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.

UIS to host a free public webinar on how to innovate and adapt your business model during COVID-19

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 innovate and adapt your business model during COVID-19 from 12-1 p.m. Friday, May 1.

COVID-19 has forced immediate and unique challenges for businesses and organizations across the world. While it may be early to prognosticate the amount of innovation and number of new business models that will emerge, the opportunity seems to be growing. This webinar will focus on proactive, offensive measures we can take to compete in our new COVID-19 environment.

The online panel discussion will feature Matt Bell, managing director of the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute; Shipra Gupta, UIS associate professor of business administration; Tim Hoerr, CEO and managing partner at Serra Ventures; and Anna Palmer, CEO of Dough and investing partner at XFactor Ventures.

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.

UIS to host a free public webinar exploring COVID-19 relief for small businesses

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 COVID-19 relief for small businesses from 12-1:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 1.

The online panel discussion will provide insight into the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on the economy, how to compare and contrast available programs and navigate the application process.

The webinar will be hosted by Bruce Sommer, UIS director of economic development and innovation, and will feature panelists Chris McDowell, chair of emergency medicine at the SIU School of Medicine; Greg Turk, director of investments at the Teachers Retirement System of Illinois; Kevin Lust, director of the Small Business Development Center; and Michael Johnson, regional president of US Bank.

Panelists will discuss the anticipated trajectory and timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic from a medical perspective, how to prepare for large and small-scale economic impact, relief options for small businesses and paycheck protection programs for local business owners.

Participants are encouraged to register for the event at go.uis.edu/smallbusiness, however registration is not required. Join the Zoom presentation online at https://zoom.us/j/3362950210 or dial 312-626-6799 and enter meeting id 336 295 0210.

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

UIS lecture to explore "The Unbelievable Truth About Sweatshops" and their economic impact

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will host Benjamin Powell, professor of economics at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University and director of the Free Market Institute, to discuss “The Unbelievable Truth About Sweatshops”. The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.

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

DETAILS: Powell will explain how third world sweatshops provide the best available opportunity to workers and how they play an important role in the process of development that eventually leads to better wages and working conditions.

Using economic theory, he will argue that much of what the anti-sweatshop movement has agitated for would actually harm the very workers they intend to help by creating less desirable alternatives and undermining the process of development. Powell doesn't put "profits" or "economic efficiency" above people. Improving the welfare of citizens of third world countries is the goal, and he explores which methods best achieve that goal.

Powell is the author of Out of Poverty: Sweatshops in the Global Economy (2014) and The Economics of Immigration: Market-Based Approaches, Social Science, and Public Policy (2015) and many other books. A book sale and signing will follow the event.

This lecture is sponsored by the UIS Office of Undergraduate Education and is funded by the Carrol C. Hall Endowment Fund. This fund aims to further educate young Americans on capitalism as an economic system and philosophy.

For more information, contact William Kline, UIS associate professor of business administration, at 217/206-8138 or wklin2@uis.edu.

UIS Speaker Series explores the “The Benefits of Economic Freedom”

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield’s Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series and Department of Liberal & Integrative Studies present “The Benefits of Economic Freedom” featuring Joshua Hall, associate professor of economics at West Virginia University and co-director of the Center for Free Enterprise within the College of Business.

WHEN: Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.

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

DETAILS: The Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) index has been published annually since 1996. Since its initial publication, the EFW index has been used by scholars to answer a number of important questions regarding the operation and interaction of economic, political, and social systems around the world.

In this talk, Hall provides an overview of the EFW index and the scholarly literature that uses it. He highlights how the measurement of economic freedom has provided a more accurate picture of the diversity that exists globally with respect to societal economic organization. Finally, Hall discusses how his own views of the importance of economic freedom have changed as a result of measuring economic freedom.

Hall earned his bachelor and master degrees in economics from Ohio University and his Ph.D. from West Virginia University in 2007. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he was the Elbert H. Neese, Jr. Professor of Economics at Beloit College and an Economist with the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. Hall is currently serving as the president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education. He is author of over 100 academic journal articles, book chapters, and scholarly studies. His most recent edited book is Homer Economicus: The Simpsons and Economics.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speaker Series events and more information, visit www.uis.edu/speakerseries/. All events are free and open to the public.

Bookstore Grand Opening

UIS' new bookstore will celebrate its Grand Opening in Founders Hall on Thursday, November 13.

• Ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
• Discounts on clothing and gift items
• Refreshments
• Prizes
  

UIS to host Speed Networking Experience

The University of Illinois at Springfield's Office of UIS Alumni Relations, in conjunction with the UIS Career Development Center and the Entrepreneurial Club, will host a Speed Networking Experience from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30, in the Auditorium lobby area of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. Presented as a Homecoming event for students, alumni, businesses, and community professionals, the event is free, however advance registration is necessary.

Business trainer Marion Richter will be on hand to offer networking tips. Participants will learn how to make a large number of contacts in a short amount of time, and will also have the opportunity to make actual contacts that can enhance their professional and personal lives.

Reservations should be made by September 26; early registration is strongly encouraged. To register, go to www.uiaa.org/spfld and click on "Speed Networking Experience."

For more information, contact the UIS Career Development Center at careerservices@uis.edu, phone 217/206-7544.

UIS to host workshop on cybersecurity for small businesses

The Computer Science department at the University of Illinois at Springfield will host a half-day workshop designed to help small businesses recognize and address potential threats to their information systems on Tuesday, September 9, in conference room C/D in the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus.

The program is free, however space is limited and advance registration is required.

Co-sponsors along with UIS are the FBI's InfraGard program, the Small Business Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The NSF Regional Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance is also assisting with the conference.

Since more than 95 percent of all businesses in this country are small or medium-sized, with 500 or fewer employees, problems that small businesses commonly face are potential threats to the national economic base.

To address this issue, the NIST, SBA, and FBI have established a series of regional seminars on IT security for small businesses that cover the basics of setting up and operating an information security program. Participants will learn how to define information security, common threats and how to address them, current best practices and procedures for operating more securely, what technologies are currently used to reduce IS vulnerabilities, and what resources are readily available to small businesses.

The UIS workshop will be facilitated by Richard Kissel, senior information security analyst for the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland. At NIST, Kissel's primary responsibilities are to review federal agency information security programs and to plan for and conduct information security workshops for managers and staff of small organizations.

The program will conclude with a short briefing by an FBI cyber security special agent on local and national issues of note.

UIS' Computer Science department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees designed to provide students with experience in mastering problem-solving skills relevant to business, scientific, and public issues. The department is a Cisco Regional Networking Academy and the curriculum is certified by the Committee of National Security Systems and the National Security Agency.

InfraGard is a partnership between the FBI and leaders in business, education, and government. The NIST, a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, works to advance measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve the quality of life. The Small Business Administration is an independent federal agency designed to aid, counsel, assist, and protect the interests of small business concerns. CSSIA addresses the needs of professionals in information technology security by increasing faculty expertise and higher education training programs in IT security and data assurance.

To register for the workshop, contact Stephanie Schatz at stephanie.schatz@sba.gov, or phone 217/793-5020, ext. 114.

For additional information, visit http://csrc.nist.gov/securebiz/, or contact UIS Computer Science Instructor Janis Rose at rose.janis@uis.edu or 217/206-8246.