Online students also participate in the life of UIS

It was a pleasure to get together last night for a "Chat with the Chancellor" event with UIS online students!  UIS has a national reputation for the excellence of our online programs and for the supportive environment that we provide for online students who are working toward both undergraduate and graduate degrees.  UIS online students this year hail from 47 U.S. states and 9 foreign countries.  I learned in our chat that many of our online students are champion "multi-taskers,"  balancing full-time jobs and families at the same time they are appreciating the access that the UIS online degree programs offer them. 

Amy and Ajay,  I'm so pleased that you will be graduating in a few weeks and hope that you will be with us for commencement!  Berni,  its great to meet a UIS student from the "Big Apple."  I'm going to be in New York City next month and I hope I can stop by the Central Park Zoo, where you work, to bring greetings from your university.  Thanks to all the online students who joined us for "Chat with the Chancellor".  Each of you is an important part of our academic community and I appreciate the feedback you provided about your experience as online students at UIS.  If you won a prize last evening,  you can anticipate receiving a package from your Chancellor next week!

UIS student athletes balance it all

What a pleasure it was to celebrate the achievements of our student athletes at the 2013 UIS Athletics Banquet on Friday evening.  Division II athletics is built on a commitment to excellence in both academics and athletics and our two UIS Athletes of the Year are great examples of that DII "life in the balance" philosophy. Abby Vorreyer was named Female Athlete of the Year. A senior Business major from Springfield, Abby has set several school records in golf at the same time she has maintained a 4.0 grade point average! Kyle Gupton is the Male Athlete of the Year. Kyle graduates in a few weeks with a Social Work major at the same time he has earned All Conference honors for his outstanding performance on the basketball court. My congratulations to all the senior student athletes who are graduating this year!  

April blur

The last several weeks of every academic year are always a blur of activities and April, 2013 at UIS is exactly that.  This past week UIS was out in force here in Springfield, along with representatives from the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses, for UI Day at the Capitol – an opportunity for students,  alums and university leaders to talk with legislators about the vital contributions that our university makes to our state.  

I was delighted to meet these three UIS interns at the UI reception - Amy Uden, Gina Massie, and Yumnah Tayyab.  Amy, Gina and Yumnah are all graduating from UIS in a few weeks with their Masters in Public Administration and each has spent this past year also working in some aspect of state government.  

We also had a great alumni event in Chicago on Thursday evening  at the Metropolitan Club. We have more and more UIS alums working and living in the Chicago area and I'm looking forward to more UIS events there that will bring us together.  The StARS student research symposium on Friday and softball games this weekend rounded out the week!  Whew!

Pinwheel Garden comes to UIS campus

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and, this morning, I took part in a lovely ceremony at the Colonnade that was organized by our very own faculty, Betsy Goulet and Donna Weinstein, to raise awareness about this important subject. Did you know it is estimated that at least one in 25 children in Sangamon County is the victim of children abuse each year? We planted blue pinwheels by the colonnade as a reminder to each of us about the importance of working to address this important issue in our community. I know I’ve said it a few times before, but leadership is truly lived at UIS every day.

World Health Day at UIS!

World Health Day is celebrated on April 7 this year and marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948. The theme for World Health Day 2013 is high blood pressure – often called "the silent killer" - because it can cause significant health problems including heart attack, kidney failure and stroke. UIS celebrated World Health Day (and National Public Health Day) today with a Health Fair in the TRAC facility. The fair offered the opportunity for blood pressure checks as well as many other activities including the opportunity to get a massage or even try a Zumba class. As you can see from the photo, some of the children from the UIS Cox Children’s Center opted for Zumba! My thanks to all who organized and participated in the UIS Health Fair today!