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.

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.

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

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.

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.

UIS vs. UIC basketball game trip

Students from the University of Illinois Springfield packed a charter bus and a van and headed to Chicago on November 14, 2009 to watch the Prairie Stars men's basketball team take on the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Student Michael Omenazu took a video camera along to document the trip and game. He interviewed students, staff, and Chancellor Richard Ringeisen along the way. You can check out the video he created by clicking on the YouTube video above.

The transportation for the students to the game was provided by a friend of the university.

UIS alumni share literary talents with the community

Two UIS graduates, A.D. Carson and Michael Gammon, will present a series of creative-writing workshops for members of the community ages 16 and older. Quiddity international literary journal and public-radio program is sponsoring the workshops.

A.D. Carson is a writer and educator who received his B.A. in Education and Creative Writing from Millikin University and an M.A. in English from the University of Illinois Springfield. He is a recipient of the Grace Patton Conant Award for Literary Creation, and his work has appeared in Collage and The Alchemist Review.

Michael Gammon is a writer, editor, and teacher. He has published poetry in Collaborations: The Journal of Integral Yoga, and fiction in The Alchemist Review. In addition, he authored two award-winning essays. Currently he is writing a series of screenplays that integrate his studies in English, psychology, and philosophy.

The first workshop takes place on December 5, 2009, from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in Dawson Hall Room 103 on the Benedictine University Springfield campus. Carson will present and lead "Blended Media: Making Lyrics Work on the Page and Making Poetry Work Out Loud." The workshop will be held in two parts. Part I will take place December 5. Part II will take place January 9, 2010, from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. The workshops are free. Space is limited. Interested participants should call (217) 525-1420, ext. 291, to reserve their seat.

In February and March, Gammon, will lead a two-part workshop centering on creative philosophy and titled “Relevant and Impassioned: Using Critical Theory to Tell Stories.”

Springfield and the Sangamon Valley enjoy a lush literary tradition. Quiddity seeks to build and expand upon that tradition, not only seeking work from a wide and diverse pool of individuals around the globe, but also by serving the community in which Quiddity is housed.

Quiddity is sponsored by Benedictine University in Springfield. Quiddity’s founding editor, novelist Joanna Beth Tweedy, is a graduate of both UIUC ’95 and UIS ’04. Quiddity’s prose editor, David, Logan, is also a graduate of UIS ’04.

UIS Music program presents Fall Showcase Concert

For a musical tour around the world, UIS students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend the UIS Music Fall Showcase Concert on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

The event will feature music from a variety of countries, cultures and historical periods. Highlights include selections from Russia, China, Germany, and New Orleans plus songs sung in Swahili and Hebrew.

The evening begins with a pre-concert lecture by UIUC musicology student Jessica Davis of Urbana in the lobby outside the PAC Studio Theatre from 7 to 7:20 p.m. Doors will open for the concert following the lecture, and refreshments will be served after the performance.

The Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Todd Cranson, will open the evening with music of John Robichaux’s 19th Century New Orleans Dance Orchestra. This music was all the rage at high society dances around the turn of the 20th Century and competed and comingled with early jazz in the Crescent City.

Following the Chamber Orchestra, the Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Sharon Graf, will perform numerous selections from around the world including Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs” performed with the Chamber Orchestra.

The program concludes with selections by Sousa, Wagner, and more performed by the UIS Concert Band.

The Showcase Concert is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome and will benefit the UIS Music Student Merit Award.

The current UIS Music program began in 2001 and is comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as Springfield community members, all with a variety of skill levels. Anyone interested in joining the UIS Chorus, Band or Chamber Orchestra may contact Sharon Graf or Todd Cranson by emailing music@uis.edu or calling (217) 206-6240.

Hunger Banquet spotlights problems in U.S. and around the world

The University of Illinois Springfield Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center hosted the 5th annual Oxfam America Hunger Banquet in the Student Life Building Gym on Monday, November 16, 2009.


The featured speaker at the event was Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and author of the book “All You Can Eat”. Berg spoke on campus during National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.

“The reason we’re hosting it is on campus we’re trying to highlight that 1 in 6 individuals in the world today suffers from hunger, so we want to really raise awareness on our campus about hunger and homelessness,” said Kelly Thompson, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center.

UIS student volunteers helped to organize the Hunger Banquet where participants were broken up into different groups. Students that were selected to be low-income ate on the floor only receiving rice, while those selected to be higher income ate at the table.

“I am one of those children that came from a poverty stricken neighborhood, so I think giving back to the community is a very good thing,” said Monique Johnson, UIS sophomore social work major.

Berg says raising awareness about hunger is key to stopping the problem, but that’s not all that needs to be done.

“We really strongly believe that in New York City or here in downstate Illinois you cannot end this problem with just a little more charity alone. You need government leadership and a change in our economic policies,” said Berg.

10th Annual UIS Science Research Symposium

The University of Illinois Springfield Natural Science Division will be celebrating the 10th Annual UIS Science Research Symposium on Friday, April 16, 2010. The symposium is an all-day event (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) featuring student and faculty research presentations and a distinguished keynote speaker. This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Andrew Gewirth, from the Department of Chemistry at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his talk will be on the “Behavior of Supported Phospholipid Bilayers”.

The primary goals of the symposium are to share the results of various local scientific studies, encourage scientific dialogue in the community, and to inform the community of the research conducted at UIS and at neighboring campuses. The symposium is open to the public. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty involved in any aspect of scientific research are encouraged to present either oral presentations or poster presentations. Prizes will be awarded to the three best student oral presentations and to the three best student posters.

Anyone interested in presenting at the symposium should visit the symposium website (www.uis.edu/biology/symposium/) and apply online. The deadline to submit an abstract is March 26, 2010. The registration fee for presenters is $10. Registration is free for students who are members of the UIS Biology, Chemistry, or Clinical Laboratory Science student clubs. For more information contact Dr. Matt Evans, Assistant Professor of Biology at mevan4@uis.edu or 217/206-8367.

5th Annual Oxfam America Hunger Banquet

WHAT: Join UIS during National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week for a powerful two-part exploration of poverty, featuring Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and author of the book All You Can Eat. Stay for the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, and experience a taste of the incredible human suffering still being caused by hunger in the United States and abroad.

WHEN: Monday, November 16, 2009 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Registration begins at 4:30p.m.

WHERE: Student Life Building (SLB) Gym on the UIS campus

DETAILS: With the biting wit of Supersize Me and the passion of a lifelong activist, Joel Berg has his eye on the growing number of people who are forced to wait in lines at food pantries across the nation-the modern breadline. All You Can Eat reveals that hunger is a problem as American as apple pie, and shows what it is like when your income is not enough to cover rising housing and living costs and put food on the table. Berg takes to task politicians who remain inactive; the media, which ignores hunger except during holidays and hurricanes; and the food industry, which makes fattening, artery-clogging fast food more accessible to the nation’s poor than healthy fare.

The Hunger Banquet and presentation are free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate towards the UIS Holiday Stars Project benefiting Central Illinois Foodbank.

The Hunger Banquet will be emceed by former television anchor Julie Staley from the Staley Foundation.

For more information on the Oxfam Hunger Banquet contact Kelly Thompson, Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center Director at 217/206-8448 or kthom03s@uis.edu.

Students to be inducted into National Criminal Justice Honor Society

WHAT: Seven new members will be inducted into the Epsilon Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society.

WHEN: November 17, 2009 at 4:45 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room G

DETAILS: Alpha Phi Sigma, the only national honor society for criminal justice majors, recognizes the academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students. To be eligible, students must have completed at least one-third of the total hours required for graduation and must maintain specified grade-point averages overall and in the major. Inductees include Jeremy Carnes, Gregory Foster, Rebecca Garrett, Jeffrey Jacobs, Gregory Payne, Leslie Reutter, and Monica Summers. Leanne Brecklin, associate professor of Criminal Justice at UIS, serves as chapter adviser.

Design Jam to celebrate World Usability Day

WHAT: Student web designers, usability practitioners, and computer science faculty will roll up their sleeves and interactively design a new Therkildsen Field Station for the Emiquon website with sustainability, usability, and community building in mind.

WHEN: Thursday, November 12, 2009 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: University Hall (UHB) Room 2028

DETAILS: What better way to recognize World Usability Day and this year's “Designing for Sustainability” theme than to spend an afternoon inventing new ways to increase virtual engagement in a real world effort devoted to sustainability!

For more information contact Mary Sheila Tracy, Computer Science Instructor at 217/206-7328 or mtrac1@uis.edu.

Putting the Economy in its Place: A Socio-Ecological Conception of Sustainability

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Putting the Economy in its Place: A Socio-Ecological Conception of Sustainability featuring Dr. Stefano Longo, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at UIS.

WHEN: Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room F at UIS
(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

DETAILS: Sustainability and sustainable development have become dominant buzzwords when discussing environmental concerns. Utilizing a socio-ecological lens, this discussion will examine the emergence of these concepts in public discourse, their forward potential and/or shortcomings, and offer new directions for understanding and application.

During his graduate studies Dr. Longo developed an expertise in the areas of environmental sociology, political economy, and social theory. His research focuses on the global food system, examining the intersection of environmental and social processes in the context of food production, consumption, and distribution.

This event will be held along with other UIS Sustainability Week activities on campus.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

UIS honors Distinguished Alumni during annual awards

The University of Illinois Springfield Alumni Awards Dinner was held on Friday, November 6, 2009 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in downtown Springfield.

The University of Illinois Alumni Association hosted the annual event, which recognized and celebrated the achievement, distinguished service, humanitarianism and loyalty of UIS alumni.

“It is one of the Alumni Association’s signature events and I think one of the highlights for the University. We do these on each campus and tonight is time for UIS to shine,” said Loren Taylor, U of I Alumni Association President.

Read more about the winners of this year’s awards and their accomplishments in a previous news release.

"Central Illinois: Patchwork of Creative Minds" Lunch-time Presentation

“Central Illinois: Patchwork of Creative Minds”, a thought provoking lunch time educational series examining creative expression that has flourished in the heartland of Illinois, will focus on “Creative Images: Canvas and Glass” on Wednesday, November 18 at the University of Illinois Springfield. A hot lunch buffet is available at 11:30 a.m. and program will be from 12 noon until 1:30 p.m.

Local architect Dick Morse, Principal, Mellote Morse Leonatti Parker Ltd., will make a presentation on the history and evolution of stained glass in Central Illinois. A variety of styles will be shown and contrasted. “Painters from the Heart of Lincolnland" is the topic to be addressed by Robert Sill, Curator and Assistant Director of Art for the Illinois State Museum, Springfield. Selected paintings from regional artists will be displayed and discussed.

There is a charge for lunch, but the presentations are free and both lunch and presentation are open to the public. The luncheon and presentations will be held in the University of Illinois Springfield Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Rooms C/D (level below the Sangamon Auditorium lobby). The cost for lunch is $20 and paid reservations are required for the luncheon by November 11, 2009. Pre-registration is also requested from those not purchasing the lunch who wish to attend the presentations.

For more information and to register, visit www.uiaa.org/uis, or contact the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395 or alumni@uis.edu. This series is a partnership between the University of Illinois Alumni Association, the Chancellor’s Office and the Illinois State Historical Society.

UIS hosts fair that helps students continue education

The University of Illinois Springfield Career Development Center and Office of Alumni Relations hosted the second annual UIS Graduate and Professional School Fair on Thursday, November 5, 2009 in the PAC concourse.

The event brought 31 graduate and professional schools from Illinois and the Midwest to the UIS campus.

“We’re having this because many of our students as undergrads are trying to decide what they’re going to do after graduation and what is required to meet their career goals,” said Gale Kilbury, UIS Career Counselor.

The fair allowed students to meet with many representatives at once and gain valuable information in a short amount of time.

“Definitely having them all here in one location is more efficient for us students than having to contact them all via e-mail or trying to go to all the schools and have an orientation,” said Teela Whyte, UIS senior social work major.

Kilbury says having a graduate degree will increase student’s marketability and help them land a better job in the career path they choose.

For more information contact Gale Kilbury in the UIS Career Development Center at 217/206-6508 or gkilb01s@uis.edu.

Get the Royal Reality on Internships from "The Intern Queen"

WHAT: Join the UIS Career Development Center and Student Government Association for a presentation by Lauren Berger “The Intern Queen”. This internship expert will teach students everything they need to know about how to find internships and make the most out of internship opportunities.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS

DETAILS: Called “The Intern Queen” because she completed 15 internships during her 4 years of college, Lauren Berger started her own intern company, Intern Queen Inc. in 2006, with the goal of raising internship awareness and connecting students with their future.

Lauren travels around the country speaking to schools about the importance of internships. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California where she actively pursues opportunities to help educate Students, Parents, Professors, and Employers about internships.

Berger was recently named one of BusinessWeek’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs 25 and Under. “The Intern Queen” has been featured in Business Week, E! News Online, New York Post, Chicago Public Radio, Young Money, and Seventeen magazine.

The UIS presentation will include a panel discussion featuring local businesses and their internship opportunities for students. The event will be presented via webcast and webinar for online students.

For more information contact Kristen Chenoweth, Career Development Center Communication Program Coordinator at 217/206-6501 or kchen01s@uis.edu.

Speakers Series presents Beyond Binaries: Identity and the Sexuality Spectrum

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Beyond Binaries: Identity and the Sexuality Spectrum. The presentation features Robyn Ochs, long-time activist, and the editor of the Bisexual Resource Guide and the new anthology Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World (2nd edition).

WHEN: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room H

DETAILS: Like snowflakes, no two people are exactly alike. In this interactive program we explore our sexual orientation identities. How do we assign labels to our complicated and unique experiences? What relationship exists between experience and self-identity, and between our self-identity and the way others see us? Is identity fixed for everyone, or do some individuals experience change over time? What generational changes are we experiencing around labeling?

Robyn Ochs has taught courses on GLBT history & politics in the United States, the politics of sexual orientation, and the experiences of those of us who transgress the binary categories of gay/straight, masculine/feminine, black/white and/or male/female. Her writings have been published in numerous bisexual, women's studies, multicultural, and GLBT anthologies. She lives in Massachusetts, and on May 17th, 2004--on the first day it was legal to do so--Robyn Ochs married Peg Preble.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Illinois Auditor General William Holland to speak at Legislative Internship Program Hall of Fame induction

Illinois Auditor General William Holland will be a featured speaker at the Samuel K. Gove Legislative Internship Hall of Fame induction Monday, November 16, 2009 at the Executive Mansion in Springfield. Holland’s remarks will be part of the induction ceremony to induct five individuals into the Samuel K. Gove Legislative Internship Program Hall of Fame: John Day, formerly of Rochester and now of Mill Creek, Wash.; Claire Eberle of Springfield; Stephen J. Pacey of Paxton; the late Lee Schwartz of Chicago; and Gretchen Winter of Chicago.

Joining Holland on the program will be Kent Redfield, retired director of the Institute for Legislative Studies and political science professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS). Other state dignitaries on hand to provide introductory remarks for the inductees will include former Governor Jim Edgar, former U.S. Rep. Terry Bruce, retired Secretary of the Senate Linda Hawker, U.S. District Court Judge Wayne Andersen and David Epstein, attorney and retired Court of Claims judge.

The event is sponsored by Illinois Issues magazine, the state’s leading public policy magazine. The hall of fame is named for Samuel Gove, one of the magazine’s founders and a longtime director of the internship program. Both the magazine and the Illinois Legislative Staff Internship Program are part of UIS’ Center for State Policy and Leadership. The hall was established in 1990, and new inductees are named every two years. Those newly named bring the number honored as hall-of-famers to 49. Inductees are chosen by a selection committee for their contributions to Illinois and its citizens, and in recognition of the important role public service internships play in developing public sector leadership. Other hall of fame members include Holland, Edgar, former U.S. Attorney Rodger Heaton, Sen. Kirk Dillard and the late Sen. Prescott Bloom.

The November 16 event at the Executive Mansion will include a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 per person. Reservations and payment can be made online at http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/ or by calling (217) 206-6084 no later than Monday, November 9.

UIS to hold Second Annual Sustainability Week

The University of Illinois Springfield is raising awareness about sustainability and the environment by hosting its Second Annual Sustainability Week from November 9 through November 14, 2009.

UIS is working to be a role model in promoting campus environmental sustainability. UIS recognizes that we are part of a global community with limited resources and that our choices can positively affect the community and campus life.

Sustainability Week will feature a wide range of events including a bike ride, Native American dance performance, recycled art contest, scholarly lecture, poetry reading, and more. One of the unique features of this year's Sustainability Week is a brownbag presentation on Tuesday at noon by a current UIS student, Mandy Altman, who was able to put her passion for sustainability issues into practice this summer through her work with an international grassroots development organization.

“It is our hope that the events of the Second Annual UIS Sustainability Week will be well supported by members of the campus community and will prompt consideration of the link between human practices and ecological effects,” said Mae Marie Noll, undergraduate academic advisor and co-presenter of Sustainability Week.

Activities held throughout the week focused on sustainability include:

Monday, November 9
· A bike ride will begin at 1:30 p.m. in front of Lincoln Residence Hall on the UIS campus and will be led by UIS Bike Enthusiasts.
· Battery Recycling Drive begins – dead batteries will be collected in designated containers in the Public Affairs Center (PAC) Food Emporium and the lobby of University Hall until 12:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13.

Tuesday, November 10
· City of Springfield Recycling and Landfill tour 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. sponsored by the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center. Transportation provided. E-mail volunteer@uis.edu by 11/9/09 to participate.
· UIS student Mandy Altman shares her experiences from her summer working with the Foundation for Sustainable Development – Brown Bag – 12:00 p.m. PAC rooms C/D.
· Students Allied for a Greener Earth (SAGE) will be holding a recycled art contest, and judging will take place in the PAC Food Emporium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
· Battery Recycling Drive continues in PAC cafeteria and UHB lobby
· Kevin Locke’s Native Dance Ensemble Sangamon Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 11
· Green Educational Technology Solutions at UIS with Kara McElwrath PAC F 12:00 p.m.
· SAGE Recycled Art Contest Judging in PAC Food Emporium 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
· Battery Recycling Drive continues in PAC cafeteria and UHB lobby

Thursday, November 12
· SAGE Recycled Art Contest Judging PAC Food Emporium 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
· “Examining Sustainability and Sustainable Development” ECCE Speakers Series with Dr. Stefano Longo, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies PAC F at 6:00 p.m.
· Battery Recycling Drive continues in PAC cafeteria and UHB lobby
· Carolos Robson, Slam Poet, presented by the UIS Student Activities Committee (SAC) Brookens Auditorium 9:30 p.m.

Friday, November 13
· Battery Recycling Drive continues in PAC cafeteria and UHB lobby

Saturday, November 14
· Glass Collection sponsored by the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center in partnership with the City of Springfield. For more information contact the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center at 206-7716 or volunteer@uis.edu.

For more information about any of the Sustainability Week events contact Mae Marie Noll, undergraduate academic advisor at 217/206-7473 or mnoll1@uis.edu.

Students honored during 2009 Scholarship Luncheon

The University of Illinois Springfield honored more than 100 scholarship donors and their recipients during the 2009 Scholarship Luncheon on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 in the Sangamon Auditorium lobby.

Nearly $200,000 in funds for scholarships come from donors who make an annual commitment to help UIS students pay for their education.

"For many of them it's the very first time that they will meet. For some of these students and donors they will form lifetime relationships," said Vicki Megginson, Associate Chancellor 0f Development.

UIS students apply for scholarships online through the Office of Financial Aid. The campus has a uniform application system that only requires a student to apply once. The information they submit is then matched with eligible scholarships.

"To get somebody to help me is very honorable. Ultimately I want to achieve my bachelor's degree in mathematical science, so I’m going to use that to teach," said Simon Wilson, UIS junior and scholarship recipient.

"I really appreciate what they've done for us and getting a scholarship really helps a student get through college and not having to worry about your finances and being able to concentrate on your academics," said Ivy Ingram, UIS senior and scholarship recipient.

For a full list of scholarship winners click here.

UIS Visual Arts Gallery presents sculptural installations by Khara Koffel

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery will host a reception with Jacksonville, Illinois sculptor Khara Koffel.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a presentation by Koffel beginning at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center, Conference Room "G" followed by a reception at the Visual Arts Gallery

DETAILS: The artwork is inspired by personal stories, relationships, and memories that relate not only to the life of the artist, but to the viewer as well. Khara Koffel is a faculty member in the Art Department at MacMurray College, and has exhibited her work at galleries across the country. The at some point exhibit will be on display in the gallery from Thursday, November 5 through Wednesday, November 25, 2009.

There will be food and refreshments provided at the November 18, 2009 reception. The artist’s talk, reception, and exhibit are free and open to the public.

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.

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

UIS Graduate and Professional School Fair

WHAT: Second annual UIS Graduate and Professional School Fair sponsored by the UIS Career Development Center and the Office of UIS Alumni Relations

WHEN: Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center Concourse (PAC) on UIS campus

DETAILS: This event will bring 30+ graduate and professional schools from Illinois and the Midwest to the UIS campus. The purpose of the event is to connect UIS students & alumni and community members with representatives of higher educational institutions from many disciplines and to gain information on graduate school options, degree programs, and the graduate application process. The event will allow attendees to meet many representatives and gain valuable information in a short amount of time for better overall preparedness in future graduate and professional degree programs. In order to make this event beneficial for graduate School recruiters, the event will be open to the community.

Schools registered:
· Adler School of Professional Psychology
· Benedictine University
· Bradley University
· Eastern Illinois University
· Lincoln Christian University
· National University of Health Sciences
· Quincy University
· Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville
· St. Louis University - Office of Graduate Programs
· University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
· University of Illinois at Chicago - Jane Addams College of Social Work
· UIS Department of Biology
· UIS Department of Communication
· UIS Department of Computer Science
· UIS Department of English
· UIS Department of Environmental Studies
· UIS Department of Human Development Counseling
· UIS Department of Human Services
· UIS Department of Liberal & Integrative Studies
· UIS M.B.A. Program
· UIS Department of Management Information Systems
· UIS Department of Political Science
· UIS Department of Public Administration - DPA Program
· UIS Department of Public Health
· UIS Office of Graduate Intern Programs
· UIS - Whitney M. Young Graduate Fellowship Program
· Urbana Theological Seminary
· Western Illinois University

For more information contact Gale Kilbury in the UIS Career Development Center at 217/206-6508 or gkilb01s@uis.edu.

Speakers Series presents Drawing Attention: Comics as a Means of Approaching U.S. Cultural Diversity

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Drawing Attention: Comics as a Means of Approaching U.S. Cultural Diversity. The presentation features Dr. Derek Royal, Associate Professor of English in the Department of Literature and Languages at Texas A&M University – Commerce.

WHEN: Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS
(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

DETAILS: Dr. Royal proposes that graphic narratives—e.g., comic books, comic strips, and graphic novels—highlight many of the issues surrounding race and ethnicity, a significant determinant of America’s contemporary cultural landscape. He will also explain how comics can be an indispensible medium when negotiating ethno-racial differences.
http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/droyal/

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

When a Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets

WHAT: The Sociology/Anthropology Department and the UIS Speakers Award Committee invite you to join us for a Public talk by sociologist Timothy Black entitled “When a Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets”.

WHEN: Monday, November 2, 2009 from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Founders Residence Hall 153

DETAILS: Timothy Black is an associate professor of Sociology and director of the Center for Social Research at the University of Hartford, Connecticut. He will present results of 18 years of interviews and participant observation of street life in Springfield, Massachusetts. His sociological analysis focuses on the lives of three Puerto Rican brothers. In the book, the brothers speak articulately for themselves. Black combines their own accounts of their lives with his observations of drug trade and drug treatment, education, the legal and correctional systems along with in-depth interviews with many participants in the brothers’ lives, including family, friends, partners in crime, teachers, and case workers. Professor Black applies sociological insights to evaluating and developing public policy, and his research focuses on communities often invisible or feared in American society.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Lynn Fisher at 217/206-7938 or lfish1@uis.edu.

UIS hosting International advisers from five foreign countries

WHAT: UIS will be hosting five EducationUSA advisers from Azerbaijan, Peru, Philippines, Oman, and Russia as part of a U.S.-based training program, which is supported financially by the U.S. Department of State.

WHEN: Monday, November 2, 2009 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) on UIS campus

DETAILS: The advisers will participate in cultural events in Springfield and a day of informative meetings and workshops with administrators, academic department chairs, various support services, and international students. It is expected that about 20 representatives from around the state as well as a Senior International Trade Specialist from the U.S Department of Commerce will attend the meeting.

EducationUSA advisers are posted at centers around the world to help foreign students learn about higher education in the United States. The campus visit program will be more than just a tour of area institutions. Advisers will discuss the admissions process with campus officials, sample orientation and other programs available to foreign students.

UIS is working with Study Illinois, a consortium of over fifty accredited
institutions of higher learning to promote international education. UIS will also host the Study Illinois annual meeting from 12-4 on Nov. 2 as well.

For more information contact Dana Atwell, Associate Director of International Programs at 217/206-8356 or ddersh1@uis.edu.

This U.S.-based training program is supported financially by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. The program is administered by the College Board.

UI Alumni Association to host UIS Alumni Awards Dinner

The University of Illinois Springfield Alumni Awards Dinner will be held on Friday, November 6, beginning at 6:00 p.m., at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in downtown Springfield. The University of Illinois Alumni Association hosts this annual event, which recognizes and celebrates the achievement, distinguished service, humanitarianism and loyalty of UIS alumni.

The theme for this year’s dinner is “Celebrating Alumni Who Continue Abraham Lincoln’s Legacy”, and the program will include special remarks by world-renowned Lincoln scholar Dr. Michael Burlingame, who holds the Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS.

The Honorable Gordon S. Heddell M.A.’75 of Washington, DC, Inspector General for the United States Department of Defense, will receive the University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award for outstanding success and national or international distinction in one’s business, profession or life’s work.

Helen Jane Dunn M.A.’72 of Springfield, currently residing in Mesa, Arizona, retired educator, will receive the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award for extraordinary commitment, dedication and service to the advancement of the University.

Robert Moore ’80 M.P.A.’85 of Springfield, retired U.S. Marshal, Police Chief and community leader, will receive the University of Illinois Alumni Humanitarian Award for significant contributions of leadership or service to improve the lives of others and the welfare of humanity.

For consistently demonstrating exceptional loyalty, commitment, dedication and service to the University and Alumni Association, Nancy L. Chapin M.A.’73 of Chatham and Roberta E. Volkmann M.A.’73 of Springfield will be awarded the University of Illinois Loyalty Award for Exceptional Alumni Service. Cost to attend is $65/person and reservations are required by Nov. 2 to attend the dinner.

For more information contact the Office of UIS Alumni Relations/UI Alumni Association at 217-206-7395 or alumni@uis.edu.

UIS Innocence Project sponsors workshop on Touch DNA Technology

New method could prove helpful in Sangamon County Murder Case

The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project, housed at the University of Illinois Springfield, will be looking at Touch DNA as a vehicle to test pieces of evidence in the Sangamon County murder of Melissa Koontz. The tests could prove to be the break the Project has been looking forward to in order to overturn the conviction of Thomas McMillen.

On Wednesday, October 28 a workshop on Post-conviction DNA Testing: Introducing Touch DNA to Illinois Courtrooms will be held at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program features the defense team of Timothy Masters. His case was the first exoneration in the US involving Touch DNA. CBS 48 Hours Mystery featured his case in the program Drawn to Murder.

The program will begin with Linda Holloway-Wheeler and Timothy Masters. In June of 1991, Linda was assigned as the lead detective for the Ft. Collins police department’s cold-case homicide investigation of the 1987 murder of Peggy Hettrick. The prime suspect was Timothy Masters. Masters was convicted in 1999 and was sentenced to life in prison. The prosecution pointed to the drawings as the key evidence of guilt.

Featured presenters will be forensic scientists Richard and Selma Eikelenboom who developed the method of Touch DNA testing in Europe. Their sample recovery methods for isolating epithelial skin cells of a perpetrator from the clothing of crime victims was used on the clothing of Peggy Hettrick. The work of the Eikelenbooms led to the recovery of three DNA profiles which matched an individual who was on a short list of suspects in the original investigation. Faced with this evidence in January of 2008, prosecutors agreed to vacate the conviction of Masters. The attorneys and the forensic investigator who convinced the judge in the Masters case to have the testing done will also be present.

Touch DNA is so new that this will be the first workshop focused on Touch DNA in Illinois. Members of the legal profession will be able to received 5.5 continuing legal education credits for attendance at the workshop.

Attending the workshop will be lawyers and student interns who are working on the McMillen case along with students from a UIS class on Conviction of the Innocent.

For more information on the workshop, contact Larry Golden at 217/553-7171 or Bill Clutter at 217/899-4353.

International Festival brings world to UIS campus

The University of Illinois Springfield hosted the 32nd Annual International Festival on Sunday, October 25, 2009 in the Public Affairs Center.

The festival allowed participants to take a trip around the world in only a matter of minutes. Each PAC conference room was organized to be a different part of the world with Asian, European, American and African culture represented.

Students and community members preformed music and dance from different parts of the world in the Studio Theatre. Springfield restaurants donated native food for visitors to enjoy.

“Having people from different parts of the world interact with each other, learn from each other, appreciate one another is not only educational, but it helps us to get along better with one another,” said Rick Lane, UIS Director of International Student Services.

The International Festival has grown each year and organizers say more than 500 visitors took part in this year’s festival.

The theme for the International Festival was “Dancing Under the Stars” in recognition of the International Year of Astronomy.

Watch a slideshow featuring the International Festival: http://www.uis.edu/sightsandsounds/slideshows/international09/index.html

UIS Toastmasters Club welcomes 2006 World Champion of Public Speaking

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Toastmasters Club welcomes Award-Winning public speaker Ed Hearn

WHEN: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Restaurant

DETAILS: Edward E. Hearn was born into a large family in Springfield. His father, Major Hearn, was a functionally illiterate factory worker who played a key role in making certain that all of his children pursued hard work and education as a way of escaping poverty and hopelessness.

In January of 2006 Ed decided to compete in the Toastmaster’s International World Championship of Public Speaking, an annual contest that is billed as the “World Series of Public Speaking”. The event involves approximately 26,000 contestants from 30 different countries. Ed roused the audience as well as a panel of 20 International Judges with his gift for speaking, and walked away with the First Place Trophy!

Edward E. Hearn is living proof that failure is not final, and that we can all overcome life’s adversities, if we are willing to try. His story is motivational, inspirational, and humorous, all at the same time! His passion, love for life, and ability to touch the hearts and souls of an audience is also the primary reason Ed was crowned the 2006 World Champion of Public Speaking.

For more information contact Rachel Hasenyager at 217/206-6508 or rhase01s@uis.edu.

UIS Peoria Center to hold open house at new location

The University of Illinois Springfield is celebrating its new downtown Peoria location by hosting an open house. The Peoria Center is located inside the Illinois Central College Perley Building, Room 120, 115 Southwest Adams Street in Peoria. The open house will take place on Thursday, October 29, 2009 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. and is open to UIS alumni and friends. The new space will provide a central location and more room to allow the center to continue providing place-bound working adults with affordable, convenient way to pursue their dreams.

The UIS Peoria Center had long been located on the ICC campus before the move and will mark 34 years in the city this year. Since its establishment in 1975, more than 2,426 area students have graduated from the degree programs at the Center. The programs offered have changed over the years, but the focus has remained on providing Peoria area working adults the opportunity to earn a degree and enhance their career options.

“The programs we offer in Peoria are business related in direct response to demand,” said Jana Wise, director of the UIS Peoria Center. “Our students, most of whom are not only working full-time but raising families, tell us it’s a tremendous opportunity to earn a U of I degree from an accredited College of Business and not have to leave Peoria.”

The programs currently offered at the UIS Peoria Center are a bachelor of arts degree in Accountancy; a bachelor of arts degree in Management; a bachelor of arts in Criminal Justice; a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), and a minor in Management Information Systems. In addition, three business degree completion programs are offered entirely online, a bachelor’s degree in Economics, bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA), and the Master of Science degree in Management Information Systems.

Most classes at the UIS Peoria Center are offered evenings and weekends, which accommodates working students and also the faculty. The same faculty who teach on the main campus in Springfield drive to Peoria to teach in the evenings. The business courses offered in their programs are relevant to issues impacting the economy, such as Technology, Management, Forensic Accounting, and Global Leadership.

For more information contact Jana Wise, director of the UIS Peoria Center at 309/999-4250 or wise.jana@uis.edu.

"Love Your Body Day" Fair teaches positive body image

The University of Illinois Springfield’s Women’s Center held a “Love Your Body Day” Fair on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 in the PAC Concourse to teach students about positive body image.

Women were able to create buttons with phrases such as “This is why I’m hot” and "I'm a big deal because..." to give them a sense of empowerment.

"In our culture we have so much attention and it grows all the time being paid to the outer person, to the body, to the image," said UIS Women's Center Director Lynn Otterson.

The UIS Women’s Issues Caucus also sold “This is what feminists look like” t-shirts and the Alpha Phi Omega club sold pink cupcakes as part of breast cancer awareness month.

UIS Recreational Sports taught participants about the effects of nutritional supplements and how to find your “happy weight”.

“Love Your Body Day” is part of a national annual event, which UIS celebrates each year.

Theatre open auditions for Student-Directed Scenes

WHAT: Students who are currently taking THE/COM 476, Directing for the Theatre will be holding open auditions for their final project scenes.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 28 from 3:45pm – 6pm and Thursday, October 29 from 2pm – 4:30pm in the University of Illinois Springfield VPA Room 170.

DETAILS: Everyone is welcome to audition; auditions will consist of cold readings from the various plays directed by the students.

For more information contact Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson at mthom1@uis.edu.

32nd annual UIS International Student Festival

Join UIS students, faculty, and staff to share an evening of cultural exhibits, artistic performances, food tasting, and more.

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield presents the 32nd Annual International Student Festival with the theme “Dancing Under the Stars”.

WHEN: Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) on UIS campus

DETAILS: For over 30 years the University of Illinois Springfield family has celebrated its rich international and cultural diversity with the annual International Festival. This year’s Festival centers on the theme “Dancing Under the Stars” in recognition of the International Year of Astronomy. Friends from the greater Springfield community will be joining UIS students, faculty, and staff to share an evening of cultural exhibits, artistic performances, food tasting, and more, all with the international flavor that you have come to expect over the years.

Again this year, in order to make the Festival accessible to all, we are not charging any admission, and we are mixing the food, the exhibits, and many of the performances all in the same rooms. In “theme park” fashion, each room will represent a different part of the world with continual performances taking place throughout the evening. You will want to make your way to all parts of our “planet” to experience how the various countries and cultures represented express in dance and in other ways their recognition of their place under the stars. What a great way to learn about and from each other!

For more information contact the Office of International Student Services at 217/206-6678 or e-mail iss@uis.edu.

Speakers Series: Can the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be solved?

WHAT: The UIS Jewish Student Union presents Can the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Be Solved? The discussion features foreign journalist Yaakov Katz, military correspondent for the Jerusalem Post.

WHEN: Monday, October 26, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium is on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS
(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

DETAILS: Katz has covered military operations in Israel over the past decade including Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year. His talk will focus on the motive behind the launching of the operation, its results, and the larger question of whether peace between Israel and the Palestinians is still attainable.

For more information about this event contact Bret Tate, Co-Chair of the Jewish Student Union, at 612/532-8556 or btate2@uis.edu .

This event is part of the UIS Speaker Series. For more information about the series visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

UIS Downstate Innocence Project hosts seminar on new methods in post-conviction DNA testing

The University of Illinois Springfield’s Downstate Innocence Project will host a 5.5 hour forensic seminar on cutting edge methods of post-conviction sample recovery and DNA testing on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. Participants will hear from the lawyers and forensic scientists who were involved in the case of Timothy Masters, a Colorado man freed from prison by the technology of Touch DNA testing.

Touch DNA was pioneered over a decade ago by forensic scientists Richard and Selma Eikelenboom. The pairs’ sample recovery methods for isolating skin epithelial cells of a perpetrator from a crime victim’s clothing in the Masters case, a twenty year old murder, led to the recovery of three full DNA profiles. All three profiles matched an individual who was on a short list of suspects in the original investigation. Faced with this evidence in January of 2008, prosecutors agreed to vacate the conviction of Masters. His case was recently featured on CBS 48 Hours Mystery.

The Touch DNA testing results in the Masters case has drawn the interest of law enforcement and prosecutors, as well. They recognize Touch DNA’s potential for solving cold cases. Since the Masters case, Colorado law enforcement authorities decided to use Touch DNA in the unsolved case of Jon Benet Ramsey. Her parents, ten years ago, had been wrongly suspected of the murder by Boulder police. Re-testing of the victim’s clothing revealed full DNA profiles in the areas of the clothing where the crime perpetrator grabbed hold of the clothing of Jon Benet Ramsey. These test results may someday lead to the identification of her killer.

Illinois has been on the forefront of the movement to investigate post-conviction claims of actual innocence utilizing DNA. In 1997, Illinois became one of the first states in the country to adopt legislation giving convicted individuals access to DNA testing.

In 2007, the Illinois General Assembly amended the statute to allow for re-testing of biological evidence even if DNA testing had been available at the time of trial. This change in the law recognizes recent improvements in DNA testing methods that can now recover DNA profiles that previous testing failed to find. (See 725 ILCS 5/116-3 (a)(2).

Tuition for the seminar is $195. Attorneys can earn 5.5 hours Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credits. The Illinois Supreme Court recently required mandatory legal training in order to maintain ones law license in good standing.

Featured Speakers:

Timothy Masters: On Feb. 11, 1987, the body of Peggy Hettrick was discovered by a bicyclist in a field south of Fort Collins, Colorado. She had been stabbed to death, and her genitalia had been surgically mutilated. Timothy Masters, 15-years old at the time, lived near the scene and had walked by the body on his way to school but failed to notify authorities. He was later interrogated and his school locker was searched. Police found graphically violent sketches that Masters penned in a spiral notebook. However, police were not able to link him to the murder. Eleven years later, in 1998, Masters was arrested for the murder. A year later, he was convicted of the murder and was sentenced to life in prison. The prosecution pointed to the drawings as the key evidence of guilt. He served over 10 years in prison before he was finally set free in Jan. of 2008. His case was the first touch DNA exoneration in the US. Last fall, his story Drawn to Murder was featured on CBS 48 Mystery.

Linda Wheeler-Holloway: Linda currently works as an investigator for the Office of District Attorney in Fort Morgan Colorado. In June of 1991, Linda was assigned as the lead detective for the Ft. Collins police department’s homicide investigation of the 1987 murder of Peggy Hettrick. A cold case investigation, the prime suspect four years later was Timothy Masters, who was by now a young man was serving in the U.S. Navy. A year later, in 1992, Ft. Collins police issued an arrest warrant for Masters. After interviewing Masters, Holloway had doubts that he was involved. She decided not to arrest him. After she retired from the police department, another detective took over the case and continued to pursue Masters as the prime suspect. The case continued to haunt Holloway after Masters was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1999. While traveling in Holland on vacation in 2005, Linda Wheeler-Holloway discovered the pioneering work of forensic scientists Selma and Richard Eikelenboom and their ability to recover skin epithelial cells of a perpetrator from the clothing of a crime victim. When she returned to Colorado, Linda contacted Timothy Masters’ attorneys and told them about using touch DNA testing. The results of this testing exonerated an innocent man.

Selma Eikelenboom: Selma is a forensic medical expert. In 1999, she became the Forensic Medical Examiner for Amsterdam’s Municipal Medical and Health Authority. She later worked in the crime scene investigation unit for the Netherlands Forensic Institute Department of Biology. She worked closely with European law enforcement authorities and the judicial system. In 2003, she formed her own company, Independent Forensic Services, a private laboratory in the Netherlands that specializes in recovery of trace evidence and Touch DNA testing that she operates with her husband Richard.

Richard Eikelenboom: Richard is a forensic scientist specializing in trace evidence recovery and bloodstain pattern analysis. He also worked for the Netherlands Forensic Institute Department of Biology. In 2005, he joined Selma as a partner at Independent Forensic Services. Richard and Selma’s work on the Timothy Master’s case pioneered the use of Touch DNA sample recovery methods in the U.S. The Master’s case was the first exoneration case in the U.S. to utilize touch DNA.

Barie Goetz: Barie is a forensic scientist specializing in crime scene reconstruction and bloodstain pattern analysis. He worked for the Indiana State Police and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Laboratory Systems. In 2004, he retired as Director of the CBI Regional Laboratory in Pueblo, Colorado. Barie then started Sangre de Cristo Forensic Services, where he utilizes his 30 years of experience assisting the judicial system in areas of crime scene reconstruction and post-conviction review. He worked as the Forensic Investigator on the Timothy Master’s case.

Maria Liu: Maria Liu is a founding partner in the law firm of Collins, Liu and Lyons LLP located in Greeley, Colorado. She specializes in criminal defense and post conviction relief. She received her law degree from Southern Illinois University. During law school Ms. Liu worked at the Illinois Migrant Legal Assistance Project and Land of Lincoln Rural Legal Aid. She began her career as a Deputy Public Defender at the Colorado Public Defenders Office. She enjoyed working with indigent clients because they are often the people that need lawyers the most. She served as president of the Weld County Bar Association from 2004-2005. Ms. Liu received the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar’s 2008 Gideon Award and the ACLU’s 2008 Sherman Award for her representation of Tim Masters.

David D. Wymore: David maintains a solo practice in Boulder, Colorado. He graduated from The Ohio State University and The University of Colorado School of Law. He became a Colorado Deputy Public Defender in 1976 and the Colorado Chief Trial Deputy from 1982 to 2004 when he retired. As the Chief Trial Deputy for the statewide defender system, he represented death eligible clients across the State of Colorado. Mr. Wymore also teaches trial tactics and death litigation across the United States as well as in foreign countries. Wymore was also involved in the 2008 exoneration of Timothy Masters.

Bill Clutter: Bill Clutter began his career as a criminal defense investigator in 1985 working for Springfield attorney Michael Metnick. In 1988, he was assigned to investigate his first case of actual innocence in the Naperville murder case of Jeannine Nicarico. That case was one of the first cases in Illinois in which DNA testing was undertaken. The early DNA test that was conducted by Dr. Edward Blake was a full profile match to serial killer Brian Dugan, corroborating his 1986 confession to the Nicarico murder. This early test conducted in 1988 exonerated Alejandro Hernandez, but was unable to exclude Rolando Cruz. Subsequent improvements in DNA testing technology later exonerated Cruz, as well. Bill Clutter’s post-conviction in the case of Randy Steidl and Herbert Whitlock that began in 1991 eventually led to their release from prison. Steidl had been sentenced to death and was released in May 2004. Whitlock received a life sentence and was set free four years later. Following Barry Scheck’s call to create a network of Innocence Projects, Bill met with his former legal studies professor Nancy Ford and Larry Golden at the University of Illinois at Springfield and founded the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project. He currently serves as Director of Investigations for the Project, in addition to maintaining a private detective agency.

John Hanlon: John Hanlon began his legal career as a staff attorney with the Illinois Appellate Defender’s Office assigned to the Supreme Court Unit. His first job out of law school landed him the assignment of defending Rolando Cruz, following Cruz’s 1985 conviction and death sentence for the murder of Jeanine Nicarico. In 1988, John persuaded the Illinois Supreme Court to reverse Cruz’s conviction. When Cruz was convicted a second time and sent back to death row in 1990, John recruited a young lawyer by the name of Larry Marshall, a new professor at Northwestern Law School, to assist him in Cruz’s appeal. That was the beginning of the Innocence Project movement in Illinois. The two succeeded in getting Cruz’s conviction vacated a second time. The third trial resulted in the dramatic acquittal of Rolando Cruz after it was revealed that two detectives had fabricated a Dream Vision Confession. William Kunkel was appointed as special prosecutor, leading to the indictment of police and prosecutors who were known as the DuPage 7. John’s work on the case of Joe Burrows and Randy Steidl contributed to their release from death row, and the Burrows case was cited by Gov. Ryan when he announced a moratorium on capital punishment. John currently serves as an adjunct professor at UIS teaching a class called Wrongful Convictions.

For more information on the seminar contact Bill Clutter at 217/528-5997 or 217/899-4353.

UIS hosts regional contest in 34th annual International "Battle of the Brains"

Local Information Technology Code Warriors Compete on Campus to Showcase Problem-Solving Skills at Regional Competition of IBM-sponsored Contest

WHAT: The powerhouse computer programming team from the University of Illinois Springfield and top collegiate programmers from surrounding areas will compete in an all-out “battle of the brains.”

WHO: Teams from the University of Illinois Springfield, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Augustana College, Illinois College, Illinois State University, Knox College, and Trinity Christian College.

WHEN: Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: University Hall Building (UHB) on UIS Campus in 2nd floor Cisco labs

DETAILS: Imagine completing a semester’s worth of computer programming in one afternoon. The IBM-sponsored ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, the most prestigious computer programming competition of its kind, will gather tens of thousands of students from universities in approximately 90 countries on six continents during its preliminary rounds through December. One hundred teams from around the globe will earn coveted spots at the Contest’s World Finals February 1-6, 2010 hosted by Harbin Engineering University in Harbin, China.

The 34th annual Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest challenges teams of three university students to use their programming skills and rely on their mental endurance to solve complex, real world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline. One hundred successful teams will advance to the World Finals in Harbin, China. IBM’s sponsorship has fueled the growth of the contest to include tens of thousands of students. Since the IBM sponsorship began in 1997, the number of teams participating has grown from 1,100 to more than 7,100 teams. For more information on previous contests, problem sets and last year’s final standings, please visit http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/. Also visit IBM’s contest page at www.ibm.com/university/acmcontest/ or the contest podcast series at battleofthebrains.podcast.com.

For more information about the event at UIS please contact Lucinda Caughey, Computer Science Instructor at 217/206-8336 or lcaug2@uis.edu.

UIS Women's Center Hosts "Love Your Body Day" Fair

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Women’s Center will hold a “Love Your Body Day” Fair as part of the national annual event

WHEN: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center Concourse (PAC) on UIS campus

DETAILS: Everyone is welcome to participate in the fair and will have the opportunity to create buttons with phrases such as “This is why I’m hot” and “I’m kind of a big deal because…” all in an effort to promote healthy body image. The Women’s Center will also be handing out information highlighting “10 Steps to Positive Body Image.”

The UIS Women’s Issues Caucus (WIC) club will have a table at the event selling “This is what feminist look like” t-shirts and promoting their domestic violence cell phone “Light Vigil” on the UIS Quad taking place on October 28, 2009 at 9:30 p.m.

The UIS Alpha Phi Omega club will focus on breast cancer awareness by selling pink cupcakes. All the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for cancer research.

UIS Recreational Sports will be talking about the effects supplements have on the body. They’ll also have information about finding your “happy” weight.

Planned Parenthood Illinois Action will also have a table at the event where they’ll register voters for the upcoming primary and general elections.

For more information on the “Love Your Body Day” Fair contact Women’s Center Director Lynn Otterson at 217/206-7173 or lotte1@uis.edu.

Illinois Issues: Five join legislative internship Hall of Fame

The Samuel K. Gove Illinois Legislative Internship Hall of Fame will honor five individuals who have served as legislative interns at the state Capitol. John Day, Claire B. Eberle, Stephen R. Pacey, Lee J. Schwartz and Gretchen A. Winter will be inducted during a ceremony at the Executive Mansion on Monday, November 16. Inductees are selected based on their contributions to Illinois and its citizens. The Hall of Fame is also recognition of the important role public service internships play in developing public sector leadership.

Day retired in 2003 as assistant executive director at Illinois’ Teachers Retirement System (TRS) after 10 years with the system. Prior to employment with TRS, he was executive director of the Legislative Audit Commission, worked with the Senate Democratic staff and was a legislative intern from 1970-71. Day is a resident of Rochester.

Eberle is deputy director of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for the Illinois General Assembly. She has been with JCAR since 1986, previously serving on the Senate president’s staff from 1976 to 1978. She was a member of the legislative intern class of 1975. Eberle resides in Springfield.

Schwartz was a Chicago attorney in private practice at the time of his death in 2002. A member of the legislative intern class of 1966, he was described as an expert on the state constitution. He served as legal counsel to Jack Touhy, then-speaker of the House, and former state Senate Minority Leader Thomas Arthur “Art” McGloon. He made the transition to Chicago politics, where he served in similar positions for Chicago Mayors Richard J. Daley, Michael Bilandic and Harold Washington.

Pacey has served as Ford County’s resident circuit judge since 1996. Previously, he was a commissioner with the Illinois Court of Claims and a public defender for Ford County. A life-long Paxton resident, Pacey spent 22 years in private legal practice. He was a member of the 1970 legislative intern class.

Winter has been the executive director of the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society in the College of Business of the University of Illinois since 2007. The Center is located in Chicago. A member of the 1979 intern class, she has more than 25 years of law firm, public sector and corporate experience and frequently speaks on the topics of professional responsibility, business ethics, compliance, governance, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Illinois Issues, sponsor of the Hall of Fame, is the state’s leading public policy magazine, published at the University of Illinois Springfield. The Hall of Fame is named for Samuel Gove, one of the magazine’s founders and a longtime director of the internship program. Both the magazine and the Illinois Legislative Staff Internship Program are part of UIS’ Center for State Policy and Leadership. The Hall of Fame was established in 1990, and this year’s event, which occurs biennially, will be its 10th anniversary. The Hall of Fame now includes 49 individuals, among them a former governor and several former and current state legislators. The names of the Hall’s members are inscribed on a plaque that hangs on the fourth floor of the Statehouse.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on November 16, with a reception followed by the induction ceremony. Tickets are $60 per person. For information on attending, call 217-206-6084.

"Girls under the Hood" teaches car care lessons

Have you ever wondered how to change a flat tire or check your oil or tire pressure? The University of Illinois Springfield Women’s Center hosted a “Girls under the Hood” event on Thursday, October 8 to answer some of those questions.

Guest mechanics from Green Toyota Scion Audi Volkswagen started out by giving the ladies an overview of what to know, what to do, and how to talk to a mechanic. Participants then popped the hood on a Toyota Camry to do some hands on learning.

"Since a lot of the students come in and regularly don't know how to maintain their car because usually their fathers, brothers, uncles or maintenance people take care of it they may not be familiar with how to take care of it during the winter months," said Women's Center Graduate Assistant Lisa Koerkenmeier.

Students who attended the event were entered into a drawing with a chance to win free car detailing or a car maintenance gift basket.

UIS Lincoln Legacy Lecture will examine "Lincoln and the Environment"

The 2009 Lincoln Legacy Lecture presented by the University of Illinois Springfield will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 15, in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS.

This year’s topic is “Lincoln and the Environment”. The lecture and a reception that will immediately follow are free and open to the public.

The Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series brings nationally known scholars to Springfield to discuss issues that, while they are of contemporary interest, also engaged Abraham Lincoln and citizens of his era.

This year’s featured speaker – Dr. Mark Fiege, associate professor of History and the William E. Morgan Chair of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins – will focus on Lincoln’s experience of nature. Dr. Michael Burlingame, professor of History and Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS, will make opening remarks and moderate the discussion.

In his lecture, “Land of Lincoln: Environmental History and the 16th President," Dr. Fiege will examine how Lincoln’s unique political thought, rhetoric and leadership were grounded in his experience of nature – both the natural environment and human nature – while growing up and working in the forests, fields and rivers of pioneer settlements.

Dr. Fiege is the author of a book on the environmental history of the United States that is forthcoming from the University of Washington Press in its Weyerhaeuser Environmental Series. He has been the recipient of best article and book awards from the Idaho Library Association, the Forest History Society and various professional associations. In addition to teaching, he directs the Center for Public History and Archaeology at CSU, whose projects are funded in part by the National Park Service. Dr. Fiege received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah.

Program moderator Michael Burlingame is a preeminent scholar in Lincoln Studies. He taught History at Connecticut College for over 30 years before accepting the appointment at UIS this year. His recent two-volume biography, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008) has been described as the definitive study.

Presented by the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, this year’s event is being held in conjunction with the 24th Annual Lincoln Colloquium hosted by the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Oct. 16-18. Cosponsors of this year's lecture are: Engaged Citizenship Speaker Series, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Public Affairs and Administration, UIS Speakers' Awards Committee, and WUIS Public Radio.

In previous years, lectures have focused on Lincoln and Race (2002), Ethics and Power (2004), Lincoln and Economic Opportunity (2005), Lincoln and America’s Faith (2006), Lincoln and the Law (2007), and Lincoln and Presidential Campaign Politics (2008).

Seating in Brookens Auditorium is limited; however overflow seating will be available in conference room C/D, where the audience can watch a large-screen live video feed. Conference room C/D is located on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS. Those unable to attend in person can watch a live webcast by going to www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html at the time of the event.

For more information, contact the Center for State Policy and Leadership at 217/206-7094.

Watch the entire Legacy Lecture in the Video on Demand section

UIS Chorus to perform at Springfield's Vachel Lindsay Home

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Sharon Graf, will perform at the Vachel Lindsay Home in Springfield.

WHEN: Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: 603 South 5th Street, Springfield, Illinois

ADDITIONAL INFO: This will be the vocal group’s first performance of the semester and the first ever at the historic home of poet Nicholas Vachel Lindsay.

The event will feature music from a variety of countries, cultures and historical periods. Highlights include songs from Russia, China, and a selection sung in Swahili.

The current UIS Chorus program began in 2001 and is comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as Springfield community members, all with a variety of skill levels. After the Vachel Lindsay event, the next Chorus performance will be at the UIS Showcase Concert, which features the Chorus, Chamber Orchestra and Band and will be held at the PAC Studio Theatre at the University of Illinois at Springfield campus on December 4, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the UIS Chorus or the upcoming performance contact Dr. Sharon Graf at 217/206-6240 or by e-mail at music@uis.edu.

Lunch-time Presentations at UIS

“Central Illinois: Patchwork of Creative Minds”, a thought provoking lunch time educational series examining creative expression that has flourished in the heartland of Illinois, will continue on October 21 at the University of Illinois Springfield with a hot lunch buffet available at 11:30 a.m. and program from 12 noon until 1:30 p.m.

The presentations October 21 will focus on “Springfield Public Garden Design: Historic and Modern”. Terri Cameron, master gardener and historic preservation advocate, will make a presentation entitled “Springfield's Early Park Design and Its Impact” that will examine Springfield’s early parks through archival photos, publications and Springfield Park District minutes. Diane Mathis, Director of Marketing and Development for the Springfield Park District, will speak on “Innovative Park Design”. She will preview Southwind – Springfield’s new universally accessible and environmentally friendly park.

There is a charge for lunch but the presentations are free and open to the public. The luncheon and presentations will be held in the University of Illinois Springfield Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Rooms C/D (level below the Sangamon Auditorium lobby). The cost for lunch is $20 and paid reservations are required for the luncheon by October 14, 2009. Pre-registration is also requested from those not purchasing the lunch who wish to attend the presentations.

The series will conclude with a session on Wednesday, November 18 that will focus on “Creative Images: Canvas and Glass”.

Find out how to register and get more information by visiting www.uiaa.org/uis, or contact the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395 or alumni@uis.edu.

UIS raises pride flag as part of National Coming Out Week

The University of Illinois Springfield is celebrating National Coming Out Week on campus by showing its pride. A group of students, faculty and staff gathered in front of the Public Affairs Center to raise a rainbow-colored flag Monday, October, 5, 2009.

The first pride flag raising ceremony was held three years ago on campus and the celebration has been growing ever since. UIS Chancellor Richard D. Ringeisen issued a statement in support of the LGBTQ community at UIS calling them "important members of the entire university community."

“I think for an institution to display our pride flag so publicly is very important and it really says we’re not ashamed to have you here, we’re proud of you,” said UIS student Renee Rathjen.

“This is just another example of showing this is a very inclusive university that everyone has value to us,” said Ringeisen

The flag will fly over campus for the entire week.

Other National Coming Out Week Events:

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Meet the Author, Dr. Pierceson Book Signing, 4:00pm PAC Lobby

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Speak Out 1:00-5:00 UIS Quad

Friday, October 9, 2009
Safe Zone Training Phase 1 - 1:00-4:00 pm, PAC C/D (registrations reqd.)

For more information contact the LGBTQ Resource Office at 217/206-8316 or e-mail: LGBTQ@uis.edu.

"Crossing Lines" Film Screening

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield presents “Crossing Lines” film screening featuring Springfield native and filmmaker Indira S. Somani, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Journalism with Washington and Lee University.

WHEN: Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: University Hall Building (UHB) Room 2008 at UIS

ADDITIONAL INFO: “Crossing Lines” is about an Indian American woman’s struggle to stay connected to India after the loss of her father. Like most second-generation ethnic Americans, Indira Somani has struggled with identity issues, since her parents migrated to the U.S. in the 1960s. Being born and brought up in the U.S. Indira led an American life, but at home, her world was Indian because of her father’s immense love for India and Indian culture. This film takes you on a journey to India, where Indira visits her father’s extended family for the first time after his death. The film explores how Indira tries to stay connected to Indian culture and her extended family, despite the loss of her father. It is the story of how one daughter pays tribute to her father in all that he’s taught her about India, Indian culture and family.

Sponsored by: The Office of International Programs (UIS); The Capital Scholars Honors Program (UIS); The Indian Student Organization (UIS); Asian Indian Women’s Organization (Springfield)

For more information contact Jonathan GoldbergBelle, Office of International Programs at 217/206-8319.

BioBlitz at Emiquon Field Station

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield BioBlitz at Emiquon

WHEN: Saturday, October 10, 2009
(October 7th – Registration deadline)

WHERE: Emiquon Field Station

ADDITIONAL INFO: Each year members of the UIS community, as well as students from surrounding high schools and colleges, gather at Emiquon to do biological sampling. In other words--playing detective, trying to find different examples of the biological life that is present at Emiquon.

Space is limited to the first 80 participants who sign up, and will be asked to make a $10.00 cash donation on the day of the event to help defray the cost of the lunch and supplies.

For more information on times, transportation and to register for the event log onto: https://illinois.edu/sb/sec/1839369

The deadline to register is October 7, 2009.

If you have questions please contact Dr. Jim Bonacum at 217/206-6035 or Bonacum.James@uis.edu.