bid for a new trial. Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently announced that she will not challenge an appellate court decision overturning Whitlock's 1987 conviction.

Whitlock's attorneys were assisted in the post-conviction investigation by students in a Wrongful Convictions class taught by UIS Professor Larry Golden. Under the direction of Bill Clutter, Innocence Project director of investigations, the students interviewed witnesses and helped prepare for the evidentiary hearing that was conducted in the spring of 2005. Read more>>

UIS speaker series will present a look at adapting to cultural change

"The Road to Bangalore and Beyond: The Cultural Response of a South India Village to Education" is the subject of a free public presentation beginning at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 25, in Brookens Auditorium. The speaker will be Dr. Helen Ullrich, a linguist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Ullrich is a cross-cultural psychiatrist with a specialty in South India, where she has continued research in a village for more than 40 years, focusing on psychiatric adaptation to cultural change.

The event is presented as part of the ECCE (Engaged Citizenship Common Experience) Speakers Series at UIS and is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education. Read more>>

WUIS going green during fall membership campaign

Listeners who pledge to WUIS during its fall membership campaign will have a chance to pick out the traditional public broadcasting mug or hat.

Or they can elect to have a tree, or three trees, planted in their honor. (The Loken Family of Springfield is offering to match every tree donated through WUIS pledges during the station's "Power Hour" from 7 to 8 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, October 11.)

WUIS' goal is to hear from 1,200 listeners before the end of the on-air campaign on October 19 at 9 a.m. The number for listeners to call during the drive is 206-9847. Read more>>

UIS to host CWLP Smart Energy Forum

UIS will host a City Water, Light & Power Smart Energy Forum from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, October 18, in PAC conference room G. The program is free and open to the public. Co-sponsor of the event is UIS student group Students Allied for a Greener Earth (SAGE).

A panel discussion by CWLP personnel will be followed by time for audience feedback and suggestions for additional energy conservation programs. Read more>>

Illinois Campaign for Political Reform to celebrate 10-year anniversary

Illinois Issues magazine editor Peggy Boyer Long and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes are the recipients of the 2007 Paul Simon Public Service Awards presented by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. The awards will be presented at a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of ICPR by the late Sen. Simon, to be held November 7 in Chicago. Read more>>

UIS Theatre to present Picnic

The first production of the season for the UIS Theatre Program is William Inge's classic drama Picnic. Six performances are scheduled for October 26-28 and November 1-3 in the PAC Studio Theatre. All performances will be at 8 p.m. except the Sunday performance (October 28), which will be at 2 p.m.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, Picnic focuses on the sudden appearance of a handsome young drifter among a group of six women, and the effect he has on their lives. Read more>>

Cashore Marionettes to visit area schools, coming soon to Sangamon Auditorium

In celebration of Illinois Arts Week, Class Acts, the K-12 educational program of Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, will sponsor two performances of the Cashore Marionettes at Springfield public schools on Thursday, October 11 – at Feitshans Academy at 10 a.m. and Lindsay Elementary at 1:30 p.m.

Two additional performances will take place in the PAC Studio Theatre on October 12. The first performance, at 10 a.m., is part of the Class Acts program. The second showing, part of the Family Series at UIS, will begin at 7 p.m. Read more>>

Political art series will screen "The Forest for the Trees"

The UIS series Political Art and the Public Sphere will present a screening of the film The Forest for the Trees at 6 p.m. Monday, October 15, in Brookens Auditorium.

The documentary is a look at a group of young activists and old civil rights workers who come together to battle the U.S. government in an effort to clear the name of Earth First! activist Judi Bari, who was arrested as a terrorist when a pipe bomb exploded under her car. Read more>>

Media Advisory: Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series

The 2007 Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series, focusing on "Lincoln and the Law," will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 4, in Brookens Auditorium. Speakers will be Dr. Mark E. Steiner ("'The Sober Judgement of Courts': Lincoln, Lawyers, and the Rule of Law"; and Dr. Brian R. Dirck ("Abraham Lincoln: The Lawyer in the White House"). UIS professor emeritus Cullom Davis will moderate. Read more>>

Social activist John D'Emilio is first Chancellor's Distinguished Visiting Scholar

Noted scholar and social justice activist John D'Emilio has been named the first Chancellor's Distinguished Visiting Scholar at UIS. D'Emilio is widely considered one of the founders of the field of gay and lesbian studies. As Chancellor's Distinguished Visiting Scholar, he will meet with members of the UIS community and will deliver two free public lectures.

On Tuesday, October 16, he will speak on "An Agitator for Justice: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin" at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. On Wednesday, October 17, D'Emilio will speak on "Will the Courts Set Us Free? Reflections on the Same-Sex Marriage Fight," also at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. Read more>>

Yamato - The Drummers of Japan coming soon to Sangamon Auditorium

UIS will host a performance of Yamato - The Drummers of Japan on Sunday, October 28, at 7 p.m. in Sangamon Auditorium.

Performances by the taiko drummers of Yamato are infused with the idea that the drumbeat, like the human heartbeat, is the very pulse of life. Read more>>

Jethro Tull will rock for sold-out crowd at Sangamon Auditorium

Legendary rock band Jethro Tull is coming to Sangamon Auditorium at UIS on Monday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. for a sold-out performance. The show will feature both acoustic and electric sets.

Beginning with 1971's Aqualung, the group has produced a series of classic, best-selling albums including Thick as a Brick and Too Old to Rock and Roll: Too Young to Die. Read more>>

Cashore Marionettes coming to Sangamon Auditorium

Sangamon Auditorium at UIS will kick off this year's Family Series on Friday, October 12, at 7 p.m. with a performance by the Cashore Marionettes - Simple Gifts in the Studio Theatre.

The internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes redefine the art of puppetry. Simple Gifts is a series of original vignettes from everyday life, set to the music of such composers as Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven, and Copland. Read more>>

Media Advisory: UIS to host Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour

UIS will host a stop on the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour on Tuesday, October 2, from 3 to 7 p.m. in Lincoln Residence Hall.

Speakers on the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour include many of America's top young entrepreneurs who have made, earned, or sold a company for millions and/or otherwise made an impact before age 25. Read more>>

Sunday Star Party for people with disabilities

UIS will hold a special Star Party for people with disabilities on Sunday, October 21, at 8 p.m., weather permitting, in the UIS observatory. The featured object for viewing will be the moon.

Conducted by Charles Schweighauser and John Martin, UIS professors of astronomy and physics, the session will use a telescope specially designed to give people with disabilities access to the sky. Read more>>

Chemistry Department receives NSF grant

The UIS Chemistry Department has received a grant of nearly $75,000 from the National Science Foundation to incorporate scanning probe microscopy into undergraduate courses. The funds will be used to purchase a scanning probe microscope – the cutting-edge tool for nanotechnology – and train undergraduate students in its use. Both science and non-science majors at UIS will get hands-on experience using the instrument.

Marc Klingshirn, one of the grant co-directors, said acquisition of the SPM was "a win-win situation for any student who takes a chemistry-related course at UIS." Read more>>

Media Advisory: Homecoming 2007

UIS will celebrate Homecoming Week 2007 with a variety of special events and activities, beginning Monday, Oct. 1, with a bonfire at 9:30 p.m. at the UIS Pond. See a partial schedule>>

UIS to host 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, October 13. The program will include an academic fair, campus tours, lunch, and greetings from the chancellor and provost. Find out how to make a reservation>>

Ribbon cutting officially opens Recreation and Athletic Center

Calling it a great day for UIS, Chancellor Richard Ringeisen joined with students and other dignitaries on September 26 to celebrate the official opening of the university's new Recreation and Athletic Center.

Many members of the Springfield community and UIS campus attended the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony held just outside the north entrance of the $16.2 million, two-story facility. Read more>>

UIS to host stop on Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour

The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour will visit UIS on Tuesday, October 2, from 3 to 7 p.m. in Lincoln Residence Hall. Participants can attend all or part of the event.

Speakers on the tour include many young entrepreneurs who have made, earned, or sold a company for millions and/or otherwise made an impact before age 30. The event is designed to provide both inspiration and practical advice for emerging entrepreneurs and students. Read more>>

Media Advisory: Dedication of new Recreation and Athletic Center

UIS will dedicate the new Recreation and Athletic Center at 2 p.m., Wednesday, September 26. A brief ceremony will be held near the north (campus) entrance of the Center, followed by tours of the facility. Read more>>

Alumni Association to sponsor Sangamon Trailblazers Dinner

The Sangamon Trailblazers Dinner, an opportunity for SSU/UIS alumni and retired faculty and staff to celebrate the campus' past and future, will be held from 5:30 to 7:45 p.m., Friday, October 5, in the PAC Restaurant. The evening will include a presentation by Dick Williams, former director of the Sangamon State University Physical Plant, and Dave Barrows, current executive director of Facilities and Services, as they reflect on "Then and Now: Field of Dreams – the Development of the UIS Campus." Read more>>

UIS schedules events for Homecoming Week

"An A-maze-ing Experience," Homecoming Week at UIS, will be celebrated October 1 through 6 with a variety of activities. See a partial schedule of events>>

UIS to host 12-hour festival Wig Out!

WIG OUT! – a 12-hour festival showcasing nationally known drag performers, allied musical groups, and local community organizations – will take place from noon to midnight on Saturday, September 22, on the UIS Quad.

Springfield's first non-Pride Week event for the LGBTQ and allied community, the festival will present song, dance, comedy, and speech to raise voices for human civil rights. The program is presented by UIS' Queer-Straight Alliance. Read more>>

UIS to host conference on the future of English studies

The UIS English Department will host "The Purpose(s) of English: A Conference on the Future of English Studies" Friday and Saturday, October 19 and 20, on campus. Advance registration is required to attend the conference, however two keynote addresses on Friday will be presented free and are open to the public.

The event will examine responses to issues facing college and university English departments in an era that increasingly pressures them to teach workplace literacy skills and career-specific knowledge. Keynote speakers will be Christine Farris, professor of English and director of composition at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, and John Schilb, Culbertson Chair of Writing at IU and editor of College English. Read more>>

Defending the Caveman coming to Sangamon Auditorium

Defending the Caveman, the longest-running solo play in Broadway history, is coming to the Sangamon Auditorium, UIS Studio Theatre, on Friday, October 5, at 8 p.m. and on Saturday, October 6, at 5 and 8 p.m. This prehistoric look at the battle of the sexes stars Tyler Bohne. Read more>>

Visual Arts Gallery presents "Faces of Paris"

"Mary Alice Johnston: Faces of Paris" will be on display at the Visual Arts Gallery from October 4 through November 1. An artist's talk sponsored by the UIS Alumni Association will be presented at 5:30 p.m. on October 4 in the gallery, followed by an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

The series is inspired by the passage of time and its effect on the life of a great city and its people. Johnston began taking the photographs in 1950 when she arrived in Paris for a year of study at the Sorbonne. Read more>>

Peoria-area alumni event to focus on security issues

"Business and Community Security in the 21st Century" will be the focus of A Taste of UIS Peoria program sponsored by the Peoria Chapter of the UIS Alumni Association. The event will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, in the LaSalle Room of Hotel Pere Marquette, 501 Main St., Peoria. An alumni panel of three experts will discuss this issue from their unique perspectives. Read more>>

Georgian State Dance Company comes to Sangamon Auditorium

The artistry and athleticism of the Georgian State Dance Company will come to Sangamon Auditorium at UIS on Wednesday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. Performing traditional folk dances from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, the company was named "Best Show of the Year on Broadway" in 1990. Read more>>

"Where have all the leaders gone?"

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David S. Broder, national political correspondent for The Washington Post, will present the latest in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation's Jim Edgar Lecture Series, "Where have all the leaders gone?" on Thursday, October 18, at 8 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium at UIS. Tickets are $10 and are on sale now through the Sangamon Auditorium Box Office, (217) 206-6160 or (800) 207-6960. Broder's presentation is sponsored by the Foundation and by UIS. Read more>>

Shimkus announces grant to WUIS

Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-19) has announced federal funding through the U.S. Department of Commerce for infrastructure improvements to WUIS. Through the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Public Telecommunications Facilities Program, WUIS will be receiving $137,512.

Bill Wheelhouse, WUIS general manager, said that the station would use the grant to purchase new digital equipment and overhaul internal wiring. Read more>>

SRO finds Obama, Giuliani lead in Illinois Presidential Preference Poll

Heading into the fall of 2007, Illinois Senator Barack Obama holds a commanding lead over New York Senator Hillary Clinton as the choice for the 2008 Democratic nomination among potential Illinois primary voters. On the Republican side, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani holds a narrower but still sizeable lead. These are the results of a statewide survey of randomly selected Illinois households conducted from late July through early September by the Survey Research Office at UIS. Read more>>

UIS to present screening of "The Shape of Water"

Filmmaker Dr. Kum-Kum Bhavnani will show and discuss her documentary The Shape of Water at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 20, in Brookens Auditorium. The event is part of UIS' Engaged Citizenship Common Experience Speakers Series and is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education.

The Shape of Water, which Bhavnani produced and directed, takes viewers around the globe for a look at five "powerful, imaginative, and visionary" women who are working to create social justice. Read more>>

Fall foreign and independent film series begins

UIS' Division of Student Affairs is sponsoring an Independent and Foreign Film Series on Friday nights this fall. All films will begin at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend. The series begins September 21 with Pan's Labyrinth. See a complete list of films>>

Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series examines "Lincoln and the Law"

The 2007 Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series presented by UIS – this year focusing on "Lincoln and the Law" – will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 4, in Brookens Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Featured discussants will be Dr. Mark E. Steiner, who will speak on "'The Sober Judgement of Courts': Lincoln, Lawyers, and the Rule of Law"; and Dr. Brian R. Dirck, whose topic will be "Abraham Lincoln: The Lawyer in the White House." Cullom Davis, UIS professor emeritus of history, will moderate.

This year's lectures are presented in memory of Professor Phillip Shaw Paludan, Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS, who had served as host of the series and who passed away on August 1. Read more>>

WUIS to host reception honoring "Skirting Convention" subjects

WUIS will host a reception celebrating the conclusion of the station's oral history series "Skirting Convention: Twelve Women Who Changed Springfield" from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 27, at The Sangamo Club in downtown Springfield.

Funded by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the series highlighted path-breaking contributions of women whose activism changed the community. The reception will also mark the release of an audio CD of the series. Read more>>

WUIS hosts area visit by NPR's Liane Hansen

On Wednesday, September 19, Liane Hansen, host of NPR's award-winning series Weekend Edition Sunday, will be the guest of honor at a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium lobby. She will speak on "People, Puzzles, and Politics" and, with WUIS News Director Rich Bradley, will discuss memorable moments in her career as well as the challenges and joys of producing a weekly radio program. Hansen is visiting the area as the guest of public radio station WUIS. Read more>>

Innocence Project discovers evidence leading to new trial

Students and staff of UIS' Downstate Illinois Innocence Project were instrumental in uncovering new evidence that helped win a new trial for Herbert Whitlock, currently serving a life sentence for the 1986 murder of Dyke and Karen Rhoads. An appeal filed by Whitlock's attorneys seeking a new trial was granted by Illinois' 4th District Court of Appeals on September 6.

Whitlock's attorneys in this appeal were assisted in the post-conviction investigation by students in Wrongful Convictions class taught by Larry Golden. Under the direction of Bill Clutter, the Project's director of investigations, the students interviewed witnesses and helped prepare for the evidentiary hearing. Clutter had also worked to develop forensic evidence that was used earlier in successful efforts to free Whitlock's co-defendant, Randy Steidl, from death row. Read more>>

Fall enrollment sets another record; student body more diverse

Enrollment at UIS this fall is the largest ever in the institution's 37-year history. A record number of freshmen and online students helped boost total enrollment to 4,855, a 3.8% increase over last fall's record of 4,761 students.

UIS is also setting other records this fall. Marya Leatherwood, director of Enrollment Management, noted, "This is one of the most diverse student bodies in the history of the campus with respect to geography, race, and ethnicity." Read more>>

BOT okays increased cost for residence hall with green roof

The U of I Board of Trustees has approved an increase in the cost of constructing a new residence hall at UIS, bringing the total cost for the 200-bed structure to $16,777,677. The hall will open in fall 2008 and feature a green (grass) roof, the first one on a public building in Springfield. Read more>>

UIS to offer ASL concentration

Thanks to a $30,000 gift from Springfield attorney Joe Gibbs and his wife, Lynn, UIS will offer a concentration in American Sign Language beginning in the 2008 spring semester. The Gibbses provided funding for first-year development and implementation of the concentration, to be offered by the Teacher Education Program.

Under the direction of Allan Cook, associate professor of Teacher Education, the concentration will be called American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Linguistics and will consist of six courses. Read more>>

Marvin Hamlisch coming to Sangamon Auditorium

Sangamon Auditorium at UIS will open its 2007-2008 Performing Arts Season with composer, songwriter, conductor Marvin Hamlisch, Friday, September 14, at 8 p.m.

One of the preeminent pop artists of our time, Hamlisch is perhaps best known for his smash Broadway hits including "A Chorus Line" and "The Goodbye Girl," as well as for such film scores as "The Way We Were" and "The Sting." Read more>>

UIS alum named White House press secretary

UIS alumna Dana Perino has been named White House Press Secretary, according to an August 31 announcement by President George Bush. Perino, Deputy White House Press Secretary since 2006, will assume the position when current Press Secretary Tony Snow steps down on September 14. Perino, 35, graduated from UIS in 1995 with a master's degree in Public Affairs Reporting. Read more>>

Political art series resumes for fall with "Control Room"

UIS' series Political Art and the Public Sphere resumes for the fall with a screening of the film "Control Room" at 6 p.m. Monday, September 17, in Brookens Auditorium. This award-winning documentary takes viewers inside Iraq and Al-Jazeera TV headquarters to provide a critical look at international perception of the war, as presented by the Arab world's most popular news outlet.

Series facilitator Richard Gilman-Opalsky notes that the film is centrally concerned with the importance of media bias, and the degree to which media is steered by politics. Read more>>

WUIS Statehouse reporter Vinicky wins national award

WUIS Statehouse reporter Amanda Vinicky recently won first-place honors in the annual competition sponsored by Capitolbeat, the national organization of journalists covering state and local governments. The award, in the radio in-depth reporting category, recognized "Electric Rate Shock," Vinicky's series focusing on how Illinois fared after electric utility deregulation. Read more>>

Sunday Star Parties for people with disabilities

Three Sunday Night Star Parties for people with disabilities are planned – on September 23, October 21, and November 18 – weather permitting. All sessions will be held in the UIS observatory. The parties are free, but reservations are required and should be made no later than Friday, September 14. Read more>>

Graduate student to address statewide conference

Ken Davis, a UIS graduate student in Computer Science, will be among the presenters at the 23rd Annual Telecommunications and Public Safety Conference, to be held in October in Springfield.

Davis is a systems and security analyst with the Sangamon County Emergency Telephone System Department. His presentation will focus on helping 9-1-1 center managers become familiar with networking and security concepts so that they can make better-educated technical decisions. Read more>>

Visual Arts Gallery presents "Topological Synapses"

UIS' Visual Arts Gallery begins its 2007 fall season with "Topological Synapses" -- a series of abstract, three-dimensional works by painter Ioan Florea. The exhibit opens Friday, August 31, with an artist's talk at 5:30 p.m., followed by an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

Florea is a native of Transylvania and attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Romania. His work is represented in several American and European collections. Read more>>

UIS' popular Friday night Star Parties to resume

UIS' popular Star Parties will begin for the fall on Friday, September 7, and continue every Friday night through October 26, weather permitting. Star Parties are from 8 to 10 p.m. in the UIS observatory. John Martin, assistant professor of Astronomy/Physics, will be the host. Read more>>

Papers of Abraham Lincoln featured in PBS program

John Lupton, associate director/associate editor of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln -- a project of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and cosponsored by the Center for State Policy and Leadership at UIS -- will be featured in the Monday, August 27, episode of "The History Detectives" on PBS. In the segment, program host Elyse Luray talks with Lupton about his assessment of a possible Lincoln document.

WILL Channel 12 will broadcast the program at 8 p.m. Charter Communications customers who receive PBS out of St. Louis can see it at 9 p.m. Read more>>

Peoria alumni invited to After Work Social

Peoria-area alumni, as well as current UIS students, are invited to an After Work Social from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 29, at Uno's, located in the Mark Twain Hotel, 225 Adams in downtown Peoria. Read more>>

Auditions set for fall production of Picnic

The UIS Theatre Program will hold open auditions for the first production of its 2007-2008 season – William Inge's classic drama Picnic – on Sunday, September 9, and Monday, September 10, beginning at 7 p.m. both nights, in the Studio Theatre. Call-backs will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 11. Auditions are open to anyone, with or without experience. Rehearsals will begin Sunday, September 16. Read more>>

Lunchtime series will focus on the Mississippi River

"Of Time and the Mississippi," a four-part Lunch and Learn Series, will be presented at UIS beginning in September. Each program will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the PAC restaurant. Participants may attend one or all of the programs; however reservations should be made at least one week in advance of the event.

The programs are: Tuesday, September 11, "Of History and the Mississippi"; Tuesday, September 18, "Of Time and Ecology of the Mississippi"; Tuesday, September 25, "Of Time, Music, and Literature on the Mississippi"; and Tuesday, October 2, "Of Time and Commerce on the Mississippi." Read more>>

Twenty-five new faculty join UIS

Twenty-five new faculty members have joined UIS for the 2007 fall semester. Eight will teach in programs within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; six will teach in the College of Public Affairs and Administration; six in the College of Education and Human Services; two in the College of Business and Management; and three will teach in the library.

See brief profiles of the newest faculty, as well as a link to a webcast of the 2007 Fall Convocation>>

Community invited to join musical groups

Members of the community who are interested in sharing their musical talents are invited to join the UIS Band, Chorus, and Chamber Orchestra, now gearing up for the fall semester. Auditions are not required to join any of the groups, and participants can earn academic credit, if desired. Read more, including the rehearsal schedules>>

Public invited to comment about UIS

UIS will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit October 22-24 from a team representing its accrediting agency, The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In preparation for the visit, UIS is seeking comments from the public about the university.

The Commission requires that public comments be sought as part of the reaccreditation process, and will consider these comments in determining continuing status for the university. Comments, which cannot be treated as confidential, must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs. Read more>>

Professor and alums take top honors in national competition

Charles Wheeler, professor and director of UIS' Public Affairs Reporting program, along with six PAR graduates, were among the winners of the annual competition sponsored by Capitolbeat, the national organization of journalists covering state and local governments. Wheeler received top honors for magazine commentary, recognizing his contributions as a columnist for Illinois Issues magazine. The six PAR alumni won a total of 10 awards, including four firsts. Also at the conference, three PAR graduates were elected to the Capitolbeat board.

Wheeler noted that in the seven-year history of the Capitolbeat awards, PAR alums have won 41 of them, including 13 firsts. Read more>>

Total lunar eclipse will occur August 28

A total lunar eclipse will be visible in the Springfield area, weather permitting, on Tuesday morning, August 28. Locally, the event will begin at 3:51 a.m. (CDT); totality will last until 6:23 a.m. Last contact with the earth's shadow will be at 7:24 a.m. (CDT). Charles Schweighauser, professor of astronomy and physics at UIS, said that if the weather is clear the eclipse can be viewed from anywhere the moon is visible using binoculars or a telescope, as well as with the unaided eye. The UIS observatory will not be open for the event. Read more>>

Grad student is named Elder Abuse Caseworker of the Year

Melissa Ross, a graduate student in the Human Services program at UIS, has been named 2007 Elder Abuse Caseworker of the Year. Employed with Senior Services of Central Illinois for nearly two years, Ross responds to intakes of alleged abuse cases and investigates the allegations.

She said, "While I'm happy to receive this award, I am only doing my job. I really care about this issue and hope to be a great advocate for seniors in central Illinois." In conjunction with her award, Ross will attend a national conference on adult protective services this fall. Read more>>

WUIS is first station in Springfield to go digital

WUIS-WIPA, the local NPR affiliate at UIS, officially launched its digital signal on August 7, becoming the first radio station in Springfield to offer clearer sound and the possibility of more than one program stream.

Bill Wheelhouse, station general manager, noted, "Even though years ago people were skeptical that anyone would listen to FM radio, FM ended up revolutionizing AM listening. In the same way, we expect digital to be the wave of the future."

UIS Chancellor Richard Ringeisen said, "This is an important milestone for WUIS and the university. I'm especially excited about the learning possibilities for our students interested in journalism and broadcasting." Read more>>

Cavalry band to present concert

The 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Band – a recreation of the original Civil War-era band – will perform in concert at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 4, in Union Park Plaza, across from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The concert is free and open to the public. The band is an affiliated ensemble of UIS Music. Read more>>

UIS receives grant to expand campus recycling efforts

Recycling efforts at UIS will be supported by a $27,550 grant from Opportunity Returns, a program initiated by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to divert recyclable materials from landfills and to expand and enhance the state's recycling collection and processing infrastructure. UIS will use the grant to place collection bins at locations not previously served and to hire a recycling coordinator for the campus. Matching funds will come from UIS' Division of Student Affairs.

UIS faculty members Tih-Fen Ting and Marc Klingshirn co-wrote the grant last fall with the help of student group SAGE (Students Allied for a Greener Earth). Read more>>

Distinguished Lincoln Scholar Phillip Shaw Paludan dies

Phillip Shaw Paludan, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War and historian at UIS, died August 1 after struggling with a long illness. Dr. Paludan held UIS' first distinguished chair – the Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies – established in 2001.

Speaking on behalf of the entire campus community, Chancellor Richard Ringeisen expressed deep sadness over Dr. Paludan's death. "It was a great privilege to count Phil Paludan among our faculty and to know him for the exceptional human being that he was," Ringeisen said. "His presence raised the stature of this institution, and so we are honored to have had him as long as we did."

Margo Duley, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, noted that Paludan was "generous of his time and expertise with the undergraduate and graduate students who studied with him, and took his teaching responsibilities with great seriousness." Read more>>

Dave Antoine receives first annual CARE Award

David Antoine, a television production coordinator in the Office of Electronic Media, is the recipient of the first annual Chancellor's Award to Recognize Excellence in Civil Service. The award, presented at a breakfast held July 31 in the PAC, was established jointly by Chancellor Richard Ringeisen and the Civil Service Advisory Council. It serves to "recognize the exceptional work of all civil service employees" and will honor one employee each year. Read more, including the list of nominees>>

Media Advisory: WUIS to announce launch of HD radio

On Tuesday, August 7, public radio WUIS will hold a news conference to announce the launch of HD radio in Springfield. The signal will be available to listeners with HD receivers and will feature clearer, uninterrupted sound. Eventually the station will be able to offer several channels of programs. Read more>>

WSEC program to feature Tibetan monks' visit to UIS

Making Conversation, which airs on Springfield's PBS station WSEC-TV, will feature footage captured last spring during the visit to UIS of Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery.

Over three days, the monks constructed a mandala sand painting in Sangamon Auditorium lobby in conjunction with a stage performance of sacred Tibetan music and dance. Mandalas are believed to have healing qualities and help support world peace.

The episode of Making Conversation featuring the monks will air Friday, August 3, and Sunday, August 5, and will also feature local spectators describing what it was like to watch the mandala being made. Read more>>

UIS announces spring semester deans’ list

A total of 491 students were named to the UIS Deans' List for the 2007 spring semester. To qualify for the designation, a student must be an undergraduate who took at least eight graded semester hours and maintained a grade-point average of at least 3.75 for the semester.

Click here for a printable list of students' names, arranged alphabetically by hometown.

Auditorium CYO packages, individual Visiting Artists, Family Series tickets go on sale

This year, Sangamon Auditorium will feature a "Create Your Own Series" package that allows patrons to select shows from the Visiting Artists, Broadway, and Family Series at UIS. Read more, including brief descriptions of each show>>

Pre-Law Center offers LSAT prep

UIS' Pre-Law Center will offer an LSAT Primer Program – designed for UIS students and others planning to take the Law School Aptitude Test – from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, August 15 through 17, in the PAC. Cost is $190. Advance registration is due by Monday, August 6. Read more>>

UIS and Springfield public libraries to sponsor annual Trivia Night

The annual Trivia Night contest sponsored by Friends of Brookens Library at UIS and the Friends of Lincoln Public Library of Springfield will be Saturday, July 14, in the PAC cafeteria. The doors will open and team registration will begin at 6 p.m.; play begins at 7 p.m. Proceeds from the tournament will be used to support the activities of both libraries. Read more>>

Innocence Project receives IPDA Award of Excellence

UIS' Downstate Illinois Innocence Project has received an Award of Excellence from the Illinois Public Defender Association. IPDA President Stephen Richards noted that the award was made "in recognition and sincere appreciation of the Project's outstanding service to the Illinois legal community and for untiring advocacy in the fight for fairness and justice for innocent citizens who have been wrongfully convicted." Read more>>

Computer Science department receives grant exceeding $145,000

UIS' Computer Science department has received an equipment donation grant of more than $145,000 from the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Group.

Ted Mims, professor and department chair, said that the new equipment will allow faculty and students to work together to design, implement, and test theoretical security and information assurance applications in a real-world environment. Read more>>

Instructor receives Cisco 4 R Award

Janis Rose, an instructor in the Computer Science program, has been chosen by the Cisco Networking Academy to receive an Instructor 4 R Award in the Relationship category. This award recognizes the recipient's efforts in creating classroom relationships to ensure optimal learning and in establishing strategic relationships to create opportunities for students.

Ted Mims, who nominated Rose for the award, noted that her success as a teacher is reflected in the successes of her students, at both the high school and college level. Read more>>

UIS joins State Farm list of targeted recruiting schools

UIS recently received word that the Computer Science Department has been added to State Farm Insurance's list of academic departments for targeted recruiting schools. Academic programs from target schools are selected based on curriculum, makeup of the student body, and unique strengths the department provides for computer science majors. Ted Mims, professor of Computer Science and department chair, said that this new partnership provides some significant benefits to UIS students who are majoring in Computer Science. Read more>>

UIS breaks ground for premier field station at Emiquon

On June 14 UIS broke ground for a field station at Emiquon Preserve along the Illinois River near Lewistown. At the station, faculty and students will study education and research floodplains, particularly the restoration of The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve, the largest floodplain restoration project in the Midwest.

Facilities at the new field station will include offices, a smart classroom, conference room, library/study, and wet and dry laboratories. Read more>>

Theatre Program announces 07-08 season

The Theatre Program at UIS has announced its 2007-2008 season, "Mid-Century in Mid-America."

The fall production will be William Inge's classic drama Picnic; the winter production will feature Student-Directed Scenes; and the spring production will be Tennessee Williams' "serious comedy" Period of Adjustment. Read more>>

UIS to offer a "taste" of online learning

UIS will offer the public "A Taste of UIS Online" – four free, on-line, non-credit courses – in July. Holly McCracken, director of Online Programs for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, explained, "Since there is no tuition, no books to buy, and no grades, we think that most folks will find this to be a fun and productive way to explore online learning." Read more>>

Faculty member receives Fulbright grant for research in Northern Ireland

Brent Never, UIS assistant professor of public administration, has received a Fulbright grant to spend the 2007 fall semester studying conflict resolution in Northern Ireland.

Based at the University of Ulster, outside Belfast, Never will conduct research into how nonprofit organizations get involved in conflict mediation at the local level. He will also teach courses in public administration as a visiting faculty member. Read more>>

Center for State Policy and Leadership to present forum

The Center for State Policy and Leadership at UIS will present a Forum on State Government and Citizen Participation beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20, in PAC conference room C/D.

Featured speakers are Alan Ehrenhalt, executive editor of Governing Magazine, and Richard Schuldt, director of the Survey Research Office at UIS. Ehrenhalt's topic will be "The States in the 21st Century." Schuldt will speak on "Citizen Views of State Government: New Survey Findings from Illinois."

The event is co-sponsored by Public Radio WUIS 91.9 FM. Reservations should be made by June 13. Read more>>

Sangamon Auditorium announces 07-08 Performing Arts Season

Sangamon Auditorium at UIS will officially announce its 2007-2008 Performing Arts Season on Thursday, June 7. Read more, including brief descriptions of each show>>

U of I launches $2.25 billion campaign

The University of Illinois has launched Brilliant Futures: The Campaign for the University of Illinois, the largest fundraising effort in the school's 140-year history. The goal of the campaign is to raise $2.25 billion to support students, faculty, research, programs, and campus environments. According to U of I Foundation President Sidney S. Micek, the Foundation has received commitments of $990.8 million in gifts, grants, and pledges to the campaign as of May 29, 2007.

The Brilliant Futures Campaign publicly launches June 1 at an event at Chicago's Navy Pier. The Campaign began with its planning phase on July 1, 2003, and will continue through the end of 2011. Read more>>

College of Education and Human Services to honor three emeritus faculty

Three retired faculty members from UIS' College of Education and Human Services – M'Lou Burnett Dixon, Caryl Moy, and Regan Smith – will be honored at a luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 21, in Sangamon Auditorium Lobby. Oil portraits of the three, to be installed in the College, will also be unveiled. Read more>>

Management Department award winners

Three UIS students majoring in Management -- Debra Trott, Jesse Donley, and Phuong Nguyen -- have received awards for excellence in the department. Read more>>

Alumni to host Summer Party

The UIS Alumni SAGE Society will host a Summer Party beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, June 15, at Island Bay Yacht Club, 76 Yacht Club Rd., Springfield. Advance reservations are requested by June 8. Read more>>

UIS grad to represent Illinois at national event

Derek Murray, who graduated from UIS in May with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, has been chosen to represent Illinois at the Cisco Networking Academy 10th Anniversary Celebration, which will take place in Washington, DC, in October. Only one Cisco student/alumni is being invited from each state. Read more>>

BOT approves tuition hike: UIS remains among most affordable

Tuition at UIS will be $3,180 per semester for full-time freshmen and transfer students enrolling for the first time in summer or fall 2007. The U of I Board of Trustees voted to approve the 2007-2008 rates at its meeting in Chicago on Thursday.

The new rate is $390 more per semester than the rate paid by last fall's new students. However, the rate is guaranteed not to increase for four consecutive years after the student's initial enrollment. Illinois' public universities implemented a guaranteed tuition plan for all undergraduate students in 2004. Read more>>

Cavalry band to present concert series

The 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Band -- a recreated Civil War-era band -- will present the first in its seven-part summer concert series beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 19, in Union Park across from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The band is an affiliated ensemble of UIS Music and is directed by Todd Cranson, UIS assistant director of co-curricular music. Read more>>

Students receive achievement and recognition awards

Achievement and recognition awards were presented to 90 students during UIS commencement ceremonies on May 12. Click here to see a list of awards and the students who received them>>

Three UIS students receive Brundage scholarships

Three students at UIS -- Priyanka Deo, Allison Leight, and Sarah Wellard -- were among 20 recipients of Avery Brundage Scholarships, made to U of I students who excel in both academics and athletics. Each will receive $2,500 for the 2007-2008 academic year. Read more>>

UIS graduates more than 1,150

More than 1,150 students received degrees at UIS' 36th commencement ceremony on May 12. See a printable list of graduates' names and degrees>>

Graduate student receives FMC Fellowship

Annalee Huntington, a graduate student in the MBA program offered by UIS in Peoria, has received a Graduate Fellowship from Chicago-based FMC Technologies, Inc. Huntington will receive $9,000 for the 2007-2008 academic year. She is currently employed as an operations supervisor with Caterpillar.

FMC graduate fellowships are made to outstanding students in business administration, engineering, or related fields in recognition of noteworthy achievements. Nominations are made by students' program advisers and final selections are made by representatives of FMC, the U of I, and the U of I Foundation. Read more>>

Students inducted into educational honor society

Seven students in the College of Education and Human Services at UIS were inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education, in ceremonies held May 6 on campus. Students selected for membership must exhibit high academic achievement, commitment to a career in education, and a professional attitude that promises steady growth in the profession.

Allan Cook, associate professor of Teacher Education and counselor for the UIS chapter, noted, "These seven students' decision to become teachers honors the profession," Read more>>

Media advisory: CBM reception

College of Business and Management faculty and staff, leaders from the business community, and friends of the university will gather at a reception today to mark the college's recent accreditation by AACSB International.

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – International is the world's premier accrediting agency for collegiate schools of business. Only about 10 percent of business programs worldwide and about 28 percent in the U.S. presently have this accreditation. Read more>>

WUIS exceeds spring fundraiser goal

Public radio station WUIS recently completed its most successful fundraiser ever, raising more than $120,000 in donations over nine days. Station Manager Bill Wheelhouse noted that the high goal was necessary to keep up with rising expenses related to programming and technical maintenance. Station Development Director Lisa Stott said listener response proves that public radio is "really a community endeavor and a community resource." Read more>>

Sangamon Auditorium announces 07-08 Class Acts Series

Sangamon Auditorium at UIS has announced the line-up for its 2007-2008 Class Acts Series for young audiences. Read more, including a brief description of each program>>

Reception honors faculty achievements

UIS held its annual reception to recognize faculty achievements on May 2. Chancellor Richard Ringeisen and Provost Harry Berman presided over a ceremony honoring faculty members who have received tenure and/or promotion, been awarded sabbaticals, or granted emeritus status.

In addition, the tenth annual Pearson Award for outstanding teaching was presented to Ethan Lewis, associate professor of English, and the ninth annual Spencer Faculty Service Award was given to Karen Kirkendall, associate professor of Individual Option. Read more>>

Commencement will be May 12 at The Center

UIS' 36th commencement will be Saturday, May 12, at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in downtown Springfield. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt will deliver the main address in ceremonies that begin at 2 p.m. Of the 1,162 students eligible to graduate, 682 will participate in the ceremony.

More information, including marshals' names and a link to the live webcast>>

45 CBM students inducted into honor society

Forty-five students from UIS' College of Business and Management will be inducted into Sigma Beta Delta – an international honor society in business, management, and administration – in a ceremony and reception to be held on campus Saturday, May 12.

For business students who attend a college or university with a Sigma Beta Delta chapter, membership is the highest national recognition they can receive. Read more>>

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt is 2007 commencement speaker

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, vice president of Global Corporate Citizenship for The Boeing Company, Chicago, will be the speaker at UIS' 36th commencement ceremony, which will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in downtown Springfield.

Ms. Roosevelt is currently enterprise-wide leader of Boeing's global corporate citizenship activities and has served in a number of capacities in Chicago city government, including a term as director of the Mayor's Office of Program Development from 1996 through 1998. She is the granddaughter of President Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. Read more>>

Psychology honor society inducts 35

Thirty-five students in the Psychology program at UIS were inducted into Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, in ceremonies held April 15 on campus. Psi Chi is dedicated to encouraging excellence in scholarship and is open to qualified graduate and undergraduate students. Read more>>

Shari McCurdy receives fourth annual CAPE Award

Shari McCurdy, associate director of UIS' Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning, is the recipient of the fourth annual Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence Award at UIS. The award was presented at a reception held April 25 in the PAC restaurant.

The CAPE Award recognizes U of I academic professionals for their efforts in three general categories: work projects, professional development and affiliations, and contributions to their units. In presenting the award, Chancellor Richard Ringeisen observed that APs are a "pillar" at UIS. "When we recognize one AP, we recognize the work of them all," he said. Read more>>

Two UIS graduates among Golden Apple Award winners

Two UIS graduates, Melinda Wilson and Scott Reed, are among the recipients of 2007 Golden Apple Awards, honoring teachers in Chicago-area schools, grades 9 through 12. The awards are presented by The Golden Apple Foundation, an organization dedicated to recognizing and developing excellence in teaching.

Wilson is one of 10 winners of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching; Reed is one of 10 Golden Apple Teachers of Distinction. Some 800 teachers from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will counties were nominated for the awards; 32 finalists were named in January. Read more>>

Media Advisory: Call for passage of SJR9

Legislative sponsors of SJR 9, which calls for a study of exonerations in non-capital cases and which they hope will lead to the creation of a state Innocence Commission, will hold a news conference at 1:30 today to discuss the proposed resolution. SJR 9 resulted from discussions of a working group that included representatives of the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at UIS. Read more>>

Communication honor society inducts 12

Twelve students in the Communication program were inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the official honor society of the National Communication Association, in ceremonies held April 22 on campus.

Inductees were Morgan Carroll, Amber Emmons, Callista Frazer, Betsy Fullerton, Amanda Graham, Krista Hall, Brittany Harris, Catalina Hernandez, Emily Martin, Brittany Schafer, Ashley Stoneking, Thomas Straight, Ashley Walz, Sheri Wells, and Diamend Younker.

A worldwide organization with more than 400 chapters, Lambda Pi Eta promotes scholastic achievement and professional development among students. Read more>>

Visual Arts program to host artists lecture

Jessica Bader and Christine Rabenold will deliver a Visiting Artists Lecture beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in VPA room 150. Their subject will be "Anglewood Farm: Paris, Illinois," a collaborative project that combines porcelain sculpture with artifacts from the farm to symbolize its historical culture and activities over time. "Anglewood Farm" is currently on display at North Central College in Naperville. Read more>>

UIS team wins ASCLS Student Bowl

A team of students from UIS' Clinical Laboratory Science program defeated the team from Evanston Hospital to take first place in the Student Bowl competition held during the recent American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science - Illinois annual conference.

UIS fielded two teams in the competition, which included students from clinical laboratory science programs around the state. Read more>>

UIS to host first concert of Civil War-era band

The 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Band -- a recreation of the brass band that accompanied the regiment during the Civil War -- will give its inaugural concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 6, in the PAC Studio Theater.

The original 10th Cavalry Band was mustered into service in 1861 at Camp Butler and was informally known as 'Lincoln's Own' because the members were from the Sangamon, Logan, and Christian county areas. Today's band members are from the same counties and play period music on original and reproduction instruments. Read more>>

Mandala Sand Painting: A free public exhibition at Sangamon Auditorium

The Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery will be practicing the artistic tradition of sand painting in the lobby area of Sangamon Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public and will take place over a three-day period -- Tuesday, April 24, through Friday, April 27-- before their performance of Sacred Music, Sacred Dance for World Healing in the Auditorium on April 27. Read more, including a schedule of events>>

Sacred music, sacred dance for world healing comes to Sangamon Auditorium

The multiphonic singers of Tibet's Drepung Loseling Monastery, whose sellout performances in Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center received national acclaim, will perform Friday, April 27, at 8 p.m. in Sangamon Auditorium as part of their international tour of "Sacred Music and Sacred Dance for World Healing."

The tour has three basic purposes: to make a contribution to world healing and peace movements; to generate a greater awareness of Tibet's endangered civilization; and to raise support for the refugee community. Read more>>

College of Business and Management receives AACSB accreditation

The College of Business and Management at UIS has received word that it has been accepted for accreditation by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

AACSB International is the world's premier accrediting agency for collegiate schools of business. The designation places the College among an elite group – only about 10 percent of business programs worldwide and about 28 percent in the U.S. presently have this accreditation.

Earning AACSB accreditation is a voluntary, multi-year process during which a school develops and implements a plan to meet a wide range of quality standards.

CBM Dean Ronald McNeil noted, "We are very proud of this achievement, and very proud as well of the college's faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders who played such a significant role." Read more>>

Music groups to present Spring Showcase Concert

UIS music groups will present their annual Spring Showcase Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 27, in the Studio Theatre. A reception will follow.

The concert will feature a varied repertoire by the UIS Band, Chamber Orchestra, Chorus, World Percussion Club, A Capella Club, and the Faculty Fiddle Band. Tickets are $5; all proceeds will benefit the UIS Music Student Merit Award. Read more>>

Media Advisory: Presentation by Winona LaDuke

Environmental activist and former vice presidential candidate Winona LaDuke will be at UIS as part of the campus' observance of Earth Week on Tuesday, April 17. At 7:30 p.m., LaDuke will speak on "Politics, Women, and Environmental Justice" in the Studio Theatre. Before that, she will be the guest of honor at a student reception beginning at 5 p.m. in the PAC Atrium Lounge. Read more>>

UIS to host data warehousing workshop

UIS' Department of Management Information Systems and the Midwest Association for Information Systems will hold a half-day workshop on "Data Warehousing Applications in Private and Public Sector Organizations" Friday, May 18, on campus. The deadline to register is May 11. Workshop facilitator will be Ronald S. Swift, internationally known strategist, consultant, and author. Read more>>

UIS to hold annual Alternative Prom

The Queer-Straight Alliance at UIS will host its annual Alternative Prom from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, April 14, in the Student Center.

The alcohol-free event is open to all area lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered, and questioning youth and their allies. One student ID (from a high school or university) will admit the holder and up to four guests. Read more>>

Child care center to observe National Week of the Young Child

Cox Children's Center will join organizations around the country in observing Week of the Young Child, April 23 through 27. Activities will include an Open House from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27. The campus and local community are invited to attend.

Center Director Stacey Hembrough noted, "Week of the Young Child is a chance to celebrate learning opportunities for young children, and to recognize the responsibilities we share for helping them make the most of their early years." Read more>>

Criminal Justice honor society inducts four

Induction ceremonies for four new members of the Epsilon Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society, will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 22, in the PAC restaurant.

Alpha Phi Sigma, the only national honor society for criminal justice majors, recognizes the academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students. Inductees are Michelle Edwards, Katherine Grady, Scott Hale, and Samantha Hansen. Leanne Brecklin, assistant professor of Criminal Justice, is chapter adviser. The ceremony will also honor 14 members who are graduating this academic year. Read more>>

Five students receive awards from EXS-L Programs

Five students – Andrea Danes, Thomas Hargrove, Lea Hudson, Stephanie Myers, and Edward Simmonds – have received Outstanding Student Awards from Experiential and Service-Learning Programs at UIS. The awards are presented each spring for placements and portfolios undertaken the previous year.

Hargrove, Myers, and Simmons are recipients of the Craig Brown Outstanding AST Student Award. Danes and Hudson received the Credit for Prior Learning Walden-Irwin Award.

To be nominated for an Outstanding AST Award, students must demonstrate excellence in areas including self-learning, personal growth, reflection, and the acquisition of new skills. CPL evaluates experiences outside the traditional university classroom that may qualify as college credit. Read more>>

PAPS series continues with "Pictures from a Revolution"

UIS' monthly series Political Art and the Public Sphere will present the classic political documentary "Pictures from a Revolution," at 6 p.m. Monday, April 30, in Brookens Auditorium.

Filmmaker Susan Meiselas is an award-winning photojournalist who covered the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua for The New York Times and London Times; some of the photos she took were used for propaganda by both sides in the civil war that followed. Read more>>

UIS to co-sponsor "Budget on the Brink" conference

"Budget on the Brink," a conference examining ways that state government can ensure the availability of adequate revenues to address critical needs in education, health care, human services, and pension funding, will be presented from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, April 16, at the Hilton Hotel, 700 E. Adams, in Springfield.

Conference co-sponsors are UIS' Center for State Policy and Leadership, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU-C, the U of I Institute of Government and Public Affairs, the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and Illinois Issues magazine. Speakers will present diverse perspectives on spending and revenue. For more information, including how to register>>

Documentary on urban environmentalism focuses on Chicago

"Chicago: City of the Big Shoulders," a documentary about environmental rebirth and transformation in Chicago, will be shown in Brookens Auditorium on Thursday, April 12. A reception will precede the screening at 6 p.m. in MacDonald Lounge. The film will begin at 7 p.m., and a question-and-answer session with producer Harry Wiland will follow at 8 p.m.

The program is part of "Edens Lost & Found," a four-part PBS series that highlights practical solutions to improving the environment and quality of life in American cities. Read more>>

Senior Shows are next art exhibit

Graduating seniors in UIS' Visual Arts program will present "Student Show: 3 Galleries," from May 3 through 15. Three exhibits of work by 17 students -- showcasing a variety of styles and media -- will be on display in the Lincoln Residence Hall Great Room, Public Affairs Center, and Visual Arts Gallery. An opening reception will be held at each location from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 3. Read more>>

UIS to host 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, April 28. The program will include an academic fair, campus tours, lunch, and greetings from the chancellor and provost.

Click here for information on making a reservation>>

Two students are finalists in annual college art competition

Artwork by two UIS art students – Jeffrey Robinson and Matthew Schultz – has been selected for inclusion in the 2007 Annual Collegiate Artists Competition, sponsored by the Office of the Governor and the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Robinson will exhibit his painting "Scarabaeidae-JapSinophobia" and Schultz will exhibit his print "Freedom Pass." They are among only 51 finalists chosen statewide.

Finalists will exhibit their work from May 5 to June 21 at Oakton Community College's Koehnline Museum of Art in Des Plaines. This is the first time that UIS students have been represented in the contest. Read more>>

Campus events mark Disability Awareness Week

UIS will host a number of activities from April 23 through 27 in observance of Disability Awareness Week. Events range from a wheelchair basketball game to an art experience, stress relief workshops, a comedy show, and a community resource fair on transitioning from high school to independent living. All events are free and fully accessible to the mobility-impaired. See a complete schedule>>

Professor emerita among Red Cross "Heroes"

Mattilou Catchpole, UIS professor emerita of Women's Studies, will be among those honored at the annual Heroes Breakfast sponsored by the Illinois Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross on April 20 at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield.

Since 1990, Catchpole has volunteered one month each year with Health Volunteers Overseas, a group whose purpose is to teach professionals in countries where there is a vital need for health care training and educational support services. Read more>>

UIS graduate is author of upcoming novel

Joshua Doetsch, who graduated from UIS in May 2006 with a master's degree in English, is the author of two soon-to-be-published pieces – the novel Strangeness in the Proportion and the short story "Snow, Blood, and Sparrows."

Strangeness will be published by horror/science fiction/fantasy house White Wolf Publishing after being chosen from an original pool of more than 1,000 submissions to win a novel-writing contest sponsored by White Wolf. "Sparrows" will appear in the anthology Book of Dead Things, coming soon from Chicago-based Twilight Tales Press. Read more>>

2007 Verbal Arts Festival

The 2007 Verbal Arts Festival will be Saturday, April 21, in the Public Affairs Center. The program begins at noon with a luncheon in the PAC restaurant. Judy Everson, professor emerita of English, will deliver the keynote address titled "When Johnny Comes Marching Home: James Jones' Last Literary Odyssey." Other events range from an original play to a reunion of past contributors to the Alchemist Review. Read more>>

Seventh Annual Science Research Symposium

UIS' Seventh Annual Science Research Symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 20. The event features presentations on applied or theoretical research by undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty in science programs at UIS and other colleges and universities in the area. The invited keynote speaker is Dr. May Berenbaum, professor and head of the Department of Entomology at UIUC, who will speak on "Webworms and Parsnips: A Case History in Chemical Evolution." Berenbaum's presentation will begin at 3 p.m. Read more>>

WUIS to air two new series in April

Starting in April, WUIS will air two special series exploring the creative process and the impact that music can have on our lives.

The MTT Files, a new eight-part series hosted by San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, can be heard Mondays at 9 p.m. from April 2 through May 21.

Four new episodes in the "Musicians in Their Own Words" project will be aired as part of The Saturday Beat, Saturdays at 8 p.m. between April 7 and April 28. Read more>>

UIS to host annual Philological Conference

Marcellus Leonard and Jacqueline Jackson will be the featured speakers at the Illinois Philological Association's 11th annual conference, to be held Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14, at UIS. The two-day event will feature some 80 presentations of creative or scholarly works and panel discussions by students, faculty, independent scholars, and writers from throughout the state.

Leonard, who has published three books of poetry, will speak at 7 p.m. on Friday. He is an associate professor in UIS' English program. Jackson will speak at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. An English professor emerita at UIS, she is the author of 13 books. Read more>>

Arts Night features music, artwork, and theater

An art exhibit, music, theater, and good food will be featured during UIS' annual Arts Night, to be held Friday, April 13, on campus. Sponsored by the U of I Alumni Association, this event is presented as an opportunity for the community to enjoy a variety of arts-related activities.

The evening will begin with a display of mixed-media art by Dr. Roland Folse in the Visual Arts Gallery. Dr. Folse will speak about his work beginning at 6 p.m., followed by an hors d'oeuvres reception.

At 7:30 p.m. the UIS Chamber Orchestra will present a recital in the PAC TV studio. Special guest conductor will be John McLaughlin Williams.

At 8 p.m. the UIS Theatre program will present a student/faculty showcase production of the drama Two Rooms by Lee Blessing. Special guest director will be Leigh Steiner. The cast features faculty Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson and Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, and students Roger Boyd and Alicia Artner. Read more>>

WUIS' Cardoza receives Murrow Award

Kavitha Cardoza, Springfield bureau chief for public radio WUIS, is among the regional winners in the 2007 Edward R. Murrow Award competition sponsored by the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

Cardoza was recognized for her report "No Place Like Home," which examined the plight of homeless children.

Murrow awards recognize excellence in electronic journalism. Regional winners are automatically entered in the national competition, which will be judged in early June. Read more>>

Grammy winner to conduct chamber recital

Grammy Award winner John McLaughlin Williams will serve as guest conductor for a performance by the UIS Chamber Orchestra, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 13, in the TV studio. This intimate recital will feature two works by George Frederick McKay as well as smaller ensemble performances. Read more>>

Illinois Issues publishes annual Roster

The 2007 Roster of State Government Officials published by Illinois Issues magazine is now available. The Roster contains contact and other information for every Illinois legislator, as well as for members of the state's executive branch, Supreme Court, congressional delegation, key staff members, and others. For more information, including how to order>>

Evolutionary geneticist to deliver Merck Science Seminar

Dr. Rob DeSalle, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, will present the first annual Merck Science Seminar at UIS. DeSalle will speak on "What Genomics Tells Us about Our Origins," beginning at noon Monday, April 2, in HSB 302.

DeSalle's research uses information present in the structure of DNA and protein molecules to address evolutionary questions. He also uses these types of data to address important issues in conservation biology.

The seminar is sponsored by a grant from the Merck Institute of Science Education and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, part of the Merck/AAAS undergraduate science research program. UIS was one of only 11 universities in the nation to receive the award in 2006. Read more>>