Ambassador Series welcomes world leaders to Springfield

The University of Illinois Springfield and WSEC-TV Ambassador Series welcome leaders from around the world to Springfield each year. The goal of the six part series is to share what we have in common and learn how we can work together.

“It affords us an opportunity that really is unprecedented anywhere in the United States to regularly visit, mingle with, ask questions and hear directly from ambassadors of other countries,” said Vicki Megginson, UIS associate chancellor for development.

During a recent visit His Excellency Vassilis Kaskarelis, Greek Ambassador to the United States spoke about the economic problems facing his country. Greece has been in the news lately because of its dire financial situation and the European Union’s response and rescue.

“Many of us could think about very clearly parallels in our own economy and maybe lessons we can learn from each other,” said Megginson.

The ambassadors have the opportunity to speak with Springfield’s business, government, and community leaders. During their presentations, the ambassadors share business, economic, and political insights. A question-and-answer period follows.

“I’ve been attending the ambassador’s series for a number of years and I just find it fascinating and wonderful and so educational,” said Gwenn Klingler, a former state representative and friend of UIS.

WSEC-TV records all the events for broadcast on its network and for other PBS stations. The Ambassador Series is held at either the Dove Conference Center at St. John’s Hospital or the Sangamon Auditorium lobby at UIS.

The upcoming Ambassador Series will start this fall and will feature the Syrian ambassador on October 27, 2010 and the ambassador from Kazakhstan on April 6, 2011. Discussions are also in the works to bring the Korean and Bulgarian ambassadors to Springfield. Organizers also hope to feature an ambassador from a South American country.

For more information on the next Ambassador Series and to register visit the UIS Office of Development website

UIS Theatre announces 2010-2011 season

The University of Illinois Springfield’s Theatre Program has announced the schedule for the 2010-2011 season with productions that explore political, gender, racial and other social topics.

The fall production is The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wassserstein. The play humorously, poignantly, and historically traces Heidi Holland’s coming of age from the late 60s to the late 80s—mirroring a generation’s coming of age trek through various political and social movements. Mel Gussow of the New York Times wrote: “we see Heidi on her own rock-strewn path to liberation. As she moves from high school intellectual to awakening feminist, in the background we hear about political and cultural events. Heidi and her group are emblematic of their time, but the historical references never become intrusive. They form a time line on which Heidi teeters like a tightrope walker. Following the chronicles of Heidi, theatergoers are left with tantalizing questions about women today and tomorrow.”

UIS Assistant Professor of Theatre Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson directs this Pulitzer-prize & Tony-award winning play by the late icon of American theatre, Wendy Wasserstein. Production dates are October 22-24 and 28-30. Open auditions will be held August 29-30 (with call-backs on August 31st) in the Studio Theatre at UIS. Check www.uis.edu/theatre for updated times and information.

The spring production is Spinning Into Butter by Rebecca Gilman. This production explores the dangers of both racism and political correctness in America today. Curtain Up and Library Journal summarize the play as follows: Sarah Daniels, the Dean of Students at fictional, idyllic northeastern Belmont College, is dedicated to helping students like Patrick Chibas obtain an available scholarship and persuades him that "the ends justify the means" when he balks at identifying himself as a standard minority. Then an unprecedented incident of racism on the campus forces Sarah to confront her own demons of prejudice and fears. According to Dramatic Publishing company, “Her self-examination leads to some surprising discoveries and painful insights, the consequences of which even she can't predict.”

UIS Associate Professor of Theatre Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson directs Chicago playwright Rebecca Gillman’s provocative and challenging play. Production dates are April 8-10 and 14-16. Open auditions will be held February 6 & 7, 2011 (with call-backs on Feb. 8th) in The Studio Theatre. More information will be posted on www.uis.edu/theatre.

The curtain time for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night shows is 7:30 p.m. with the Sunday performance starting at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens (65 or older with a picture I.D.), $8 for UIS Faculty/Staff and $6 for UIS students with a valid i-card. Please note that a $2 service charge, not included in the prices above, from Sangamon Auditorium will be added to each ticket price, at the time of purchase, for those who walk up to the UIS Ticket Office to buy their tickets. For those who buy over the phone with a credit card or buy online, an additional $3 is added (for a total of $5 as a service charge per ticket).

For more information on the upcoming theatre season contact Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson at 217/206-6613 or email ethib1@uis.edu.

Innocence Project's Julie Rea Harper case featured

One of the major cases taken by The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project, housed at the University of Illinois Springfield, will be featured in a program, “Mother’s Conviction” airing at 9:00 p.m. Monday, June 28 on the Investigation Discovery series, Unusual Suspects.

The Julie Rea Harper case stands as an example of the breakdown of the criminal justice system in Illinois. Harper was a doctoral student at the University of Indiana when in 1998 she returned to Lawrenceville, IL for a Columbus Day weekend visitation with her 10 year old son Joel. On October 13, Joel was brutally killed in the early morning hours. Law enforcement, with the encouragement of Julie’s ex-husband, immediately focused on Julie. She was eventually convicted in 2002 on totally circumstantial evidence and with little investigation of the leads that an alternative suspect committed the crime.

After Julie’s conviction, the UIS Innocence Project was asked to assist. Project Director of Investigations Bill Clutter knew that there were many leads needing to be pursued. Clutter said: “This case was a travesty from the beginning. The prosecutors withdrew the death penalty in order to deprive Julie of an adequate defense and then turned their backs on the evidence that an intruder, such as serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells, was seen in the area and probably committed the crime.”

The program will feature the events which led author Diane Fanning, an author writing a book on Sells, to help obtain his confession allowing the Innocence Project to reopen the case. Prosecutors refused to accept Sell’s confession and in a retrial in July 2006, with evidence generated by the Project, Julie Rea Harper was found innocent by a Carlyle, IL jury.

The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project works to assist those who have been convicted, but are actually innocent and to develop policy proposals that would help prevent the conviction of innocent persons in the future. The Project uses students to help in its investigations. UIS students played significant roles in the development of the evidence in the Julie Rea Harper case.

On TV: Check local listings for the Discovery ID Channel. Found on Comcast Cable channel 471 in Springfield, Dish Network channel 192, DirecTV channel 285.

For more information, contact Project Director Larry Golden at 217/553-7171 or Discovery Channel’s Deborah Gottschalk at 240/662-2930.

Speakers Series to explore Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents a discussion on Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

WHEN: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library

(The event will be available on video on demand at www.uis.edu/its/iss/webcasting.html)

DETAILS: Lisa Fedina is the featured speaker and is also the project coordinator of the Illinois Rescue and Restore Coalition. The state-wide coalition is comprised of social service organizations, law enforcement, advocacy groups, and community members working together to fight human trafficking in Illinois.

Fedina will discuss the basics of human trafficking (including child exploitation, sex trafficking, and labor trafficking); trafficking in local and global contexts, U.S. anti-trafficking legislation, and victim identification, as well as how individuals can get involved in local anti-trafficking efforts. For additional details on efforts to stop trafficking visit www.dhs.state.il.us/rescueandrestore.

The ECCE Speakers Series at UIS is a campus-sponsored lecture series that aims to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world. All events are free and open to the public.

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.

Series to welcome Greek Ambassador to Springfield

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield and WSEC-TV Ambassador Series welcome His Excellency Vassilis Kaskarelis, Greek Ambassador to the United States for the final series event of the season. Greece has been in the news lately because of its dire financial situation and the European Union’s response and rescue. After a brief speech, the Ambassador will be available to answer questions on this and other issues.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 29 (Lunch at 11:30 a.m. and presentation at noon)

WHERE: Sangamon Auditorium Lobby on the UIS campus

DETAILS: Ambassadors come to Springfield as part of the Ambassador Series for the opportunity of speaking with Springfield’s business, government, and community leaders. During their presentations, the ambassadors share business, economic, and political insights. A question-and-answer period follows.

Ambassadors who have attended events this year include His Excellency Dennis Richardson from Australia; Ambassador Maurice S. Parker, former U.S. Ambassador to Swaziland and Ambassador-in-Residence at the University of Illinois Chicago; His Excellency Michael Collins from Ireland; Her Excellency Renée Jones-Bos from the Netherlands; and His Excellency Jean-Paul Senninger from Luxembourg.

WSEC-TV will film all programs for broadcast on its network and for other PBS stations.

The cost to attend the event is $18 per person. For more information on this event and next year’s Ambassador Series and to register contact the UIS Office of Development at 217/206-6058.

Speakers Series presents a discussion on the Emiquon wetland restoration project

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents a discussion on the Emiquon wetland restoration project on the Illinois River.

WHEN: Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 6 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library
(The event will be available on video on demand at www.uis.edu/its/iss/webcasting.html)

DETAILS: Dr. Michael Lemke, Director of the University of Illinois Springfield Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, will discuss the history, purpose, importance and challenges of the work being conducted at Emiquon.

At 7,100 acres, Emiquon is the second-largest wetland restoration project undertaken in the United States, behind the Florida Everglades. Levees built by farmers in rural Illinois nearly a century ago cut the Emiquon Preserve from the Illinois River, reducing wetlands to cornfields. Recent restoration work has refilled the wetlands with water and provided a home to birds, waterfowl, aquatic plants and fish. But with the levees still in place, a team of scientists examines the potential impact of reconnecting the wetlands to its lifeblood, a river now changed by invasive species and floodwater from urban development.

The ECCE Speakers Series at UIS is a campus-sponsored lecture series that aims to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world. All events are free and open to the public.

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.

Walk and Talk at Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon: "Ongoing Archeology of the Morton Site"

WHAT: The public is invited to an open house for the Morton Site archeology dig at the Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve. An introductory lecture will be presented by Michael Conner, Associate Curator of Anthropology from Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown, IL.

WHEN: Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Alfred O. and Barbara Cordwell Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon (formerly the Emiquon Field Station) near Lewistown, Illinois

DETAILS: Conner will discuss the significance of the Morton Site excavation, which has been investigated for three years in collaboration with researchers from Michigan State University. This dig is the latest in a series of digs on or near Emiquon since the 1930s. The most recent discoveries about this village site dating from A.D. 1300 will be introduced. Visitors will then take a short walk (or drive) from the Field Station to the Morton Site to view the activities of the scientists.

UIS’ Therkildsen Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana, IL and Lewistown, IL near the Dickson Mounds Museum. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are not required. Entrance to the field station is on Prairie Road, located off Illinois Rts. 97/78, approximately one-and-a-half miles north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted at the turnoff and a map is also available online at www.uis.edu/emiquon/.

Everyone entering the property will be asked to sign a liability waiver. Participants younger than 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult and must have their waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian

For more information, contact Michael Lemke, Director of the Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or 217/206-7339.

Photo courtesy Michigan State University

Freshman Orientation welcomes students and parents to campus

The University of Illinois Springfield will welcome hundreds of incoming freshman students to campus over the next several weeks as part of orientation.

The experience is designed to assist students, parents and other family members in making the transition to university life. All new first-year students are required to participate in one of the four summer introductory sessions.

“We help them get to know the campus, register for classes and kind of be a friendly face when they come back,” said Jenna Viehweg, a senior psychology major giving tours.

Orientation gives students a chance to meet with their adviser, take placement exams and make sure their immunization records are in order.

“I’m pretty excited. I think this place looks great,” said parent Mary Fyfe. “It’s like a private school with a public school price.”

Edward Bempong, director of the Center for First Year Students says while students are often ready to go to college, its parents who have a hard time.

“I think our parents are the ones that are most anxious and most scared, so for us as staff we’re actually trying to be here for our parents,” said Bempong.

Students taking part in orientation are offered the opportunity to spend a night in Lincoln Residence Hall, giving them a taste of college life. Other events are designed to show off campus activities and get students talking to each other through icebreaker sessions.

For more information on Freshman Orientation visit www.uis.edu/studentaffairs/orientation/schedule.html

UIS Computer Science Department hosts Girl Tech camp for middle school girls

WHAT: Join the University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science Department for two days of fun exploring technology during Girl Tech 2010. Hands-on activities include programming, robotics, movie making, Photoshop, computer hardware and much more.

WHEN: Thursday, June 17 and Friday, June 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: University Hall Building (UHB) on the UIS campus

DETAILS: Studies show the number of women in higher education in computer science is falling drastically. Girl Tech is geared toward girls in middle school because interest seems to start decreasing around that age.

Some of this year’s sessions include “Spooky Alice!”, where girls can create their own ghost story using 3D objects and characters. “Explore the Robo-Jungle” will look at the world of autonomous robotics by programming a robot to hop and crawl. “Starring YOU!” will use photos taken during the fun-filled days, to create digital movies. “What's in the Box?” will let participants explore the inside of a computer and learn how they run and how all those parts fit together. “Hi-Tech Design” will allow girls to design a t-shirt from the camp to take home.

This year, Girl Tech will also include mini-sessions on a variety of “hot” computer-related topics. Some of the topics that will be explored include computer intelligence, creating virtual avatars, cyber safety in social networking and controlling the behavior of artificial life forms.

The registration fee is $25 per girl, which covers lunch both days, snacks and a participation t-shirt. To be eligible to participate, the girl must be entering 7th, 8th or 9th grade in the fall of 2010. For more information about the camp and to register visit http://csc.uis.edu/girltech2010/

State Politics and Policy Conference begins with roundtable featuring former governors

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will host the 10th annual State Politics and Policy Conference (SPPC) for the first time in Illinois. An opening reception and roundtable featuring former governors from four different states will kick-off the conference.

WHEN: Thursday, June 3 with guests arriving at 7 p.m. and the roundtable discussion taking place from 8 to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Hall of Representatives at the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield

DETAILS: Former Governors Jim Edgar (R) of Illinois (1991-1999), Madeleine Kunin (D) of Vermont (1985-1991), Parris Glendening (D) of Maryland (1995-2003), and Bob Taft (R) of Ohio (1999-2007) will take part in the discussion; Dr. Robert Rich, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, will moderate. Media may arrive starting at 7 p.m. for individual interviews before the event. This event is free and open to the public.

On Friday, June 4 the SPPC will host a banquet in the rotunda of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Alan Ehrenhalt, Director of Information for the Pew Center on the States will be speaking on the topic of “Governors: Success and Failure”. A reception begins at 6 p.m. and Ehrenhalt will take the stage at 8 p.m. The banquet is only open to conference registrants. The media are welcome to attend the presentation and may arrive between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. for individual interviews.

Twenty panel discussions are scheduled on the UIS campus on Friday, June 4, and Saturday, June 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a full list of topics, paper presenters, and times visit the conference’s website at www.sppc2010.org. These panels are free and open to the public with no registration required.

Contact information for Chris Mooney is 217/206-6573 or cmoon1@uis.edu and Barbara Ferrara at 217/206-7094 or bferr1@uis.edu.