Monday, December 8, 2014

Businesses and organizations invited to the Springfield Collegiate Career Fair at UIS

Businesses and organizations are encouraged to register now for booth space at the 2015 Springfield Collegiate Career Fair at the University of Illinois Springfield. The fair will be held on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 from 12 to 3 p.m. at The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) on the UIS campus.

The fair is an annual event hosted by the career development offices at UIS, Benedictine University at Springfield, Robert Morris University, Lincoln Land Community College, and ITT Technical Institute. The fair is sponsored by the UIS College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Concepts IT.

The Springfield Collegiate Career Fair is intended to bring students from all five institutions, local employers, and organizations together to discuss career opportunities in a broad range of available positions. Businesses who are recruiting students and alumni to fill part-time jobs, internships, and full-time career opportunities are invited to participate in the fair. The event has an average attendance of more than 400 students and alumni.

Each year the career fair boasts more than 100 national and local employers. The deadline for employers to register for the fair is February 10, 2015 at 5 p.m. However, it is highly encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure space. There are only a few Advantage Partner options for first-choice booth placement left.

Employers can register for the Springfield Collegiate Career Fair by visiting the UIS Career Development Center’s online system called “CareerConnect” at www.uis.edu/career/. Click on the “Employers: Login here” option to get started.

For more information or if you have questions about registration, contact the UIS Career Development Center at 217-206-6508 or employerrelations@uis.edu.

Monday, November 24, 2014

UIS Visual Arts Gallery Silent Auction features artwork by local and national artists

The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery will hold its annual Silent Auction Benefit starting on Dec. 8, 2014. The auction includes a wide range of high caliber works donated by local and national artists.

Bidding begins on Dec. 8 and a closing reception, along with final bidding, will take place on Dec. 11 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the Visual Arts Gallery, room 201 in the Health and Science Building on campus. All events are open to the public.

Works of art were donated to the silent auction by local artists affiliated with the Springfield Art Association, the Prairie Art Alliance, the Springfield Area Arts Council, The Pharmacy, DEMO Project, the Illinois State Museum, the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, and UIS Visual Arts faculty. In addition to the local donors, artwork was donated to the auction from artists from all over Illinois and beyond.

“This strong showing of support from our local creative community annually paves the way to success for the Silent Auction Benefit, which serves as the sole fundraiser for the gallery each year,” said Jeff Robinson, director of the UIS Visual Arts Gallery. “The auction features an extraordinary range of work and reflects a spirit of support amongst artists that thrive in Springfield.”

All proceeds from the silent auction will benefit UIS Visual Arts Gallery programming throughout the year. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website at www.uis.edu/visualarts/gallery, or contact the gallery at 217/ 206-6506.

UIS professors to discuss the history of modern holiday practices at Lunch & Learn event

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society invite the public to celebrate the holidays in the final Lunch and Learn Series event of the semester.

WHEN: Thursday, December 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room C/D, located on the lower level of the PAC on the UIS campus.

DETAILS: The holiday season is rooted in religious belief, secular practices, ethnic unity and music. David Bertaina, UIS associate professor of history, and Sharon Graf, UIS associate professor of ethnomusicology, will discuss the origins and practices of the modern day holiday season.

A special performance by students in the UIS music program will also highlight the program.

The cost for the hot buffet lunch and program is $20/per person. Reservations are requested, as seating is limited. Seating is available in the back for those who do not purchase the luncheon buffet.

These lunch-time programs will stimulate thinking as they build upon the university's tradition of open and intelligent dialogue.

Visit www.uiaa.org/uis to register online. For more information, contact the UI Alumni Association at UIS at 217/206-7395 or email alumni@uis.edu.

Friday, November 21, 2014

UIS Music Program presents Fall Showcase Concert featuring guest conductors and music favorites

The University of Illinois Springfield Music Program presents its annual Fall Showcase Concert featuring performances by the UIS chorus, chamber orchestra, and band.

The performance is Friday, December 5, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium.

The concert will feature songs by John Lennon and Franz Schubert, a march featuring the UIS Band trombone section, as well as a piano soloist, cello soloist, and guest composer and conductor.

Highlights include Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with a piano solo by UIS faculty member Pei-I Wang, as well as traditional work “Follow the Drinking Gourd”, which brings the UIS Chorus and Chamber Orchestra together under the baton of composer and guest conductor Tyron Cooper.

The chorus, under the direction of UIS Associate Professor Sharon Graf, will open the showcase with “Carol of the Bells” by Leontovich/Wilhousky.

Directed by UIS Assistant Professor Yona Stamatis, the chamber orchestra will perform selections including “Longa Rihad” by Riad Al-Sunbati and “Kol Nidre Op. 47” by Max Bruch, featuring cello soloist Martin Laufhutte.

Finally, UIS Applied Music Specialist Abigail Walsh will lead the band through selections including “American Barndance” by Richard L. Saucedo and “Arabesque” by Samuel R. Hazo.

Donations are welcome and will be used to benefit the UIS Music Student Merit Award.

The UIS Fall Showcase is comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as Springfield community members, all with a variety of skill levels.

Anyone who is interested in joining any of the performance ensembles, including the UIS chorus, band or chamber orchestra may contact Abigail Walsh at 217/206-7549 or music@uis.edu.

The performances are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Learn about hunger during the annual OxFam Hunger Banquet at UIS

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will show hunger in a whole new way during the annual OxFam Hunger Banquet. The goal of the free event is to educate students and the public about hunger and poverty.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Student Life Building (SLB) Gym, located on the east side of the UIS campus. Parking is available in Lot B.

DETAILS: The OxFam Hunger Banquet is an interactive dinner where guests are placed randomly into three income related groups. These three groups eat a dinner based on their income level. Few participants leave with full stomachs, but all will have a greater understanding of hunger and poverty. The goal is to motivate participants to help combat the problem.

After the meal, the documentary A Place at the Table will be shown. The film is about food insecurity and hunger within the United States. Following the documentary, two speakers from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless will share their experiences with hunger and homelessness.

The event is sponsored by the UIS Student Government Association, the UIS Leadership for Life Service Organization, and the UIS Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series. All events are free and open to students and the public.

Friday, November 7, 2014

UIS students honor veterans by tying yellow ribbons

WHAT: Over 40 University of Illinois Springfield students will be tying 400 yellow ribbons and hanging them around campus in honor of the upcoming Veterans Day holiday. This is the third year students have organized the Tie a Yellow Ribbon campaign on campus.

WHEN: Sunday, November 9, 2014 at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Outside the Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) – Parking Lot I

DETAILS: Community members and students are invited to help hang the yellow ribbons and share their Veterans’ stories. The event is designed to raise awareness on campus about Veterans, specifically students, who have served or are currently serving our country. Additionally, students hope to send a message of support to veterans in the Springfield area. Cash donations to assist deployed service members will also be accepted.

The event is co-sponsored by the Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Office, Undergraduate Academic Advising, College Democrats, Residence Life, the Diversity Center, and the African Student Association.

UIS will also be holding a Veterans Day flag raising on Tuesday, November 11 at 9 a.m. in front of the Public Affairs Center.

For more information, contact the UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center at 217/206-7716 or volunteer@uis.edu. Participants may RSVP to attend the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/799477676779326/.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

UIS Political Art and the Public Sphere series to screen and discuss the film "Ghosts"

WHAT: The Political Art and the Public Sphere (PAPS) series at the University of Illinois Springfield presents a screening and discussion of the film Ghosts by filmmaker Nick Broomfield. Dr. Richard Gilman-Opalsky, UIS associate professor of Political Philosophy will moderate the event.

WHEN: Monday, November 10, 2014 at 6 p.m.

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

DETAILS: Ghosts tells the story of Ai Qin, a young Chinese girl from Fujian, China, who borrows $25,000 to pay to be smuggled into the United Kingdom illegally so she can support her son and family back home. Once in the U.K., she becomes one of 3 million migrant workers who are the bedrock of the country’s food supply chain, construction, and hospitality industries. She lives with eleven other Chinese in a two-bedroom suburban house. With illegally forged work permits, they work in factories preparing food for British supermarkets. In their search for better paying jobs to repay their debts, they end up in Morecambe Bay at night. On February 5, 2004, twenty three Chinese immigrant workers drowned in Morecambe.

Ai Qin and the other main characters are played by Chinese former illegal immigrants who have drawn on their life experiences to give passionate and authentic performances. The director, Nick Broomfield, creates a grippingly compelling film that will challenge your views on the entire migrant population, and have you thinking about slavery in the 21st century.

The Fall 2014 Political Art and the Public Sphere series focuses on exploring typically unseen sides of work in the world. The theme of the series is “The Invisible Politics of Work”. PAPS events are included in the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series. All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Gilman-Opalsky at 217/206-8328 or email rgilm3@uis.edu.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

UIS Speakers Series explores "Free Market Environmentalism"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield’s Department of Liberal & Integrative Studies and Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series present “Free Market Environmentalism”. This presentation will explore the approach to environmental problem solving that focuses on improving environmental quality using property rights and markets. The featured speaker will be Terry Anderson, executive director of the Property and Environment Research Center.

WHEN: Thursday, November 13, 2014 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Terry Anderson, a Jean De Nault Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, will emphasize three important points in free market environmentalism including that economic growth is fundamental to improving environmental equality and that property rights make the environment an asset rather than a liability.

Anderson’s research helped launch the idea of free market environmentalism and has prompted public debate over the proper role of government in managing natural resources.

Anderson is the co-chairman of Hoover’s Property Rights, Freedom and Prosperity Task Force. He has written or edited thirty-seven books. His book, Free Market Environmentalism, co-authored with Donald Leal, received the 1992 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

Monday, October 27, 2014

UIS Visual Arts Gallery presents "Copy Shop", an exhibition of 3D printed & digitally fabricated objects

The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery presents Copy Shop, and exhibition of 3D printed and digitally fabricated objects by Chicago-based artists Tom Burtonwood and Holly Holmes.

Working from a variety of sources, Burtonwood and Holmes create 3D printed modular works that borrow from natural systems of organization. The artists utilize simple mechanical connections to create novel and unique juxtapositions of forms and meanings that promote adaptability, contingency, variability and an open course philosophy.

The exhibition will open on Monday, November 3 and run through Thursday, November 28. A lecture and exhibition reception will take place on Thursday, November 6. The lecture will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium Lobby, located in the Public Affairs Center (PAC). The reception will take place in the Visual Arts Gallery, located in the Health Sciences Building (HSB 201), from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The UIS Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series and the Statehouse Inn serve as sponsors for this lecture and exhibit. All events are free and open to the public.

As the sampler was to hip-hop so the 3D printer is to sculpture and designed objects. Open source 3D printing has paved the way for a revolution in making things. 3D printing and scanning combined are time machines. They reach back into the past and teleport objects of antiquity around the globe, reproducing and sharing them for everyone to touch and hold in their hands. Just as blogs disrupted publishing, and smart phones changed communications so 3D printing, scanning and modeling will transform the world of objects and the services that surround them.

A component of the exhibit will borrow from Springfield’s Dana Thomas House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and a showcase of his Prairie Style. The artists have created a 3D print of a fragment of the house that captures portions of pattern that exemplify the Prairie style. From that 3D print, the artists have created a mold that the audience can use on-site to create their own small-scale copy to take away. Design innovations of the past merge with contemporary design innovations through this process and product.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, room 201 (HSB 201). Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. For more information exhibition programming, please visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website at www.uis.edu/visualarts/gallery, or contact the gallery at 217/ 206-6506 or alach3@uis.edu.

Friday, October 24, 2014

UIS Lunch & Learn Series explores passionate discussions in Discourse and Discord

The 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Illinois serves as the backdrop of a presentation on Public Discourse, as part of the University of Illinois Springfield Lunch & Learn series.

Angel Ysaguirre, executive director of the Illinois Humanities Council, will speak on the IHC’s Public Discourse program and discussion of contemporary issues in ways that are passionate, yet thoughtful and respectful. Leslie Goddard, a historical interpreter and author, will portray a women’s suffrage activist and share stories of the women’s suffrage movement.

The program will take place on Thursday, November 13, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room C/D, located on the lower level of the PAC on the UIS campus.

The cost for the hot buffet lunch and program is $20/per person. Reservations are requested, as seating is limited. Seating is available in the back for those who do not purchase the luncheon buffet. A discounted series subscription is available for $50/per person.

The program is presented by the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and Illinois State Historical Society.

The final Lunch & Learn event for 2014 is “Celebrating the Holidays” on December 11.

These lunch-time programs will stimulate thinking as they build upon the university's tradition of open and intelligent dialogue.

You may register online.

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

Thursday, October 23, 2014

UIS Students Trick or Treat for Canned Goods to benefit the Central Illinois Foodbank

University of Illinois Springfield students will be going door-to-door on Halloween night collecting canned goods for the Central Illinois Foodbank.

A total of 14 teams, consisting of nearly 200 students, have registered for the annual Trick or Treat for Canned Goods drive. The teams have been assigned specific neighborhoods to collect non-perishable food items. Earlier this month, the teams canvassed the neighborhoods and distributed door hangers that explained the project.

The goal is to collect more than 10,000 pounds of food. Collected items will be returned to campus and weighed following the drive. Prizes will be awarded to the teams that collect the most food.

The Central Illinois Foodbank distributes over 8.5 million pounds of food annually to over 150 food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21 county region.

For more information on Trick or Treat for Canned Goods, contact Mark Dochterman, director of the UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center, at 225/921-9398, or go to www.uis.edu/volunteer.

The UIS students will be collecting the canned goods between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

UIS Theatre presents Brighton Beach Memoirs

The Theatre Program at the University of Illinois Springfield presents Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon, opening Friday, November 7.

Six performances will be presented in the Studio Theatre, on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS - on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, November 7, 8, and 9, and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, November 13, 14, and 15. All shows will begin at 7:30 p.m., except the Sunday performance (November 9), which will begin at 2 p.m. UIS Associate Professor of Theatre Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson directs the play.

Neil Simon’s first play in the “Eugene” trilogy won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 1983, and was a nominee for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play. The original Broadway production earned Tony awards and nominations for actors and direction.

Simon’s comedy chronicles the life of fifteen-year-old Eugene Jerome in 1937 Brooklyn. Eugene's memoirs are filled with wit, insight, teenage angst, laughter, tears, and love. He is obsessed with baseball, writing, girls, and sex--not necessarily in that order. He takes us on a journey through the Depression-era trials of his adolescence, along with his Jewish family, complete with an overworked father, an intimidating mother, an older and wiser brother, and other family members squeezed into the small Brighton Beach home. Eugene's father sums up their struggling existence with, "if you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't be living here.”

The cast includes UIS students Diamond Dixon, Emily Hartney, Courtney Kincaid, Christopher Romero, Wesley Skym, Liza Torrence, and Nicholas Jimenez, along with community member Liam Schaver.

Dathan Powell, UIS assistant professor of theatre, is the scene designer/technical director. UIS students Christina Craig, Janaye Godawa, and Angelina Russo comprise the stage management team. Community member Debi Iams is the costume designer, and UIS staff member Kevin Zepp is the lighting designer. Sound and research/design is provided by UIS student Chip Deiss.

Ticket prices are $14 for adults; $12 for senior citizens (65 or older with a picture I.D.); $10 for UIS Faculty/Staff; $8 for UIS students (and all other college-level students) with a valid, current i-card or college I.D. card; and $6 for 17 and under.

Please note that a service charge from Sangamon Auditorium, not included in the prices above, will be added to each ticket price, at the time of purchase. To avoid a higher service charge, buying tickets in person at the Sangamon Auditorium ticket office is highly recommended. You may also purchase tickets over the phone by calling 217/206-6160 or online at www.uis.edu/SangamonAuditorium/.

For more information on the production, contact Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson at 217/206-8307 or mthom1@uis.edu, or visit www.uis.edu/theatre.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

UIS hosts the 37th annual International Festival

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

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield presents the 37th annual International Festival with the theme "One World, One Beat!”

WHEN: Friday, October 24, 2014 from 5-8 p.m.

WHERE: The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC), located on the south side of the UIS campus. Parking is available in lot F and I, located next to TRAC. A map of the campus is available at www.uis.edu/maps/.

DETAILS: For over 35 years, the University of Illinois Springfield family has celebrated its rich international and cultural diversity with the annual International Festival. Some of our friends from the greater Springfield community will be joining UIS students, faculty, and staff to share an evening of cultural exhibits, artistic performances, and food tasting.

Admission is free and the event and is open to the public. Countries and organizations that will be represented include several African nations, China, India, Ireland, Peru, Turkey, Scotland and more. Visitors will have a chance to sample delicious ethnic dishes from China, India, Mexico, Italy, African countries, the Middle East, and more.

Guests will have the opportunity to collect some of the recipes into a book during the event. Be sure to pick up a program as you enter, so that you can find your way to the exhibits, cuisines, and performances that you are most interested. Plan to spend some time getting to know people you have never met before, literally from every part of our world!

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

Thursday, October 9, 2014

UIS War on Poverty Forum hosts screening of documentary film "American Winter"

The University of Illinois Springfield, in collaboration with the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies, continues its focus on poverty in the U.S. with a documentary feature film titled American Winter on Monday, October 20, 2014 from 6 to 9 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library.

Produced and directed by Emmy award-winning filmmakers, Joe and Harry Gantz, American Winter is a documentary film that follows the personal stories of families struggling in the aftermath of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Filmed over the course of one winter in Portland, Oregon, American Winter presents an intimate and emotionally evocative snapshot of the state of our economy as it is playing out in many American Families.

The subtitle reads, “In the richest country on earth, millions of families have been left out in the cold.”

The film screening is the second part of a War on Poverty Forum series which will also feature a War of Poverty Panel Discussion on Nov. 12.

For more information, contact Lorena Johnson, program director in the UIS Institute for Legal and Policy Studies, at 217/206-6079 or ljohn04s@uis.edu.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

UIS Lincoln Legacy Lectures: Scholars to discuss Lincoln's death and funeral

The 12th Annual Lincoln Legacy Lectures presented by the University of Illinois Springfield will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 16, 2014 in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS.

This year’s topic is “Lincoln’s Funeral,” in anticipation of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s death and funeral in 2015. The lectures, and a reception and book signing that will immediately follow, are free and open to the public. No reservation is required.

The Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series brings nationally known scholars to Springfield to present lectures on topics that both engaged Abraham Lincoln and the citizens of his era and are still timely today.

This year’s featured speakers are James L. Swanson, senior legal scholar at The Heritage Foundation, and Dr. Richard Wightman Fox, professor of history at the University of Southern California. Dr. Michael Burlingame, Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS, will give opening remarks on “Why Lincoln was Murdered,” and serve as moderator.

Swanson will present a lecture titled “I give you my sprig of lilac”: The Death and Funeral of Abraham Lincoln.” In his lecture, “What We’ve Forgotten about Lincoln’s Funeral, and What We’ve Never Known,” Fox will examine what the loss of Lincoln signified to citizens of his time.

Swanson is the author of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer (Wm. Morrow, 2006), its sequel Bloody Crimes: The Funeral for Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis (HarperCollins, 2011), and End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (Wm. Morrow, 2013). Fox is the author of the forthcoming Lincoln’s Body: A Cultural History (Norton, 2015). Burlingame is the author of the two-volume biography, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008).

The Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series is sponsored by the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership in cooperation with the Lynn Chair in Lincoln Studies. Co-sponsors of this year's event are the Abraham Lincoln Association, UIS College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UIS College of Public Affairs and Administration, Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, UIS Engaged Citizenship Speaker Series, Laurie and David Farrell, Jim and Linda Gobberdiel, Illinois State Historical Society, Illinois State Library, Staab Funeral Home, University of Illinois Alumni Association, and WUIS/Illinois Issues.

Seating in Brookens Auditorium is limited; however overflow seating will be available in the Public Affairs Center, Level 1, Conference Rooms C/D and G, where the audience can watch a large-screen live video feed. 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 Barbara Ferrara in the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership at 217/206-7094.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

UIS celebrates 18th annual Homecoming Weekend

The University of Illinois Springfield invites the local community to celebrate our 18th annual Homecoming Weekend on October 10 & 11. The theme of Homecoming 2014 is “Paint the Cornfield Blue”. The following is a partial list of events. To view a full list of Homecoming activities, visit www.uis.edu/homecoming/.

UIS Homecoming Parade

WHAT: The parade is an annual tradition of Homecoming at UIS. We hope you come out to enjoy the festivities, the UIS band and much more!

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 at 4:15 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Campus – The parade will start in parking lot C-north and end in parking lot G south of the University Hall Building. The best place to view the parade is along Eliza Farnham Drive, near Founders Residence Hall.

DETAILS: Community members are encouraged to attend to watch the parade, enjoy, and learn more about the many student organizations, athletics teams, campus departments, businesses, & nonprofits that participate in the parade.

UIS Homecoming BBQ 

WHAT: The UIS Student Activities Committee (SAC) will host its annual BBQ following the parade. This will coincide with the soccer games.

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 from 4:45 to 7:15 p.m.

WHERE: South Quad near the University Hall Building

DETAILS: Come join us for food, drinks, and fun. There is a cost for non-students. UIS students are free with a valid iCard.

UIS Prairie Stars Men’s and Women’s Soccer 

WHAT: The NCAA Division II men’s and women’s soccer teams will play Rockhurst during the annual homecoming game.

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 – The women’s game begins at 5 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Kiwanis Stadium at UIS

DETAILS: Admission to the games is $8 for adults and children are $3. UIS students, faculty and staff are free with a valid iCard. Following the men’s soccer game, there will be a free fireworks display.

UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball

WHAT: The UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball team will play Bellarmine.

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) at UIS

DETAILS: Admission to the games is $6 for adults and $3 for children. UIS students, faculty and staff are free with a valid iCard.

UIS Students vs. UIS Alumni/Faculty/Staff Basketball Game 

WHAT: Students will face off against Alumni/Faculty/Staff in a basketball game designed to foster teamwork.

WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Student Life Building Gymnasium at UIS

DETAILS: Admission is free

UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball 

WHAT: The UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball team will play Southern Indiana.

WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 3 p.m.

WHERE: The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) at UIS

DETAILS: Admission to the games is $6 for adults and children are $3. UIS students, faculty and staff are free with a valid iCard.

Prairie Stars Athletics Hall of Fame Induction 

WHAT: The first class will be inducted into the new Prairie Stars Athletics Hall of Fame.

WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 2014 (Reception at 6:30 p.m., formal ceremony at 7:30 p.m.)

WHERE: Public Affairs Center at UIS

DETAILS: Celebrate with us as we induct Aydin Gonulsen (coach & administrator), Elias Shehadi (soccer, 1976-1979), Carla (Jimenez) Mills (tennis, 1998-2000), Harold Christofilakos (friend of the Prairie Stars) and the 1986 National Champion Men's Soccer Team to the Hall of Fame.

Guests must preregister for the reception in the Food Emporium in PAC. For $25, guests can enjoy beer & wine along with hors d'oeuvres from 6:30-7:30 p.m. along with light refreshments during intermission of the ceremony. Please register at www.UISPrairieStars.com/HallofFame by October 3.

The ceremony is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Friday, September 26, 2014

UIS Speakers Series examines "The New Black: Family, Faith, and the Fight for Equality"

The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series explores how the African-American community is grappling with the gay rights issue in light of the recent gay marriage movement and fight for civil rights with a screening of the documentary film The New Black: Family, Faith, and the Fight for Equality. A discussion will follow by award-winning filmmaker Yoruba Richen

The film and discussion will take place Monday, October 6, 2014 at 6 p.m. in UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library.

The New Black: Family, Faith, and the Fight for Equality documentary film takes viewers into the pews, onto the streets and seats them at the kitchen table as it charts the evolution of the divisive issue of marriage equality within the Black community leading up to the passage of Maryland’s historic marriage equality act in 2012. 

Richen has been awarded the Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access and has served as a Sundance producers’ fellow. She has directed and produced films in the U.S. and abroad. Her experience includes serving as an investigative producer for ABC News and Democracy Now. Richen teaches documentary film at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and is a Guggenheim Fellow. 

The film, discussion, and reception are sponsored by the UIS Diversity Center; UIS Brookens Library; and the UIS Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning and Allied (LGBTQA) Resource Office.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. 

All events are free and open to the public.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

UIS Lunch & Learn Series to discuss Cubs and Cardinals baseball history

The University of Illinois Springfield Alumni SAGE Society and Illinois State Historical Society welcomes Cubs and Cardinals fans alike to the first Lunch and Learn Series event of the semester titled “Boys of Summer."

The Lunch & Learn will be Thursday, October 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room C/D, located on the lower level of the PAC on the UIS campus.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1964 World Series Championship and the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. Join us for a lively discussion about the Cardinals, the Cubs and Wrigley Field, with Sports Editor Jim Ruppert and Sportswriter Dave Kane from The State Journal-Register. The event will be moderated by UIS professor and baseball historian Dr. Michael Cheney. 

The cost for the hot buffet lunch and program is $20/per person. Reservations are requested, as seating is limited. Seating is available in the back for those who do not purchase the luncheon buffet. A discounted series subscription is available for $50/per person.

Other upcoming Lunch & Learn events include “Discourse and Discord” on November 13 and “Celebrating the Holidays” on December 11. These lunch-time programs will stimulate thinking as they build upon the university's tradition of open and intelligent dialogue.

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

Monday, September 22, 2014

UIS hosts "Foot in the Door" Career Fair for students, alumni, and community members

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Career Development Center will host the 2014 “Foot in the Door” Career Fair for students, alumni, and community members looking for full-time positions, part-time jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities. The event is free to all attendees. A minimum business casual dress code will be observed.

WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for UIS students, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. for members of the general public

WHERE: The Recreations and Athletic Center (TRAC) on the UIS campus

DETAILS: The “Foot in the Door” Career Fair is intended to connect students, alumni and community members with employers to discuss career opportunities in a broad range of available positions. Attendees are encouraged to bring their resumes and networking cards to the event.

A partial list of off-campus employers attending includes Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Dot Foods, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), H.D. Smith, Hope Institute, Horace Mann, Illinois Government (Dept. of Revenue, Office of the Auditor General, Prisoner Review Board, Dept. of Human Services), LRS Consulting Services, Memorial Medical Center, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and United States Postal Service Information Technology. The complete listing of employers can be found online at www.uis.edu/career.

This event is hosted by the UIS Career Development Center and the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, in collaboration with WIUS/Illinois Issues and Watts Copy Systems, Inc.

For more information about the “Foot in the Door” Career Fair, go online to www.uis.edu/career or call the Career Development Center at 217/206-6508. Individuals requesting disability related accommodations should also contact the UIS Career Development Center.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

UIS Visual Arts Gallery presents group exhibition featuring over 30 national artists

The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to present I’m Jealous of Your Failure, a group exhibition that showcases interpretations of failure, personal or otherwise. The exhibit contains the work of over 30 contemporary artists from all over the country and is curated by Trew Schriefer.

I’m Jealous of Your Failure will open on Monday, September 29 and runs through Thursday, October 23. A reception for the exhibit will take place on Thursday, October 2 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

“In the beginning, I asked the participating artists to submit a work that they felt was a ‘failure’ in their own studio practice,” said Schriefer, a Moline, Illinois native.

The thematic direction of the show expanded from there, but, as several of the works included will reflect, remained rooted in the exploration of failure.

Exhibiting artists include John Phillip Abbott, Timothy Bergstrom, Valerie Brennan, Todd Chilton, Ryan Travis Christian, Bill Conger, Paul DeMuro, Austin Eddy, Andreas Fischer, Ted Gahl, Richard Galling, Benjamin Gardner, Ethan Gill, Shara Hughes, Stacie Johnson, Bob Jones, Brian Kapernekas, Judy Ledgerwood, Marcie Oakes, Michael Rea, Nina Rizzo, Steve Ruiz, Cordy Ryman, Trew Schriefer, Peter Shear, Geoffrey Todd Smith, Jason Stopa, Michael Wille, and Scott Wolniak.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, room 201 (HSB 201). Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information exhibition programming, please visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website,  or contact the gallery at 217/ 206-6506 or alach3@uis.edu.

UIS Speakers Series examines "Cultural Gaps in Education" as part of Hispanic Heritage Month

The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series continues its focus on Hispanic Heritage Month with a discussion and film screening of Storming the Gates: The Struggle for Access to Higher Education in Illinois, led by industry expert Detmer "DJ" Wells of the Kaleidoscope Group.

The film screening and discussion will take place at Brookens Auditorium on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at 6 p.m.

Storming the Gates: The Struggle for Access to Higher Education in Illinois is a documentary which traces the history of how minorities gained admission into major academic institutions in Illinois.
 The film illustrates the links between access and the civil rights movements of Blacks and Latinos in the 60s and 70s as well as the role Illinois played in the national struggle for access and equality.

Wells' discussion will include the importance of black and brown people uniting against actions that would cut back on affirmative action gains.

Wells has an extensive background in higher education, including working for the Urban Health Program at University of Illinois at Chicago campus, which seeks to address both health and educational access for traditionally underrepresented minority students in the health professions. He is currently a Vice President at the Kaleidoscope Group, a full service diversity and inclusion consulting firm, and an adjunct faculty member at Governors State University.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, click here.

All events are free and open to the public.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

UIS Speaker Series explores "Culture, Identity, and Sports: Indigenous Mexican Migrants Shooting Hoops"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series continues its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month delving into how anthropology can offer a deeper understanding of sports and insight into current immigration debates. The featured speaker will be Bernardo Ramirez Rios, a visiting faculty member from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.

WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Many migrant populations are marginalized and exploited because of their social and political status. Cultural anthropologist Ramirez Rios will explore how Oaxacan migrants from Southern Mexico use basketball to create community and promote identity in the U.S. and Mexico.

Using a discussion, photography and video format, Ramirez Rios will show how the popular sport helps migrant withstand their daily struggles.

Ramirez Rios is a third generation Mexican-American from Sacramento, California. Inspired into equality and social justice work by his parents, who were active in the Chicano movement, Ramirez Rios has conducted field work in Oaxaca, Mexico and Southern California. He has published Torneo Transnacional: Shooting Hoops in Oaxacalifornia and the photographic essay La Copa Benito Juarez: Oaxaqueno Basketball in the USA and Mexico.

This series is co-sponsored by the UIS Organization of Latin American Students, UIS Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UIS Department of Women and Gender Studies, UIS Athletics and the Baymont Inn.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

UIS Speaker Series celebrates Latino contributions with "The Indigenous Heritage of Latin America"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series and Organization of Latin American Students kick off Hispanic Heritage Month by examining “The Indigenous Heritage of Latin America”. The featured speaker will be nationally-known multicultural motivational speaker Bobby Gonzalez.

WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Many of society’s incredible contributions in the fields of agriculture, linguistics, art, religion and medicine were made by the Inca, Maya, Aztec, Taino and other First Peoples of Central and South America and the Caribbean. With his unique storytelling ability, Gonzalez will explain how present-day Mexico City was a marvel of advanced architecture and engineering and how the brilliant mathematicians from Latin America developed the concept of zero centuries before the Europeans. Come learn more about why Latinos should be proud of their indigenous ancestry.

González seeks to empower his audiences by encouraging them to embrace their heritage and use this knowledge to create a dynamic future. He draws on his Native American (Taino) and Latino (Puerto Rican) roots to offer a unique repertoire of discourses, readings and performances that celebrates his indigenous heritage. He has published two books, Song of the American Holocaust, and The Last Puerto Rican Indian, and the soon to be released Taino Zen. He is also the event coordinator & master of ceremonies for the annual Bronx Native American Festival.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

UIS Speakers Series examines "The Constitution and Slavery"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series will host a Constitution Day event examining the “social, political, economic and human rights issue” of slavery in today’s world. The featured speaker will be UIS Associate Professor Emerita Kathryn Eisenhart.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Despite being legally abolished in the Americas in the nineteenth century, Slavery is alive and well in today’s world existing even in Chicago and Springfield. It is a social, political, economic and human rights issue that most people don’t see or recognize.

Eisenhart will focus on the effect of slavery on the birth of our nation and its laws. She will use history as the platform for the drafting of a constitution legally protecting slavery. She argues that we cannot understand ourselves until we acknowledge the effect of slavery on our society in 1778 and in 2014.

Eisenhart joined the faculty of the UIS Department of Legal Studies in 1992. She earned her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and her B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University, both in Chicago. Through the years she has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate core courses and electives on topics such as employment law, comparative law and human rights. Her interest in slavery began the year she started preparing her course on human rights.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

Monday, September 8, 2014

UIS hosts poverty simulation to demonstrate the challenges low-income families face

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield, in collaboration with the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies, will host a poverty simulation designed to educate students, policy makers, and community leaders about the typical day-to-day challenges of low-income families.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: The Recreation & Athletic Center (TRAC) at UIS

DETAILS: The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) objective is to help participants understand the challenges and barriers faced by real people struggling to make ends meet.

During a simulation, participants will role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to maintain their self-sufficiency. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various community resources.

Although it uses “play” money, fictional scenarios, and time limits, CAPS is not a game. It is a simulation tool that enables participants to view poverty from different angles in an experiential setting.

After the simulation participants will engage in an in-depth debriefing and discussion of their simulation experience, enabling participants to view the complexities of poverty from different angles.

The simulation is part of a War on Poverty Forum series which will also feature a screening of the film American Winter on Oct. 20 and a War of Poverty Panel Discussion on Nov. 12.

For more information, contact Lorena Johnson, program director in the UIS Institute for Legal and Policy Studies, at 217/206-6079 or ljohn04s@uis.edu.

Monday, August 25, 2014

UIS Friday Night Star Parties return for fall semester

The University of Illinois Springfield’s popular Friday Night Star Parties will resume the Friday after Labor Day and run through the end of October. Those dates include: September 5, 12, 19, and 26 and October 3, 10, 17, and 24. Friday Night Star Parties are held from 8 to 10 p.m., weather permitting, at the UIS observatory on the roof of Brookens Library.

Star Parties are hosted by John Martin, associate professor of Astronomy/Physics. The observatory’s telescopes will be used to view a number of celestial objects, including the Moon, when visible; the Ring Nebula; globular star clusters M13 and M15; and other double stars and star clusters.

A typical Star Party begins with a presentation as visitors ascend the stairs to the observatory, learning about galaxies, the sun and stars along the way. On the roof observation deck visitors are invited to view the skies through telescopes and ask questions. Participants are welcome to arrive and leave as they wish between 8 and 10 p.m.

Friday Night Star Parties are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required and groups are encouraged to attend. The entrance to the campus observatory is located outside Brookens Library on the southeast corner of the building.

Star Parties may be canceled for cloudy weather. Questions about whether the weather is suitable for viewing should be directed to 217/206-8342 at 7 p.m. on the evening of the Star Party. Participants may also follow the UIS Observatory on Twitter (@UISObservatory) for updates.

For more information on Star Parties, email John Martin at jmart5@uis.edu or visit www.uis.edu/astronomy/about/starparties.html.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

UIS Visual Arts Gallery begins season with "Filler" exhibition by Springfield native Jeff Robinson

The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to launch an exciting exhibition season with “Filler”, an ambitious installation project from Springfield native Jeff Robinson. Robinson is the Visual Arts Gallery Director and an Instructor of Visual Arts at UIS.

“Filler” will open at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery on Monday, August 25 and run through Thursday, September 18. A reception for the exhibit will take place on Thursday, September 4, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

“Filler” presents a site responsive installation that utilizes inherent architectural spaces in the gallery as finite areas that house a meticulous and calculated organization of elements, both formal and physical. An implicit compulsion in the careful, thoughtful collection of a seemingly endless spectrum of materials speaks to the role of amassed objects for the individual and how such collections shape identity over time.

Robinson launched this new work in May, and out of necessity for a project of this complexity, he has transformed the gallery into a studio space to develop the idiosyncrasies of this work on-site. Throughout the progression of the work, the hunt for materials was ongoing.

“I’m interested in exploring the role that amassed objects play in our lives and how we, in part, form our identities through the careful curation and organization of the physical materials we collect over time,” said Robinson.

Jeff Robinson was born, raised, and currently resides in Springfield. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Illinois State University, and has exhibited his work nationally. His work has been published in New American Paintings and Manifest Gallery’s International Painting Annual, and he received an Individual Artist Support Project Grant from the Illinois Arts Council in support of “Filler”. Robinson is co-founder of DEMO Project in Springfield, an alternative gallery space that emphasizes current trends in contemporary art.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, room 201 (HSB 201). Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information exhibition programming, please visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website at www.uis.edu/visualarts/gallery, or contact the gallery at 217/ 206-6506 or alach3@uis.edu.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

UIS Theatre announces upcoming 2014-15 season

University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) Theatre is excited to announce its production lineup for the 2014-15 academic year. In fall 2014, the program will present Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon. The spring 2015 production will be Tennessee Williams’ American classic A Streetcar Named Desire.

Brighton Beach Memoirs will be performed Nov. 7-9 and 13-15, 2014 in the Studio Theatre. Neil Simon’s first play in the “Eugene” trilogy won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 1983, and was a nominee for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play. The original Broadway production earned Tony awards and nominations for actors and direction.

"Meet Eugene Jerome and his family, fighting the hard times and sometimes each other—with laughter, tears, and love. It is 1937 in Brooklyn during the heart of the Depression. Fifteen-year-old Eugene Jerome lives in Brighton Beach with his family. He is witty, perceptive, obsessed with sex, and forever fantasizing his baseball-diamond triumphs as star pitcher for the New York Yankees. As our guide through his "memoirs," Eugene takes us through a series of trenchant observations and insights that show his family meeting life's challenges with pride, spirit, and a marvelous sense of humor. But as World War II looms ever closer, Eugene sees his own innocence slipping away as the first important era of his life ends—and a new one begins." - GoodReads

UIS Associate Professor of Theatre Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson will direct Brighton Beach Memoirs. Open auditions/crew interviews will be held Sept. 2-3, 2014 in The Studio Theatre. Callbacks will take place on Sept. 4. Roles are available for 4 women and 3 men. Auditions and crew positions are open to students, faculty, staff, and community members. Check www.uis.edu/theatre for updated times and information.

A Streetcar Named Desire will be performed April 10-12 and 16-18 in the Studio Theatre. Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play is an American classic that also won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best play in 1948, with numerous revivals over the years. Very few plays continue to have such power and impact as Williams’ 1948 drama continues to do so 66 years after the original production, but A Streetcar Named Desire is one such play.

"The play reveals to the very depths the character of Blanche DuBois, a woman whose life has been undermined by her romantic illusions, which lead her to reject—so far as possible—the realities of life with which she is faced and which she consistently ignores. The pressure brought to bear upon her by her sister, with whom she goes to live in New Orleans, intensified by the earthy and extremely ‘normal’ young husband of the latter, leads to a revelation of her tragic self-delusion and, in the end, to madness." - Samuel French

UIS Associate Professor and Director of Theatre Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson will direct A Streetcar Named Desire. Open auditions/crew interviews will be held Jan. 25- 26, 2014 in The Studio Theatre. Callbacks will take place on Jan. 27. UIS Associate Professor of Theatre Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson will play the role of Blanche DuBois. Roles are available for 5 women and 5 men. Auditions and crew positions are open to students, faculty, staff, and community members. UIS Assistant Professor of Theatre Dathan Powell is Scenic Designer/Technical Director for both productions.

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 $14 for adults, $12 for senior citizens (65 or older with a picture I.D.), $10 for UIS Faculty/Staff and $8 for UIS students (and all other college-level students) with a valid, current i-card or college I.D. card. Please note that a service charge, not included in the prices above, from Sangamon Auditorium will be added to each ticket price, at the time of purchase. To avoid a higher service charge, buying tickets in person at the Sangamon Auditorium ticket office is highly recommended.

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

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Plant artist Pearl Fryar to share his story at UIS

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series welcomes internationally recognized topiary artist Pearl Fryar, an expert on making plants into living art.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 6 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: In 1976, Fryar and his family moved to Bishopville, South Carolina where he began to fight the racial stereotype that “black people don’t keep up their yards.” He bought a house in a black neighborhood and began cutting every bush and tree in his yard into unusual, abstract shapes.

Fryar’s artwork began to attract not only local, but national attention. He’s now transformed over 300 plants into living artwork and has his own Topiary Garden. His garden, recognized world-wide for its creativity, now attracts visitors from around the world. His effect on local social change has been grass roots, both literally and figuratively.

During his discussion, Fryar will share his story and detail how he turns plants into living sculptures. Many of the plants in his garden were rescued from the compost pile at local nurseries in South Carolina. With patience and skilled hands, these “throw aways” have thrived and have been transformed into wonderful abstract shapes.

Fryar’s artwork has been featured in national magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, as well as several television programs such as CBS Sunday Morning. He’s the subject of the 2006 documentary A Man Named Pearl, which aired on HGTV.

This presentation is sponsored by the University of Illinois at Springfield ECCE Speaker Series and University of Illinois Extension. This event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Girl Tech to teach middle schoolers about technology

WHAT: Join the University of Illinois Springfield’s Computer Science Department for two days of fun exploring technology during Girl Tech 2014. Hands-on activities include creating your own robot, fun ideas with electricity, design a game, and much more!

WHEN: Thursday, June 12 and Friday, June 13, 2014 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.

Highlighting the sessions this year is a multi-session activity where each girl will create her own robotic companion to take home. They will get to plan the robot, program the robot, and personalize their robot.

Other activities include, “Green Screen Dreams” where participants will use green screens and iPads to make their dreams a reality. During “Light Up Your Life!” students will use circuit pens to draw with conductive ink. Girls will make up their own computer game on a Raspberry Pi computer during a session called “Scratch”. They’ll also use hi-tech design tools to create a Girl Tech 2014 t-shirt to take home.

The registration fee is $30 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 2014. For more information about the camp and to register visit http://csc.uis.edu/girltech/. The registration deadline is Thursday, June 5, 2014.

For more information, contact Mary Sheila Tracy, camp coordinator and UIS Computer Science instructor, at 217/206-7328 or mtrac1@uis.edu.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

UIS Speakers Series to screen and discuss the documentary "Two Spirits"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series will screen and discuss the documentary Two Spirits. The discussion will be moderated by Kerry Poynter, director of the UIS LGBTQA Resource Office. This event is free and open to the public.

WHEN: Monday, June 9, 2014 at 6 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Two Spirits tells the story of Fred Martinez, one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history, who was murdered at 16. The documentary explores the life and death of a boy who was also a girl, and the essentially spiritual nature of gender. Martinez was nádleehí, a male-bodied person with a feminine nature, a special gift according to ancient Navajo culture.

The film interweaves the tragic story of a mother’s loss of her son with a revealing look at a time when the world wasn’t simply divided into male and female, and many Native American cultures held places of honor for people of integrated genders.

Kerry Poynter has over fifteen years of experience working with LGBTQA students in higher education at a number of institutions including Duke University, Columbia University, New York University, and Western Michigan University. He has a master’s degree in Administration of College Student Affairs in Counselor Education & Counseling Psychology. He’s an adjunct instructor in the Women & Gender Studies Department at UIS and teaches a peer education course that trains LGBTQA & heterosexual allied students to facilitate interactive activities across campus on LGBTQA topics.

For more information on the ECCE Speakers Series event, contact Poynter at 217/206-8316 or kpoyn2@uis.edu.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

UIS students to present their research at the Illinois State Capitol

WHAT: Ten University of Illinois Springfield students will present their research during the inaugural University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Day at the Illinois State Capitol. They will be joined by students from the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses.

WHEN: Thursday, May 1, 2014 from 10 a.m. to Noon

WHERE: Illinois State Capitol – First level, North corridor

DETAILS: Students will be making poster presentations about their cutting-edge research and answering questions from lawmakers and the public. In total, 30 students were selected to present their work by the undergraduate research offices at each University of Illinois campus.

UIS students Jesse Britz of Divernon, Sarah Brust of Chatham, Megan Bott of Schaumburg, Annu Daniel of Hoffman Estates, Robert Elmers IV of Springfield, Nathaniel Hoyle of Jacksonville, Justin Mock of Springfield, Matthew Motley of Hillsboro, Keith Wallace of Springfield, and Kristen Zanon of Athens were selected to present their research.

This is the first time all three campuses have collaborated to present their research in the Capitol.

For more information, contact Derek Schnapp, UIS director of public relations at 217/206-6716 or dschn3@uis.edu.

Monday, April 28, 2014

UIS Music Program presents Spring Showcase Concert

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Music Program presents its annual Spring Showcase Concert featuring performances by the UIS chorus, chamber orchestra, and band. The performance is free and open to the public.

WHEN: Friday, May 2, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Studio Theatre, UIS

DETAILS: The event will feature a wide array of music with many pieces including traditional Korean and African songs, a programmatic tone poem, and music featuring the first annual UIS Music Soloist Competition Winners. Highlights include Steve Reinecke’s “Pilatus Mountain of Dragons”, a traditional Korean arrangement of “Arirang”, as well as Sinfonia No. 86 by Franz Haydn.

The chorus, under the direction of UIS Associate Professor Sharon Graf, will open the Showcase with “Dona Nobis Pacem”, a traditional canon.

Directed by UIS Assistant Professor Yona Stamatis, the chamber orchestra will perform selections including “Meditation” from Thais by Jules Massanet. Zhu Ming, violin, will perform as a soloist. The second winner of the competition, Xincheng Liu, voice, will perform “O Sole Mio” with the orchestra.

Finally, UIS Applied Music Specialist, Abigail Walsh will lead the Band through selections including “The Hounds of Spring” by Alfred Reed and the “The Thunderer” by John Philip Sousa.

Donations are welcome and will be used to benefit the UIS Music Student Merit Award. The 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 who is interested in joining the UIS chorus, band or chamber orchestra may contact Abigail Walsh at 217/206-7549 or music@uis.edu.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Brian Banks to speak at the Illinois Innocence Project's Defenders of the Innocent Awards

WHAT: Brian Banks, exoneree and NFL athlete, will be the special guest at the Illinois Innocence Project’s seventh annual Defenders of the Innocent Awards. The Project is part of the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois Springfield.

WHEN: Saturday, May 3, 2014 (Social at 6 p.m., Dinner/Program at 7 p.m.)

WHERE: President Abraham Lincoln Hotel, 701 E. Adams Street, Springfield

DETAILS: In 2002, 17-year-old Brian Banks was wrongfully convicted of rape. At the time of his conviction, Banks was, by all accounts, a rising football star destined to play in the NFL. A high school acquaintance accused Banks of rape and kidnapping following a consensual sexual encounter. Banks spent five years in prison. Nearly a decade after his conviction, the accuser recanted her statements and acknowledged she fabricated the story.

Justin Brooks, director of the California Innocence Project, was the attorney who helped exonerate Banks. He will be honored with the Illinois Innocence Project’s Defender of the Innocent Leadership Award. He has also been a leader in developing RED Inocente, an organization devoted to creating and supporting innocence programs throughout Latin America.

Anthony Sassan, attorney at law at Zukowski, Rogers, Flood and McArdle, will be honored with the Pro Bono Award for over 11 years of work on behalf of Pamela Jacobazzi. The Illinois Innocence Project is working with Sassan to free Jacobazzi. The day-care provider was convicted in 1994 of violently shaking to death an infant in her care in DuPage County. Attorneys argue pre-existing medical conditions may have caused or contributed to the infant’s death, rather than Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Those wishing to attend the event are encouraged to register online at www.uis.edu/innocenceproject. A tax-deductible donation of $100 is encouraged for those making reservations. The event includes hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and dinner. To register by phone, please call the Illinois Innocence Project at 217/206-6569.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

"Take Back the Night" march & rally at UIS calls for an end to violence against women

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Women's Center and Residence Life will hold the seventh annual Take Back The Night march and rally.

WHEN: Friday, April 25, 2014 beginning at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: The candlelight march will start with a brief ceremony near the colonnade on the UIS main quad and progress towards the Lincoln Residence Hall (LRH) Greatroom where a rally will be held.

DETAILS: “Take Back the Night” protests rape and all forms of violence against women. This event empowers women and all people to reclaim their right to be part of the night and the human experience of nighttime. “Take Back the Night” will include survivor stories, poetry, a healing observance, and t-shirts for students who arrive early.

The Clothesline Project and 10 Paper Cranes for Healing the Violence will also be on display. The Clothesline Project is made up of t-shirts telling women’s stories. This is the 20th Anniversary of The Clothesline Project at UIS. The 10 Paper Cranes project was created at UIS last year and is being replicated elsewhere. UIS students created paper cranes streamers, which are dedicated to victims/survivors.

The supporting organizations for the event include the Enos Park Neighborhood Association and the Feminist Activist Coalition of Lincoln Land Community College. Supporting UIS groups include the Asian Student Organization, Black Male Collegiate Society, Black Student Union, Indian Student Organization, Kalanidhi (an Indian Dance Organization), Muslim Student Organization, Necessary Steps Mentoring Program, Organization of Latin American Students, PStarHR, Sisters with Vision, and the Women’s Issues Caucus.

For more information on “Take Back the Night”, contact the UIS Women’s Center at 217/206-7173 or womenscenter@uis.edu.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Springfest 2014 ends with mud tug-of-war



Students at the University of Illinois Springfield ended Springfest 2014, a week-long event featuring a variety of fun and educational competitions, with the annual mud tug-of-war on April 19.

The theme of the 2014 competition was “Clash of the Comics”, which featured a total of 34 teams made up of over 350 students.

Springfest is one of the longest running and most popular traditions at UIS. Springfest challenges include a scavenger hunt, trivia night, flag & chant competition, and sports day.

For more information on Springfest, visit their Facebook page.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Scavenger Hunt kicks off 21st annual UIS Springfest


Over 350 students helped to kick off Springfest 2014 with the annual Scavenger Hunt on April 14, 2014. Springfest is one of the longest running student traditions on campus, which started in 1992.

Scavenger Hunt participants were given a surprise list of over 200 items to collect during a one-hour period. Points were awarded based on the number of total items collected.

“It’s a really big team builder because students get to go together and try and find items in their homes, they have fun finding the weird items,” said Leanne Deak, Student Activities Committee traditions co-chair.

Students were not allowed to use cars, bikes, or other transportation and had to collect all of the items on campus.

“I love Springfest,” said Jacquie Levine, a senior Global Studies major. “It’s kind of the highlight of my year, every year, at UIS.”

While some items on the list were straightforward, other items were a little harder to locate. Some of the stranger items on this year’s list included a pair of apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur, and a tent.

For a complete list of Springfest activities, visit https://www.facebook.com/Springfest2013AtUIS.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

UIS professor explores "Engagement in a World Without Bodies" as part of Speakers Series

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents “Engagement in a World Without Bodies”. The presentation will be led by Richard Gilman-Opalsky, UIS associate professor of political science.

WHEN: Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Gilman-Opalsky will discuss the emergence of a new mind-body split in the evolving contexts of cognitive labor and a cellular social life. He argues that the eight-hour workday has been replaced by a maximal-length workday, the workday of the wakeful state. The conscious energy of students and workers is increasingly available to friends, family, teachers, and employers with an expectation for 24-hour open access.

Gilman-Opalsky says the new regime of life and labor moves society toward a system of disembodied brain activity, which relegates the body to a kind of sensory-sexual apparatus that only requires basic maintenance. Brain activity has gone mobile, travels freely and fast in real time, and without the costly mass of the body itself. Indeed, new economic incentives demand that we use our brains beyond the limitations of our physical bodies.

A world without bodies is the profitable realization of a capitalist dream to overcome the physical boundaries of production and exchange. Gilman-Opalsky argues that dignity, freedom, and community are fundamentals of a good life, and therefore, that these questions matter to all of us.

This discussion is based on Gilman-Opalsky’s new book Precarious Communism: Manifest Mutations, Manifesto Detourned (2014).

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

UIS Speakers Series explores "Consumerism, Society and our Ecological Future" on Earth Day

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series will explore “Consumerism, Society and our Ecological Future” on Earth Day. The featured speaker will be Tim Kasser, professor of psychology at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Human population and economic growth are putting increased pressure on the Earth; our actions and policies are leading to climate disruption, loss of biodiversity, pollution, and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.

Kasser will use psychological theory and research to show how contemporary culture’s focus on materialistic values and consumerism must be confronted if humans are to construct a sustainable future. He will present a strategic approach that provides lifestyle and policy alternatives that would not only be positive for the planet, but would promote people’s well-being and a more civil society. Come learn about this re-imagining of the American Dream!

Kasser has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles on materialism, values, and goals, among other topics. He is also author or editor of four books, including the The High Price of Materialism and Psychology and Consumer Culture. Over the last decade, Kasser has become increasingly involved with activist groups that work against the commercialization of children and that work towards a more inwardly rich lifestyle than what is offered by consumerism. Among others, he has consulted extensively with the Center for a New American Dream, the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood, and the World Wildlife Fund – UK.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

International expert presents "Making Sense of ObamaCare: Fact, Fiction, and Confusion"

WHAT: Theodore R. Marmor, professor emeritus at Yale University, will present a lecture entitled "Making Sense of ObamaCare: Fact, Fiction, and Confusion”. This event is free and open to the public.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 6 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Marmor will discuss the political struggles that take place in medical care; the core claim is that there is no politics of medical care, but a huge range of political struggles in medical care. He’ll also address the origins, character, and implementation experience of what is known as Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, and 'health reform.' Marmor’s visit was initiated as part of a UIS Political Science course on current & emerging public policy.

Marmor taught for three decades in Yale’s School of Management, Department of Political Science, and Law School. He has been a visiting Professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the School of Management at McGill, and the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris as well as holding visiting fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Netherlands and All Souls College, Oxford.

Marmor was educated at Harvard University (B.A. and Ph.D.) and was a graduate fellow at Wadham College, Oxford. From 1992 to 2003 he was the Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s post-doctoral program in health policy, and in 2001 the Foundation also awarded him an Investigator Award in Health Policy.

Marmor the author (or co-author) of thirteen books, he has published over 200 articles in a wide range of scholarly journals. He began his career as an assistant to Wilbur J. Cohen, the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare who played a key role in creating Medicare.

His appearance is co-sponsored by the UIS College of Public Affairs and Administration, the UIS Public Health Department, the UIS Political Science Department, the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and with the cooperation of the Sangamon County Medical Society.

For more information, contact Matthew Holden, the UIS Wepner Distinguished Professor in Political Science, at 217/206-8519.