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>>