UIS to host a free public webinar on “Reopening: What You Need to Know”

The University of Illinois Springfield Office of Economic Development and Innovation, College of Business and Management, College of Public Affairs and Administration and Innovate Springfield will host a free public webinar on “Reopening: What You Need to Know” exploring state guidelines for businesses and consumer demand during COVID-19.

The webinar will be offered 12-1 p.m. Friday, May 29, and will be led by Bruce Sommer, UIS director of economic development and innovation.

Many Illinois businesses, organizations and recreational spaces plan to reopen to customers next week under phase two of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity recently released a phase three business toolkit. Understanding these guidelines will be essential for safe operations.

Jonathan McGee, acting deputy director of regional economic development at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, will speak about the Restore Illinois plan’s phase three guidelines for reopening businesses.

Kevin Lust, director of Illinois Small Business Development Center at Lincoln Land Community College, will present on “Back to Business: What Not to Miss.”

Finally, Innovate Springfield Executive Director Katie Davison will analyze data from a new survey of local consumers that asked to what level they plan to start patronizing local businesses, and the safety measures they want in place that would give them confidence to return to more normal shopping patterns.

Participants are encouraged to register for the event at go.uis.edu/COVIDwebinar, however registration is not required. Zoom and call in connection information can be found on the registration page.

This webinar is part of a series aimed at providing the local community with expert information and quality resources to navigate these challenging times.

For more information, contact Bruce Sommer at bsomm2@uis.edu.

UIS to hold a virtual star party on May 30

The University of Illinois Springfield’s Astronomy-Physics Program will broadcast a virtual star party live on Zoom (rain or shine) from 8-9 p.m. Saturday, May 30.

John Martin, UIS associate professor of astronomy/physics, will give tips for finding Venus, the Big Dipper and other bright stars and constellations in the late spring and early summer evening sky and answer astronomy questions submitted live.

The link for the Zoom event will be posted at go.uis.edu/summerstarparties and @UISObservatory on Twitter. Participants are encouraged to follow the Twitter account for updates. The event will be capped at 300 connections.

The UIS Astronomy-Physics Program and Sangamon Astronomical Society are also planning three other in-person star parties this summer from 8:30-10:30 p.m. June 27, July 25 and Aug. 11 (a special Perseid Meteor Shower viewing party) at Lincoln Memorial Garden, located on the shores of Lake Springfield.

Please monitor the summer star parties website at go.uis.edu/summerstarparties or @UISObservatory on Twitter, for possible changes to the in-person events due to COVID-19 or weather conditions.

For more information on summer star parties, contact John Martin at jmart5@uis.edu.

UIS to host a free public webinar exploring The Future of Education: During COVID-19 and Beyond

The University of Illinois Springfield Office of Economic Development and Innovation, College of Business and Management, College of Public Affairs and Administration and Innovate Springfield will host a free public webinar about the impact of COVID-19 on both K-12 and higher education. Panelist will share their insight and foresight about what we can expect education will look like this fall and far beyond. The webinar will be offered 12-1 p.m. Friday, May 22.

The online panel discussion will also include quick updates from Dr. Chris McDowell, chair of emergency medicine at SIU School of Medicine, and Kevin Lust, director of Small Business Development Center at Lincoln Land Community College, who will provide the latest information about the medical and business impact of COVID-19 in Sangamon County.

Following the updates, Jennifer Gill, superintendent of Springfield School District 186; Robert Hansen, CEO at University Professional and Continuing Education Association; and Ray Schroeder, UIS vice chancellor for online learning, will speak. The panel discussion will be led by Meghan Kessler, UIS assistant professor of teacher education.

Participants are encouraged to register for the event at go.uis.edu/COVIDwebinar, however registration is not required. Zoom and call in connection information can be found on the registration page.

This webinar is part of a series aimed at providing the local community with expert information and quality resources to navigate these challenging times.

For more information, contact Bruce Sommer at bsomm2@uis.edu.

UIS to host a free public webinar on how to prepare to reopen your business

The University of Illinois Springfield Office of Economic Development and Innovation, College of Business and Management, College of Public Affairs and Administration and Innovate Springfield will host a free public webinar on how to prepare to reopen your business during COVID-19 from 12-1 p.m. Friday, May 8.

On May 5, Gov. J.B. Pritzker released Restore Illinois, the plan to reopen our state outlining the conditions that trigger the multiple phases and determine when and how we can operate. Anticipating and preparing for each phase of reopening is critical to planning for our organizations and reopening the economy. This week’s panelists will put the governor’s plan in context by highlighting case studies from across the country and globe. Exploring these examples will help guide our decision-making, and help us forecast when and under what conditions we can move forward.

Pritzker’s plan divides the state into four regions. Opening our Central Region seems less dependent upon what is happening in Chicago and more dependent on how the virus is impacting the other county in our region, including Champaign County. Monitoring the impact of the virus across those counties will be important to predicting how we might progress or regress through the phases.

The online panel discussion will feature Blair Rowitz, associate chief medical officer at Carle Health and associate dean for clinical affairs for Carle Illinois College of Medicine; Molly Lamb, deputy director of health protection at the Illinois Department of Public Health; Dave Oberg, vice president for Illinois Association of Museums; Ranjan Karri, professor of management (Strategy and Entrepreneurship) at UIS College of Business and Management; and Robert Smith, Dean of UIS College of Public Administration.

Participants are encouraged to register for the event at go.uis.edu/COVIDwebinar, however registration is not required. Zoom video and call in connection information can be found on the registration page.

This webinar part of a series aimed at providing the local community with expert information and quality resources to navigate these challenging times. For more information, contact Bruce Sommer at 217-899-3186 or bsomm2@uis.edu.