Monday, December 28, 2009

January lunch hour technology classes at UIS

WHAT: Information about Twittering, Flickering, Facebook, online learning and more will be offered over the lunch hour on the UIS campus for four sessions in January 2010.

WHEN: Friday, January 8 “Social Networking and Smashups”

Monday, January 11 “Technology Tools – Digital cameras, Kindles, BlackBerry, Flash Drives, iPhone etc.”

Friday, January 15 “WWW Best Practices”

Friday, January 22 “Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning”

All of the classes will be held from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens 141A in the lower level of the Brookens Library at UIS

DETAILS: The classes are taught by the UIS Information Technology Service staff and cost $10 per session. Each session is free-standing. Reservations and pre-payment is required. Space is limited. To reserve a seat for the sessions contact munindra.khaud@uis.edu.

Checks should be sent and received before the first class to Kelly Walraven, Office Manager, University of Illinois Springfield, One University Plaza, MS BRK 180, Springfield, IL 62703.

These classes are being sponsored by the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the College of Education and Human Services Alumni Council. For more a complete description of each class www.uiaa.org/uis. For more information contact Alumni Relations at 217-206-7395.

Friday, December 11, 2009

CAP Honors event helps students "stress bust" before finals



The Capital Scholars Honor Peer Mentoring Program at UIS helped students take a break before finals during its annual “Stress Busters” event on Thursday, December 10, 2009.

Students got the chance to make stress balls, play card games, paint, and play bags and water pong during the end of the semester celebration in the Lincoln Residents Hall great room.

“Right now is a good time to have it with the finals coming up. I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise,” said Chris Crockett, sophomore biology major.

“Stress Busters” is also a time for junior and senior peer mentors to connect with freshman students who are about to take their finals for the first time.

“I just felt after last year that I wanted to start giving back to the freshmen. Things that it took me awhile to learn, things I’d like to help them transition to college with,” said Brett Walker, senior CAP Honors peer mentor.

Other peer mentoring events focus on helping students with class, financial aid and adjusting to college life.

“This is our most looked forward to event,” said Mike Czarny, junior CAP Honors peer mentor.

Students were also treated to a variety of free food from cookies to a chocolate fountain.

“I think it’s really great to get everyone’s mind off of school and stuff. We came straight from lab and hurried over here because we were really excited about it,” said Jessalyn Fontana, freshman biology major.

Monday, December 7, 2009

UIS Theatre presents student-directed scenes

UIS Theatre will be presenting student-directed scenes on Tuesday, December 8 and Wednesday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre. Admission for the event is free, and it is open to the public.

The scenes will be from contemporary American plays and directed by UIS Theatre students. The scene presentations are part of the final project for students enrolled in the course "THE/COM 476, Directing for the Theatre."

Scenes will be presented from the following plays:

Proof by David Auburn, directed by Jessica J. Fraser

Fences by August Wilson, directed by Bianca Shaw

Lone Star by James McLure, directed by Matt Craven

The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wasserstein, directed by Carol Schulte

Butterflies are Free by Leonard Gershe, directed by An Mowers

Apartment 3A by Jeff Daniels, directed by Ben Beams

Women of Manhattan by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Karina Diaz

Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute, directed by Dug Hall

Thursday, December 3, 2009

U of I Presidential Search Committee public forum

WHAT: The University of Illinois’ presidential search committee is holding public forums on each of the University’s three campuses to give faculty, students, staff and the general public an opportunity to discuss qualities needed for the new president.

WHEN: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: University of Illinois Springfield - Brookens Library Auditorium

DETAILS: U of I trustee and presidential search committee chair Pamela B. Strobel will moderate the public forum, and other members of the 19-member Search Committee to Assist in the Selection of a President for the University of Illinois also will attend.

Strobel says the forums are intended to be “listening sessions,” using the ideas of campus constituencies to help assess the qualifications and experience the new University of Illinois president should possess.

The search committee will identify and screen potential presidential candidates. The goal is to have a new president in place by July 1, 2010, or at the latest when the fall 2010 academic year begins.

Individuals wishing to speak to the representatives of the search committee will be asked to sign in before the forum begins. Comments may also be sent to the search committee at: presidentsearch@uillinois.edu.

For more information about the public forum on the UIS campus, contact Derek Schnapp, Director of Public Relations at 217/206-6716 or dschn3@uis.edu.

Visual Arts Gallery holds benefit and silent auction

The Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Illinois Springfield will be holding its 2009 Benefit and Silent Auction on December 9 through 11.

The annual auction offers a wide range of donated art from national and local artists and collectors. The items featured this year include photographs, original paintings, prints, pottery and a signed catalog by internationally-known artist and philosopher Arthur Danto.

There will be a reception to close the auction on Friday, December 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Visual Arts Gallery. Bidding will end at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be provided, and the reception and exhibit are open and free to the public.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, and all proceeds benefit future gallery programming.

The Visual Arts Gallery is located in room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building on the UIS campus. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The gallery will be open on Friday December 11 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information, go online to www.uis.edu/visualarts/ or contact the gallery by phone at 217/206-6506 or by e-mail at gallery@uis.edu.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Holiday Stars Project to donate thousands of pounds of food to Foodbank

WHAT: The UIS Holiday Stars Project will be presenting food collected throughout the month of November to the Central Illinois Foodbank.

WHEN: Thursday, December 3, at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: The Public Affairs Center conference room C/D on the lower level of the PAC on the UIS campus

DETAILS: The UIS Holiday Stars Project is a month-long food drive benefitting the Central Illinois Foodbank. The project was first started in 2008, when more than 4,000 pounds of food was collected and donated to the Foodbank. Food collected this year has already surpassed the amount collected last year.

In addition to collecting food on campus, students also involve the community through a “Trick or Eat” competition. On Halloween night, fourteen student groups from UIS collected 4450.1 pounds of food.

On Thursday, all of the food collected from this year’s project will be loaded into a truck from the Central Illinois Foodbank to assist families from the 21 counties serviced by the Foodbank.

For more information, contact Kelly Thompson, director of the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, at 217/206-8448 or kthom03s@uis.edu.