Cookie Creativity

The last few days of the semester are also a time for a little holiday creativity. I recently held a small holiday gathering for the UIS Chancellor's Division and a highlight of that event is our annual cookie decorating contest. 

The categories were "Best UIS Theme", "Best Holiday Theme", and "Ugliest". Our esteemed judges had a tough time making their decisions, but in the end three exceptionally creative cookies stood out. 

Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Amorrow Morgan won the "Best UIS Theme" category with his depiction of the campus colonnade. Graphic Designer Lindsey Feger won "Best Holiday Theme" and Head Women’s Soccer Coach Molly Grisham won in  the "Ugliest" category  with …. well, I don’t know how to describe hers except to say it was not very appetizing! As you can see from this photo of the Chancellor with our winners, creative minds were plentiful that afternoon. Happy Holidays to all!

Finals week message from the Chancellor

It's been a busy Fall semester and the hustle and bustle of the holidays is well underway this week. As we move into finals week,  I want to thank all members of the UIS community for all their contributions over the past several months.

I have said many times that it is a privilege for me to serve as Chancellor at the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois. I am proud of our collective work and I appreciate excellence that so many colleagues here support and nurture. If you haven't already done so, please watch this short message. Thank you and Season's Greetings!

Rockin' out at UIS

We often think of the work of the university as taking place in the classroom and that is certainly true; but there are all manner of jobs that need doing on a university campus. One particularly difficult job that I've been observing for several weeks as I arrive and depart campus each day has been the reconstruction of a hillside near the Public Affairs Center. 

The solution to a constant erosion problem has been the placement of about 188 tons (yes – tons!) of different sized white rock on the hillside. Grounds worker, Cliff Edwards, came up with the rock idea and installing the rock has been a joint effort for several days by the UIS grounds crew  - with lots of help from Frank Moscardelli, Terry Minder, Brian Beckerman, Steve Crews, and Dave Lock. Much of this rock had to be placed by hand and it was a tough job (to put it mildly) besides which crew members staged the work between all the other routine maintenance tasks that occur this time of year.

The job was finished this week and this photo is of the very last rock being placed (well, maybe we staged that moment just a bit for the sake of the photograph). My thanks to everyone who contributed to accomplishing this important project! It looks awesome.