Our grounds are in good hands

It was so nice to see that this Sunday the State Journal-Register, our local newspaper, sought out UIS's own Joan Buckles, Superintendent of Grounds at UIS, for her expertise in their feature article on new "plant hardiness zones." Joan (and her campus crew of 11 grounds professionals) is the person responsible for the 370 acres of trees, flowers, shrubs and lawns that make up our beautiful campus. Though we're still waiting for a late winter to arrive; I'm sure Joan and her crew are already thinking about how they will "push the limits" of those planting zones to make our campus even more beautiful this Spring. Given the unusually mild winter, I wouldn't be surprised to see a daffodil or crocus peeking out of the ground in some sunny location. Thanks, Joan and the crew for all you do to maintain this beautiful campus for all of us. We appreciate it!