A total of 463 students have been named to the University of Illinois Springfield Dean's List for Fall Semester 2012; 64 are students in the college of Business and Management, 37 are students in the College of Education and Human Services, 313 are enrolled in programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 40 are enrolled in programs in the College of Public Affairs and Administration, and 9 are non-degree or undecided.
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.
Tuition rates have been set for next fall for incoming University of Illinois Springfield students. Guaranteed four-year tuition for incoming in-state freshmen would increase 1.7 percent – or the equivalent of 0.7 percent per year during the four years that rates are locked in under the state’s guaranteed tuition law. The tuition guarantee was launched in 2004 to help students and families plan for the cost of a public university education by fixing tuition rates for the four years required to complete most undergraduate degree programs.
The increase adheres to an inflation-neutral tuition-setting policy enacted by the Board two years ago that aims to hold down costs by limiting increases to an index of the cost of living, barring significant reductions in state funding or other University support. The 1.7 percent increase tracks closely with both the Consumer Price Index and the Higher Education Price Index, which monitors costs for the nation’s colleges and universities. The percentage increase would be the smallest since 1994 on all three campuses.
UIS Chancellor Susan Koch said, “This modest tuition increase, along with our continued careful fiscal management, will help to insure that the exceptional and personalized educational experience that we provide at UIS will remain accessible to students regardless of their financial circumstances.” More information on the tuition costs for the 2013-14 academic year
"These rankings once again acknowledge that UIS is a national leader in online learning," said UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. "UIS online programs are exceptional because they are taught by talented faculty who work very hard to create productive communities in their online classes and because we provide strong support for online students."
UIS is among the top 100 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs in the country, while UIS also ranks 16th nationwide in the category of Best Online Graduate Business Programs.
U.S. News & World Report looked at best practices and factors, such as graduation rates, assessments, class size, retention rates, and time to degree deadline in determining the rankings. They also examined program accreditation, faculty education, student debt at graduation, and technologies and services available to online students.
“This national recognition reflects the collective commitment of the faculty and staff at the University of Illinois Springfield to provide the highest quality online learning experience to our students,” said Ray Schroeder, UIS Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning.
UIS offers seven undergraduate degree’s online in Business Administration, Computer Science, English, History, Liberal Studies, Mathematics, and Philosophy. An online graduate business degree is offered in Management Information Systems (MIS).
“MIS online was the first online graduate program at UIS and the U.S. News ranking recognizes the quality and value of a UIS degree in MIS. Our faculty is to be commended for their dedication to student learning and a strong professional degree program,” said Ron McNeil, dean of the UIS College of Business and Management.
UIS is a premier public university that provides students with a high-quality liberal arts education, exceptional public affairs opportunities, and outstanding professional preparation programs. UIS has four core strengths: (1) a teaching-focused academic experience; (2) an abundance of opportunities to collaborate; (3) a right-sized supportive community; and (4) a tradition of educating public servants and leaders. UIS has four colleges: business and management; education and human services; liberal arts and sciences; and public affairs and administration.
The University of Illinois Springfield is taking a look back at the Year in Video 2012.
DVD copies of this presentation are available free of charge, upon request by contacting Blake Wood, UIS Campus Relations Multimedia Writer & Producer at 217/206-8404 or bwood8@uis.edu.
The University of Illinois Springfield's Sangamon Auditorium was the site for the inauguration of the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday, January 9, 2013. A crowd of over 2,000 people packed the auditorium to watch lawmakers take the oath of office.
“We’re very happy to have them. The University of Illinois is a leader across the state, nation, and world and we’re glad to exhibit that today,” said UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch.
This is the fourth year that UIS has hosted the inauguration, which brings lawmakers from around the state and their family members to campus.
“UIS has a unique location because it’s at the center of state government. That allows us to be part of activities like this and also to provide educational opportunities to students,” said University of Illinois President Robert A. Easter.
UIS offers numerous internships at the capitol and in state agencies, which allows students to gain valuable experience. There are currently hundreds of UIS alumni working in state government.
“I graduated from here, so it’s always good to get back on campus and see things,” said State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal. “I’ve had an opportunity to come out with Ron Michaelson and talk to a couple of classes about once a year. It’s always good to be out here.”
The inauguration was particularly special for Tyler Scherer, a senior political science and communication major at UIS, who watched his mother begin her career in state government at his school.
“It’s been a wonderful place to get an education,” State Rep. Sue Scherer said about UIS.
Scherer has been taking advantage of her son’s internship at Cook-Witter, Inc., a legislative consulting firm in Springfield.
“It’s funny, but I’m calling him because he’s doing an internship,” said Rep. Scherer. “I’ve been calling him all week. What’s going on with this bill? What’s going on with that bill? Where are they at? What’s really happening?”
Tyler worked hard on his mother’s campaign, using the abundance of opportunities he gained from his UIS education to help her get elected.
“It’s been a long journey, but it’s definitely paid off right now,” said Tyler.
The University of Illinois Springfield will explore the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation in a new massive open online course (MOOC) during the spring semester. The free eight-week online course is open to anyone who wants to join world-wide.
The MOOC – titled The Emancipation Proclamation: What Came Before, How It Worked, and What Followed - uses the sesquicentennial of President Lincoln's issuance of the emancipation proclamation in 1863, to explore what happened in the United States before emancipation, how emancipation worked once proclaimed, and what happened in politics, economics, and society in the century and a half afterward.
“It will also serve as a forum for participants to discuss the concept of emancipation in states and systems earlier than that of the U.S. and since to today,” said Ray Schroeder, UIS associate vice chancellor for online learning.
The MOOC will be co-taught by Matthew Holden, the Wepner Distinguished Professor in Political Science at UIS, and Gwen Jordan, assistant professor of Legal Studies. The class will officially begin on January 28, 2013. Students may register now online at https://uis.coursesites.com/.
This is the second MOOC that UIS has offered – last summer a MOOC on education drew some 2,700 participants from 70 different countries to study the present and future of online learning.
This year’s MOOC will be taught on Blackboard’s CourseSites platform, a free, fully hosted and supported cloud-based system.
“Based on our experience in hosting eduMOOC in 2011, we knew that this time we wanted an integrated platform for the multiple delivery modes including discussion, blogs, wikis, synchronous discussions and more. This integration, coupled with the self-enrollment feature, takes many of the technical challenges out of delivering a MOOC, allowing us to focus on content and engagement,” said Schroeder.
The Emancipation course is not graded, so students can participate according to their own schedule and skip sections that are not of interest. No academic or continuing education credit will be awarded as part of the course, but faculty members at any level may choose to use the free, online materials as part of their coursework. Materials will remain online for use after the class.
Students may sign up for the free MOOC now by visiting the UIS CourseSites website at https://uis.coursesites.com/. For more information, contact Schroeder at 217/206-7531 or rschr1@uis.edu.
