Friday, March 31, 2006

UIS child care center to observe Week of the Young Child

Cox Children’s Center at UIS will join the national observance of Week of the Young Child, April 3 through 7. The Center will host a number of activities during the week for its students and their families. Read more>>

UIS to host noted Earth Day speaker

Dr. Sandra Steingraber will speak on "Contaminated without Consent: How Chemical Pollutants in Air, Food, and Water Violate Human Rights," at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, in Brookens Auditorium. The presentation is part of UIS' observance of Earth Day 2006.

Dr. Steingraber is an internationally recognized expert on environmental links to cancer and reproductive health. Her books include Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment and Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood. Read more>>

Evening with the Arts features art exhibit and theater

Paintings, theater, and good food will all be part of an Evening with the Arts, to be held Friday, April 21, on the UIS campus and sponsored by the U of I Alumni Association at UIS.

The evening begins with an exhibit of paintings by Chris Britt in the Visual Arts Gallery. A candlelight buffet dinner and cash bar will follow in the PAC Restaurant and, after dinner, participants can take in the UIS Theater Program's production of the classic drama Hedda Gabler. For more information, including how to make dinner reservations>>

Thursday, March 30, 2006

“Taste of UIS” features review of new books

The third program in this spring’s Taste of UIS Lunchtime Lecture Series – sponsored by the U of I Alumni Association at UIS – will be Wednesday, April 19, from noon to 1:15 p.m. at Maldaner’s Upstairs, 222 South Sixth St., Springfield.

The discussion will focus on recently published books by two UIS faculty members: Shake the Thunder Down, by Associate Professor of English Marcellus Leonard, and Zinaida Vengerova: In Search of Beauty, by Associate Professor of Liberal Studies, Individual Option, and English Rosina Neginsky. For more information, including how to make reservations>>

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Visual Arts Gallery to present “Color Me Skeptical"

“Color Me Skeptical: New Works by Chris Britt” will be on display at the Visual Arts Gallery at UIS from April 3 through April 21. The gallery will host an artist’s discussion beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 21; a closing reception will follow from 6 to 7 p.m.

Britt, locally acclaimed and nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist for the State Journal-Register, switches gears in this exhibit by showcasing abstract paintings that explore a range of emotions, using bright colors, structure, textured forms, and thickly applied paint to evoke a sense of tension, movement, and energy. Read more>>

Monday, March 27, 2006

Child care center receives grant for infant/toddler programs

Cox Children’s Center at UIS has received a reimbursement grant of more than $8,000 from Quality Counts 2005-2006, a project sponsored by Community Child Care Connection and the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Center director Stacey Hembrough said the grant will be used to fund purchases of equipment for the infants and toddlers program and may allow the center to enroll more infants in the future. "We have been at 100% capacity in the infant room since we opened and maintain a long waiting list,” she said. Read more>>

Friday, March 24, 2006

UIS to hold Eighth Annual Health Fair

UIS will host its Eighth Annual Health Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, in the concourse on the lower level of the PAC.

The fair is held in conjunction with National Public Health Week, which this year focuses on “Designing Healthy Communities: Raising Healthy Kids.” CHS Director Lynne Price explained, “In observance of the theme, booths at this year’s fair are interactive and will involve adults and children in learning about their health.” Read more>>

Thursday, March 23, 2006

CPL program updated to reflect best practices

For over 30 years, UIS' Credit for Prior Learning program has provided eligible students who have acquired college-level learning outside the classroom -- through work, reading, travel, and other interests -- with an opportunity to receive credit for life experience by developing experiential learning portfolios. UIS recently revised its CPL program to reflect current best practices in the field. Read more>>

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

UIS to present workshop on “Death, Grief, and Loss”

Carolyn Peck, assistant professor of Human Services-Gerontology at UIS, will lead a workshop on “Death, Grief, and Loss” from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 10, in PAC conference room H.

She will illustrate ways to be supportive in relationships with friends, colleagues, and family members and will discuss physical, psychological, and sociological components of these experiences as they relate to both the dying individual and the caregivers. Read more>>

Monday, March 20, 2006

Chancellor describes bold plan for the future

Chancellor Richard Ringeisen announced today that UIS will pursue a bold vision: to become one of the top five small public liberal arts universities in the United States.

In describing the plan of action to a group of students gathered in Lincoln Residence Hall, Ringeisen said the vision will be achieved by “creating a world-class liberal arts-oriented undergraduate educational experience reflecting many of the characteristics and best practices of small private liberal arts colleges, while building on our many strengths.”

The plan contains six goals, Ringeisen said. They are Academic Excellence, Enriching Individual Lives, Making a Difference in the World, Strengthening Campus Culture, Enrollment and Retention, and Resources and Infrastructure. Those goals form the foundation of a new strategic plan that was completed in January. Read more>>

UIS Theatre to present Hedda Gabler

The Theatre Program at UIS will present Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama Hedda Gabler in six performances: April 13-15 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) and 21-23 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), in the PAC Studio Theatre. All performances will be at 8 p.m. except the Sunday performance (April 23), which will be at 2 p.m.

Ibsen was a feminist ahead of his time and Hedda Gabler is one of his finest plays. Click here to see the cast list, a synopsis of the play, and ticket information>>

UIS presents “Dress for Success”

“You’re Hired, Dress for Success!,” a style show and program on dressing for the business environment, will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6, in Sangamon Auditorium lobby at UIS. The event is free; however advance registration is requested.

Students will model clothing from JCPenney and UIS students who attend will be eligible to win a professional outfit worth $150. Read more>>

Friday, March 17, 2006

Chancellor to meet with students to discuss move to four-year university

Chancellor Ringeisen will meet with UIS sophomores from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Monday, March 20, in the LRH Great Room. The discussion will focus on the plan describing UIS' move to a full four-year university in the next five years. Read more>>

WUIS’ Crawford wins award for investigative reporting

WUIS Statehouse Bureau Chief Sean Crawford was among the top winners in the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association 2005 Journalism Excellence Contest. Crawford received a second place award for his investigative report titled “Trucking Money.”

“Trucking Money” profiled two trucking firms in an examination of how Illinois decides which companies to help with state dollars. Read more>>

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Education policy forum asks “What Works?”

“What Works?” is the subject of the second forum in the Education Policy Series Closing the Achievement Gap to be held 9 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 23, in the Studio Theatre at UIS. The forums are sponsored by UIS’ Center for State Policy and Leadership and the City of Springfield’s Office of Education Liaison.

Keynote speaker is Dr. Sam Redding, director of the national Center on Innovation and Improvement, whose topic will be “Closing Gaps: An Optimistic View.” Read more>>

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Planned Network Interruption

An interruption of UIS campus network services is planned for Thursday, March 16 from 5:00 p.m. to approximately 10:00 p.m.

This is necessary so that electricians can reconnect the primary electrical feed to the Network Operations Center that was damaged on February 23rd during remodeling in the Health and Sciences Building. The primary campus web server will remain in operation.

Campus computers will be able to connect to the Internet during the interruption and network-attached telephones will continue to operate normally. However, access to campus email and other services will be interrupted.

Please contact the Technology Support Center for additional information.

217/206.7357
877/847.0443 toll-free in Illinois
TechSupport@uis.edu
http://www.uis.edu/cts/techsupport/ESupport.htm (self-service web site)

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Lincoln Memorial Garden book has ties to UIS

Lincoln Memorial Garden: A Living Memorial to Abraham Lincoln, a new booklet published by the Lincoln Memorial Garden Foundation, has a number of connections to UIS.

The editor was Judith Everson, UIS professor emerita of English and a member of the garden’s board of directors. In addition, four other people involved in the book’s production also share a UIS background. Read more>>

Gamble Named AMC Coach of the Year

Coaches in the American Midwest Conference have honored UIS men's head basketball coach Kevin Gamble by naming him AMC Coach of the Year. Gamble said that it is “quite an honor to be recognized by your peers.”

The Prairie Stars begin competition in the NAIA Division I Championship games on Thursday, March 16. Read more>>

Johnson Named AMC Freshman of the Year

Kelvin Johnson, in his first season as a Prairie Star, has been named the 2006 American Midwest Conference Freshman of the Year. Kelvin leads the UIS Prairie Stars men's basketball team in assists, steals, and made free throws. Read more>>

UIS not damaged by tornado

UIS was not in the path of the tornado that struck Springfield about 8:30 p.m. Sunday night (March 12). Residential students were encouraged to evacuate to the tunnels for safety reasons, and about 50 to 60 did so. Fortunately, UIS is on spring break this week and so fewer students than normal were on campus. There was no tornado damage at UIS.

Power did go out Sunday night on the UIS campus, as it did in most of the city of Springfield, but was restored at UIS early Monday morning.

In the city, there was widespread damage. Some major thoroughfares still had limited or no access Monday morning. Law enforcement authorities were asking people to stay away from these areas and avoid the area's major roads if possible. Therefore, Chancellor Ringeisen decided to close the university Monday except for essential personnel and services.

Normal operations at UIS resumed Tuesday morning.

For more information about the widespread damage in Springfield, see the local newspaper's web site at www.sj-r.com.

For general information related to emergencies and UIS, visit www.uis.edu/emergencies/.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Science programs receive undergraduate research grant

Science programs at UIS have received a $60,000 Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program grant to support summer student research projects. The grant will be paid out over three years and used to support four undergraduate students -- two biology majors and two chemistry majors -- in mentored, original research projects each summer. UIS is one of only 15 universities nationwide to receive these competitive grants.

Student-researchers have until March 20 to apply. Read more>>

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Four Prairie Stars Named to All-Conference Teams

Four members of the UIS men’s basketball team -- Curtis Collins, Kelvin Johnson, Michael Griffin, and Antonio Puckett -- have been recognized for their efforts over the past season by being named to American Midwest All-Conference teams. Read more>>

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Dr. Zakia Salime to speak in observance of International Women's Day

Dr. Zakia Salime will speak about “Feminization of Islamist Women and the Power of Women’s Rights” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, in Brookens Auditorium. The program is in celebration of International Women’s Day and is sponsored by the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and UIS Women’s Center. Read more>>

Monday, March 06, 2006

Prairie Stars Lead Academic All-Conference

This season, 56% of the Prairie Stars men’s basketball team was named to the American Midwest Conference Academic All-Conference Team. UIS led the conference with a total of nine players recognized for their academic accomplishments; second place went to Hannibal LaGrange with five. Read more>>

Friday, March 03, 2006

"The Administrator" is next at the Visual Arts Gallery

“The Administrator,” a mixed-media installation by Michael Aurbach, will be on display at UIS' Visual Arts Gallery from March 6 through March 30. The piece is a life-sized room within a room, made of reflective, galvanized steel, lit from above, and mocking an office space. Critics have described it as a satire of the “defensive, autocratic mentality of the person in charge.” Read more>>

UIS to Host Sixth Annual Science Research Symposium

UIS' Sixth Annual Science Research Symposium will be held Friday, April 21, on the UIS campus. College-level science presentations on applied or theoretical research are welcome from students and faculty outside UIS. Dr. Thomas Owens from the Department of Plant Biology at Cornell University is the invited speaker.

For more information, including how to submit an abstract>>

UIS Alumni Association to host etiquette dinner

“The ABCs of Forks, Knives, and Toasting” is the focus of a dinner featuring instruction in business and social etiquette to be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 27, in the PAC restaurant at UIS. The program is open to the public, however space is limited and advance registration is required.

The program will feature tips on how to “work” a reception as well as a chance to brush up on table manners. Read more>>

Taste of UIS looks at eastside development

The second Taste of UIS program will examine “Springfield’s Eastside Development” with speaker Mike Pittman, president of the Springfield Black Chamber of Commerce. The program will begin at noon Thursday, March 23, at Maldaner’s Upstairs, 222 South Sixth St., Springfield.

Pittman has been a member of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, a prison guard, a state employee, and director of community relations under Mayor Karen Hasara. He is now a businessman and developer who is active in the community and committed to making the city a better place to live for everyone. Read more>>