UIS speaker to explore strategies for achieving and sustaining healthy communities

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Public Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Minority Health presents “Reducing Disparities: Strategies for Achieving and Sustaining Healthy Communities” featuring Mushtaque Chowdhury, the vice chair of BRAC, an international development organization based in Bangladesh which is the world's largest non-governmental organization. The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN: Monday, November 13, 2017, from 6 to 8 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Public Affairs Center, Conference Rooms C/D

DETAILS: There are many determinants, such as income inequality, poverty, and education that have profound effect on one’s ability to be healthy. Chowdhury will bring a global perspective on strategies for reducing these inequities. He will discuss his experience in improving health outcomes for residents of Bangladesh by addressing social determinants. The audience will gain a better understanding of how social determinants affect health and identify strategies that could be applied to vulnerable communities in Illinois.

Chowdhury formerly served as executive director and founding director of the Research and Evaluation Division and founding Dean of the James P. Grant School of Public Health. He is also a professor of population and family health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York. During 2009-12, he worked as the senior adviser to the Rockefeller Foundation, based in Bangkok, Thailand. He also served as a MacArthur Fellow at Harvard University. Chowdhury was a coordinator of the UN Millennium Task Force on Child Health and Maternal Health, set up by the former Secretary General Kofi Annan. He has published nearly 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Chowdhury is a founder of the Bangladesh Education Watch and Bangladesh Health Watch, two civil society watch-dogs on education and health respectively. He has recently been nominated as the recipient of the Ronald McDonald House Charities’ “Medical Award of Excellence” for 2017.

For more information, contact Josiah Alamu, associate professor and chair of the UIS Public Health Department, at 217/206-8485 or jalam3@uis.edu.

UIS faculty to take part in two public Inauguration Day panel discussions

Six faculty members from the University of Illinois Springfield will take part in two public Inauguration Day panel discussions on Friday, January 20, 2017.

Democracy and Donuts II Panel Discussion at UIS 

Democracy and Donuts II, will be held at the UIS Public Affairs Center Food Emporium from 4:30 to 6 p.m. This event is intended to provide an opportunity to reflect on the democratic process with a specific focus on the time period between the election and the inauguration. The event will feature four panelists, each with a different area of expertise in topics related to the impending inauguration.

Panelists include Heather Dell, UIS associate professor of women and gender studies; Ali Nizamuddin, UIS associate professor of political science; Jae Sik Ha, UIS assistant professor of communication; and Dalitso Sulamoyo, CEO of the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies.

Inauguration Day Panel Discussion at Innovate Springfield

An Inauguration Day panel discussion hosted by the University of Illinois Springfield and the Springfield Art Association will take place at Innovate Springfield, located at 15 Old State Capitol Plaza in downtown Springfield, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The unprecedented events of Election 2016 have shaken longstanding assumptions about American politics and left many people with questions. On Inauguration Day, a panel of scholars will be on hand at Innovate Springfield to answer them.

The panel will include Devin Hunter, UIS assistant professor of history; Ken Owen, UIS assistant professor of history; Christian McWhirter, research historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and Christopher Schnell, consulting historian at the Springfield Art Association.

The public is invited to attend this free event. Street parking is available.

UIS Public Affairs Reporting Hall of Fame to inductee three journalists

Three journalists whose range of experiences have included coverage of the skywalk collapse of a Kansas City Hotel, the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge and major farm policy in the United States, are the newest inductees into the Bill Miller Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois Springfield.

The inductees, who will be honored March 9, include Chicago Tribune reporter Robert Secter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial writer Deborah Peterson, and former Reuters correspondent Chuck Abbott. The three are former students of the UIS Public Affairs Reporting Program and have gone on to distinguished careers in journalism across the country and the globe.

Secter graduated from the PAR program in 1974. He spent 14 years at the Los Angeles Times including stints as foreign and national correspondent. Secter was an assistant editor at the Chicago Sun Times and, since 1995, has been with the Chicago Tribune, where he is the Illinois political editor. During his career he covered the U.S invasion into Panama, the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia and the fall of two Illinois governors.

Deborah Peterson is a member of the PAR class of 1978. She is an editorial page writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch where she has worked since 1985. She also worked for the Kansas City Star and the Associated Press. She was part of the Star’s Pulitzer Prize award winning staff that covered the 1981 collapse of the Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalk which killed more than 100 people.

A 1975 graduate Chuck Abbott, is also a Hall of Fame inductee. A long-time commodities and farm policy correspondent for Reuters, Abbott now edits and writes for the Washington, D.C. based Food and Environment Network, which is a non-profit organization focused on food and agriculture policy. Prior to his work at Reuters, Abbott reported for United Press International and served as UPI’s farm editor. He is a past president of the North American Farm Journalists.

An induction ceremony will be held on March 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Conservatory Room of the Inn at 835, located at 835 S. 2nd St. in Springfield. Register online at www.uiaa.org/uisparhof/ or call 217/206-7163.

The PAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is sponsored by the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership. The Hall of Fame is named in honor of Bill Miller, an award-winning journalist who served as the PAR program’s director for 19 years.

The UIS Public Affairs Reporting program is a one-year, professionally-oriented master's degree program that prepares students to become a working reporter covering public affairs in its broadest sense — informing readers, listeners and viewers about ongoing events and activities that impact on their daily lives.

For more information, contact Bill Wheelhouse, WUIS Executive Editor, at 217/206-6402 or wwhee2@uis.edu.

Political Art and the Public Sphere series to screen and discuss "Examined Life" film

WHAT: The Political Art and the Public Sphere (PAPS) series at the University of Illinois Springfield presents a screening and discussion of the film Examined Life by filmmaker Astra Taylor.

WHEN: Monday, October 28, 2013 at 6 p.m.

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

DETAILS: Examined Life brings philosophy back to the streets. Filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers on a series of excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas. Peter Singer’s thoughts on the ethics of consumption are amplified against the backdrop of Fifth Avenue’s post boutiques. Michael Hardt ponders the nature of revolution while surrounded by symbols of wealth and leisure. Judith Butler strolls through San Francisco’s Mission District questioning our culture’s fixation on individualism. While driving through Manhattan, Cornel West compares philosophy to jazz and blues, reminding us how invigorating a life of the mind can be. Examined Life reveals philosophy’s power to transform the way we understand the world and our place within it.

The PAPS series is a monthly event on the UIS campus hosted by Dr. Richard Gilman-Opalsky, associate professor of Political Philosophy.

The theme of the Fall 2013 PAPS series is “Theory in the World”. The series is dedicated to discussions of social and political questions relating to theory and praxis, that is, to the role of thinking in dealing with real problems of economic crisis, war, democracy, and ecology. The Fall 2013 series explores the importance of philosophy for human action in the world. 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 Dr. Gilman-Opalsky at 217/206-8328 or email rgilm3@uis.edu.

UIS Wepner Symposium explores conflict in the Lincoln and Obama presidencies

The fourth annual Wepner Symposium on the Lincoln Legacy and Contemporary Scholarship at the University of Illinois Springfield will explore political conflict, polarization, and political hatred in the presidencies of both Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama.

The symposium will be held October 18-19, 2013 in Springfield, Ill. Portions of the symposium will take place on the UIS campus and the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield. All events are free and open to the general public.

Events begin on Friday, October 18 at 9:30 a.m. in the UIS Public Affairs Center, as political scientists explore “Polarization and Political Hatred - Reasoning from History, Social Science, and Common Experience”. Featured speakers include Matthew Holden, University of Illinois Springfield; Chad Newswander, University of South Dakota; Stephen Schwark, University of Illinois Springfield; and Wilbur Rich, Wellesley College. Events will conclude at 5:30 p.m. with a reception in the PAC Restaurant.

Day two of the Wepner Symposium begins on Saturday, October 19 at 9 a.m. at the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield. Political scholars will discuss the “Agenda for Further Learning, Teaching, and Application” until 11 a.m. Featured commentators include James Cornelius, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; Shoon Lio, University of Illinois Springfield, Dan Monroe, Millikin University; and Bert A. Rockman, Purdue University.

The symposium brings together scholars from around the country with diverse intellectual backgrounds, from political science to history and economics, and also seeks to bridge the gap between K-12 and university education.

For more information on the Wepner Symposium, contact Matthew Holden at 217/206-8519 or mhold3@uis.edu. The symposium can be found online at www.uis.edu/wepner/.

Former Governor Jim Edgar part of panel discussion on "The Two States of Illinois"

WHAT: Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar will join a panel of distinguished guests to discuss how the economic, social & political differences between Chicago and the rest of the state present challenges for the governance of Illinois.

WHEN: Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 7 p.m.

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

DETAILS: This panel discussion will explore how the perceived division between Chicago and the rest of Illinois is affecting state leadership and decision making, public perceptions of governmental effectiveness, and political and social operations.

Edgar will be joined by Chicago Sun-Times columnist and Capitol Fax newsletter publisher Rich Miller, UIS Political Science Professor Christopher Mooney, and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Executive Director Randy Blankenhorn.

Edgar, a distinguished fellow with the University of Illinois Institute for Government and Public Affairs (IGPA), was the 38th governor of Illinois. As governor, he made fiscal discipline and children the cornerstones of his two terms. First elected in 1990, Governor Edgar won re-election in 1994 by the largest margin ever for a governor. Four years later Governor Edgar left office with the highest approval rating in state history.

“The Two States of Illinois” presentation is sponsored by the University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series and the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA).

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or kcrai01s@uis.edu.

UIS Lunch & Learn Series presents "Slavery and Emancipation"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Alumni SAGE Society and Illinois State Historical Society presents “Slavery and Emancipation” as part of its annual Lunch and Learn Series.

WHEN: Thursday, February 28 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: As the nation celebrates the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the UIS Lunch & Learn Series will examine the impact of the landmark document through two presentations.

Dr. Michael Burlingame, the Naomi Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS, will discuss “Lincoln’s Early and Persistent Efforts to End Slavery”. While Dr. Mathew Holden, the Wepner Distinguished Chair of Political Studies at UIS, will present on the topic of “Slavery and Emancipation in the Atlantic Quadrangle”.

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 “Globalization - Where We Are Headed” on March 21 and “UIS: Leadership Lived – Distinguished Insights” on April 25.

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.

Wepner Symposium on the Lincoln Legacy and Contemporary Political Science

The University of Illinois Springfield Political Science Department presents the inaugural Wepner Symposium on the Lincoln Legacy and Contemporary Political Science, to be held October 8-9, 2010.

The symposium is designed to provide an opportunity for political scientists to present recent research related to the Lincoln legacy, to relate such work to the broader discipline of political science and to discuss the broad range of Lincoln studies. The event will also welcome K-12 educators from Springfield, who teach classes in history and government. All events are free and open to the general public, with the exception of the Friday night dinner.

Events begin on Friday, October 8 in Conference Room D of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. The first session focuses on “Thinking About Lincoln: The Ownership and Interpretation of Abraham Lincoln”, which runs from 8:10 to 9:20 a.m. The discussion will feature Tim Miller, associate professor of Political Science at UIS; Kristina Stevens of Old Dominion University; and Stephen Skowronek of Yale University.

The second session of the day addresses “Presidents and the Challenge of Maintaining the Union”, which runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The discussion will be lead by Fred I. Greenstein, an Emeritus professor from Princeton University; David Robertson of the University of Missouri St. Louis; and Bert A. Rockman, head of the Purdue University Political Science Department.

“Presidents and Military Command” will be the focus of the third session of the day from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. The panel will discuss the explicit and implicit bargaining and command relationships between the Chief Executive and the general officers through the exercise of command over the military. The panel includes Pinky Wassenberg, dean of the UIS College of Public Affairs and Administration; Vice Adm. Ronald Thunman, United States Navy, retired; and Richard Sobel of Northwestern University.

Following lunch, the topic turns to “The Lincoln Legacy and the Problem of Exclusion and Inclusion” from 12:30 to 1:40 p.m. Janet Martin of Bowdoin College; Jason Pierceson chair of the UIS Political Science Department; and Adrianna M. Crocker, assistant professor of Political Science at UIS will be the featured speakers during this panel.

“The Lincoln Legacy and the How Institutions Have Been Adapted” will be discussed from 1:40 to 2:55 p.m. The panel looks at how the Lincoln legacy may be evaluated in reference to the capacity of American government, after Lincoln, to deal with critical problems of adaptation. Rich Valelly of Swarthmore College, Lenneal Henderson of the University of Baltimore and Shamira Gelbman of Illinois State University will discuss the topic.

The day of sessions concludes with a discussion on “Lincoln and Obama” from 3 to 4 p.m., which explores how “the people” have seen two distinctive persons in the Presidency. The discussion will be led by Joe Lowndes of the University of Oregon; Wilbur Rich, emeritus professor at Wellesley University; James W. Ingram III of San Diego State University; and Shoon Lio, UIS assistant professor of Sociology & Anthropology.

A dinner for registered participants will be held at the Sangamo Club starting at 6:30 p.m. and will feature Peyton McCrary of the U.S. Department of Justice.

On Saturday, October 9, 2010, two sessions will be taking place. The first, “Lincoln Studies and Political Science: What should scholarship now take up?” will be held from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. This round table discussion will feature Mildred Robinson of the University of Virginia Law School; Bert A. Rockman of Purdue University; David Robertson of the University of Missouri St. Louis Thomas Schneider of Boston University; and Thomas Schwartz, the Illinois State Historian.

The symposium moves to the Hall of Representatives at the Old State Capitol from 10:15 to Noon with “What Shall We teach the Young?”: A Forum on the Lincoln legacy, Political Science, and K-12 Social Studies. This session will give participants an opportunity to discuss what there is to be taught and learned on the Lincoln legacy in middle school and high school social studies. The keynote speaker will be Rogers S. Smith, a Springfield native and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Wepner Symposium is made possible through the cooperation of the Abraham Lincoln Association, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Old State Capitol Site, the Lincoln Home, Looking for Lincoln and the Lincoln National Heritage Area.

For more information on the event contact Dr. Matthew Holden, Jr., Wepner Distinguished Professor in Political Science at 217/206-8519 email mhold3@uis.edu.

State Politics and Policy Conference begins with roundtable featuring former governors

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UIS to host national State Politics and Policy Conference in Springfield

The University of Illinois Springfield will host the 10th annual State Politics and Policy Conference (SPPC) from June 3-5 with the theme “Political Scientists Meet Political Practitioners in the States – How Can We Help?” The core of the SPPC will be a series of 20 panels of political scientists presenting their cutting edge research on state legislatures, governors, policy, federalism, and more. These scholars will come from around the country and even overseas. Approximately 150 people will attend. This annual national conference is hosted by a different university every year; this is the first time the event has been held in Illinois.

“UIS was chosen to host this special 10th anniversary SPPC because it has been the focal point of the renaissance of scholarship into state politics and policy in political science over the past decade,” said Chris Mooney, UIS political science professor and co-chair of the event.

An opening reception and roundtable featuring former governors from four different states, entitled “How Can Political Scientists Contribute to Politics and Government?”, will kick-off the conference on Thursday, June 3. Former Governors Jim Edgar (R) of Illinois (1991-1999), Madeleine Kunin (D) of Vermont (1985-1991), Parris Glendening (D) of Maryland (1995-2003), and Bob Taft (R) of Ohio (1999-2007) will take part in the discussion; Dr. Robert Rich, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, will moderate. The event will be held at the Old State Capitol. Guests may start to arrive at 7 p.m., with the round table discussion taking place from 8 to 10 p.m. This event is free and open to the public and no registration is required. Media may arrive starting at 7 p.m. for individual interviews before the event.

“The assembly of so many and so diverse a group of former state leaders is a rare event, and it will be held in an historic setting-- the Hall of Representatives of the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield,” said Mooney.

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

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

Mooney helped establish the annual SPPCs in 2001, when he founded what has become the most important academic journal in the field, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, in partnership with the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership. The conference began as a way to support and augment the journal.

“Hosting the 10th Annual State Politics and Policy Conference is a major boost to the prestige and national standing of UIS,” said Mooney. “For UIS to be selected as the first small university to host the SPPC is a significant honor.”

Previous hosts have included the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, and Michigan State University, among other large, research-oriented universities. Last year, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University co-hosted the SPPC, and next year, it will be held at Dartmouth College.

The SPPC conference sponsors include the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs, and the UIS College of Public Affairs and Administration.

For more information visit the conference’s website at www.sppc2010.org. Contact information for Chris Mooney is 217/206-6573 or cmoon1@uis.edu and Barbara Ferrara at 217/206-7094 or bferr1@uis.edu.

UIS political experts to discuss Illinois primary election

WHAT: Three noted University of Illinois Springfield political experts will discuss the upcoming February primary election in Illinois during an open forum.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC), Conference Room C/D

DETAILS: Chris Mooney, Professor of Political Science; Kent Redfield, Professor Emeritus of Political Science; and Charlie Wheeler, Director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program will present insights and analysis and invite questions about the election. The forum is open to the UIS community and the general public.

The forum is being hosted by Pi Sigma Alpha, the Political Science National Honor Society. More information about the chapter can be found online at http://www.uis.edu/politicalscience/students/pi-sigma-alpha.html.

For more information on the forum contact Jason Pierceson, Chair of the Department of Political Science at 217/206-7842 or jpier2@uis.edu.

Alpha Phi Sigma honor society to hold inductions

Induction ceremonies for four new members of the Epsilon Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma at the University of Illinois at Springfield, the national criminal justice honor society, will be held at 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, in the Public Affairs Center restaurant on the UIS campus. A dinner will accompany the induction ceremonies.

Alpha Phi Sigma, the only national honor society for criminal justice majors, recognizes the academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students. To be eligible, students must have completed at least one-third of the total hours required for graduation and must maintain specified grade-point averages overall and in the major.

Students being inducted are Ashley Douglas, Kaila McKenzie, Leslie Ochoa and Joe Sawyer. Leanne Brecklin, associate professor of Criminal Justice at UIS, serves as chapter adviser.

The ceremony will also honor 12 members who are graduating this academic year: Joe Dattoli, Ashley Douglas, Michelle Edwards, Karen Harrold, Jon Hartwig, Shane Hibbs, Jennifer Lamb, Anthony Mikels, Audra O’Brien, Howard Purdue, Nicole Reynolds and Samantha Wood.

UIS’ Criminal Justice department is housed within the College of Public Affairs and Administration and offers the baccalaureate degree and undergraduate minor.

Earth Day speaker to focus on cleaning nation's rivers

The University of Illinois at Springfield will be celebrating Earth Day on Tuesday, April 21, with a presentation by Chad Pregracke called “Making a Difference in the World: My Journey to Clean America’s Rivers.” The program will be held at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. It is free and open to the public.

Pregracke is the founder and president of Living Lands & Waters, a not-for-profit environmental organization based in East Moline, Ill. The organization has involved tens of thousands of volunteers with community-based river cleanups, Riverbottom Restoration Projects, Adopt-a-River Mile Program and Big River Educational Workshops.

Pregracke has been the recipient of more than 40 national awards for his service and is the author of From the Bottom Up: One Man’s Crusade to Clean America’s Rivers, which chronicles his journey to clean up America’s rivers one tire at a time.

During Pregracke’s Earth Day program at UIS, he will discuss his experiences growing up on the Mississippi River and how it led to his unique vision to clean up the Mississippi River, from underwater shell-diving to open-air community clean-ups.

Sponsors of the event include the ECCE (Engaged Citizenship Common Experience) Speaker Series and Office of the Provost. Co-sponsors are Students Allied for a Greener Earth (SAGE), College of Public Affairs and Administration, Department of Environmental Studies and the Senate Committee on Sustainability.

For more information, contact Tih-Fen Ting, professor of environmental studies, at 217/206-7876 or tting1@uis.edu.

PAPS series continues with showing of "War Made Easy"

The University of Illinois at Springfield series Political Art and the Public Sphere continues with a screening of the film “War Made Easy” at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. Both the film and the discussion session that follows are free and open to the public.

Based on the best-selling book of the same title, written by Norman Solomon, “War Made Easy” exposes various strategies used by administrations, both Democratic and Republican, to promote agendas for war, from Vietnam to Iraq. The film offers an analysis of the role of media in producing popular support and encourages viewers to think critically about the techniques of persuasion used to promote and prolong the option of war.

Each month, Political Art and the Public Sphere will feature a showing or performance of some kind of “political art,” followed by a group discussion of the issues it raises. “The basic idea behind PAPS is to consider how ‘art’ raises provocative social and political questions,” noted Richard Gilman-Opalsky, professor of political philosophy at UIS and coordinator of the series.

“Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate and to circulate ideas and arguments,” he added. “In the public sphere, people form a collective political opinion and will. Ultimately and ideally, the public sphere brings the interests and demands of the public to bear on those who hold power.”

For more information about this program or the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.

Political cartoonist visits UIS for exhibit, ECCE series and PAPS program

The University of Illinois at Springfield series Political Art and the Public Sphere (PAPS)will resume for the spring 2009 semester with an open discussion with syndicated columnist and political cartoonist Ted Rall on Friday, February 27 at 1 p.m. in the Visual Arts Gallery, located in Health and Sciences Building room 201 on the UIS campus.

Rall's collection of cartoons, called Search and Destroy, will be on display at the Visual Arts Gallery from Thursday, February 26 through Monday, March 23. He will also participated in an Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker’s Series artist’s talk in the Brookens Auditorium on Thursday, February 26 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. An opening reception will follow, including food and refreshments, in the gallery from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The exhibit and both events are free and open to the public.

Rall’s first cartoons were published in the Kettering-Oakwood (OH) Times. Inspired after meeting pop artist Keith Haring in a Manhattan subway station in 1986, Rall began posting his cartoons on New York City streets.

In 1991, Rall’s cartoons were signed for national syndication by San Francisco Chronicle Features, and later moved to Universal Press Syndicate. His cartoons now appear in more than 100 publications around the United States, including the Los Angeles Times, Tucson Weekly, Willamette Week, Newark Star-Ledger, Village Voice and The New York Times.

Rall considers himself a neo-traditionalist who uses a unique drawing style to revive the aggressive approach of Thomas Nast, who viewed editorial cartoons as a vehicle for change. His focus is on issues important to ordinary working people. His work comments on un- and under-employment, the environment and popular culture, and political and social trends.

During the PAPS event, Rall’s political cartoons will be on display in the gallery, followed by an open discussion with Rall about his cartoons.

Each month, Political Art and the Public Sphere will feature a showing or performance of some kind of “political art,” followed by a group discussion of the issues it raises. The basic idea behind PAPS is to consider how ‘art’ raises provocative social and political questions, noted Richard Gilman-Opalsky, coordinator of the series and professor of political philosophy at UIS.

“Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate, and to circulate ideas and arguments,” Gilman-Opalsky said. “In the public sphere, people form a collective political opinion and will. Ultimately and ideally, the public sphere brings the interests and demands of the public to bear on those who hold power.”

For more information about this program or the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 217/206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.

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

Sustainability brown bag

"Save Time, Save Money, Save Trees: Conserve Your Limited Resources through Office Sustainability"

noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, December 4, PAC F

Speaker: Rose Schweikhart Cranson, dean's assistant, College of Public Affairs & Administration

Next program: February 4. Jamie McGill, campus recycling coordinator, will talk about Recycling at UIS.

UIS hosts expert to discuss “The Psychology of False Confessions”

The University of Illinois at Springfield will be hosting Richard Leo, associate professor of Law at the University of San Francisco, for a presentation on “The Psychology of False Confessions” on Monday, November 10 at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln Residence Hall Great Room on the UIS campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Leo is an expert on false confessions and his research of police interrogation procedures has led to a movement toward the video-taping of custodial interrogations. During the event, Leo will address questions regarding why individuals would falsely confess to crimes they did not commit and discuss measures to avoid false confessions from being used in the justice system for wrongful convictions.

Prior to the event, there will be an author’s reception in the Public Affairs Center restaurant in the lower level of the PAC from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. The cost is $50, and funds raised during the reception will go to support the work of the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project. The book The Wrong Guys, which Leo co-authored, will be available for purchase, and Leo will hold a book signing after both the reception and the presentation.

The subject of Leo’s book The Wrong Guys - a group of four Norfolk, Virgina men wrongly convicted based on false confessions - is also the focus of a film called “Eight Men Out,” which the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project will be running on cable channel Access 4.

Leo’s appearance is sponsored by the UIS Speakers’ Award Committee. The lecture has been certified for 1.5 hours of credit in the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, a national organization that provides continuing legal education to lawyers.

The UIS Downstate Illinois Innocence Project is housed within the Institute for Legal and Policy Studies. Under the project, students in Legal Studies and other degree programs provide research and investigative assistance to attorneys who are helping individuals who have been arrested, tried, found guilty and imprisoned for crimes the Project believes they did not commit.


For more information, contact Rhonda Keech at 217/206-7989.

UIS political art series to screen "American Blackout"

The University of Illinois at Springfield series Political Art and the Public Sphere will conclude for the fall semester with a screening of the film "American Blackout" at 6 p.m. Monday, November 10, in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. Both the film and the discussion session that follows are free and open to the public.

While much has been said about alleged voting irregularities during the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, these incidents are nevertheless often dismissed as rumors or unintentional mishaps resulting from an overburdened election system.

Filmmaker Ian Inaba's "furious documentary" chronicles recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 and follows the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who not only took an active role in investigating these election debacles, but found herself in the center of another controversy after publicly questioning the Bush Administration about the 9/11 attacks. New York Times movie critic Jeannette Catsoulis concluded: "'American Blackout' isn't a conspiracy rant. It's a methodical compilation of questions and irregularities that deserves a wider audience."

This fall the PAPS series focused on questions of race and class in modern American politics. Series facilitator Richard Gilman-Opalsky, assistant professor of political philosophy at UIS, said, "This is a provocative film and it should lead us into an open discussion about the disenfranchisement of African American voters one week after the 2008 presidential election, where tales of long lines, voter suppression, and vote counting questions littered the news in the preceding weeks."

Gilman-Opalsky explained that the basic idea of PAPS is to consider how "art" can raise important social and political questions. "Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate, and to circulate ideas and arguments," he added. "In the public sphere, people form a collective political opinion and will. Ultimately and ideally, the public sphere brings the interests and demands of the public to bear on those who hold power."

For more information about this program or the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.

Sustainability Brown Bag Series

A new monthly event sponsored by the Senate Committee on Sustainability

• "Sustainability Initiatives at Food Service" - noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, November 5, PAC G

Speakers: Alan Barnhart, food service Administrator, and Howard Seidel, executive chef. Presentation will also discuss the Local Food Initiative.

• "Save Time, Save Money, Save Trees: Conserve Your Limited Resources through Office Sustainability" – time and place tba, Wednesday, December 4

Speaker: Rose Schweikhart Cranson, dean's assistant, College of Public Affairs and Administration

For more information, contact Tih-Fen Ting, SCS chair, at 6-7876 or TTing1@uis.edu.

UIS will offer workshop on basic GIS applications

The Geographic Information Systems Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Springfield will present "Using GIS to Explore Your Community: A Fundamental GIS Applications Workshop" from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, November 14, at UIS. Advance registration is required and space is limited.

The program is designed for anyone with a beginning interest in spatial visualization and mapping. Basic computer skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office are the only prerequisites.

In addition to the basics of GIS and how to use the ArcGIS 9.2 software, participants will learn how to: create thematic mapping; display data specific to individual interests; find the best locations for projects; conduct spatial queries and spatial processing; and map addresses, locations, and other points of interest.

Instruction will also be given in downloading and mapping community data, as well as how to work with census data, natural resources data, economic data, housing data, and other specific data.

All participants will receive a comprehensive workbook, including step-by-step instructions, and a copy of Illinois Data Inventory Handbook.

Geographic Information Systems provide a new way to explore the world and offer a dynamic digital environment for visualizing and analyzing geographic information. GIS users can access, acquire, analyze, and display information in the forms of maps, 3-D simulations, tables, and figures.

UIS' Geographic Information Systems Laboratory was established in 2005 and currently supports research and teaching for many academic units.

Cost to attend the workshop (does not include lunch) is $125 for current UIS students, faculty, or staff members, and $250 for all others. A limited number of student scholarships are available.

To register or for more information, or contact Angela Maranville, GIS Lab coordinator, at 217/206-8403 or amara2@uis.edu.