Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Thrill and delight at the magic of the Student Union!

The UIS Student Union Campaign Kickoff was this afternoon on the campus quad and what an event it was!! We had over 800 people from the campus and community join us for a carnival celebration with lots of games, free food (including my favorite health food – cotton candy), entertainment and various other forms of merriment. There was a rumor going around that the Chancellor was going to strap into the gyroscope; but I can assure you it was not true!! The high point of the event for me was announcing to the crowd that we have already received $2.4 million in gifts from lead donors for this critically important project for the UIS campus. Twenty-four months from now, we’ll have an even bigger party to cut the ribbon on the new building!! Can’t wait for that day!

View the Student Union Campaign video

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

A New Option for Nursing Education at UIS

 
Today I had the pleasure of announcing a new partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing and Memorial Health System to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at UIS starting in fall 2015. 

Not only will this bring one of the top ranked nursing education programs in the nation to Springfield, but it will help UIS grow and fulfill a need for more baccalaureate level nurses in Springfield.   

This type of collaboration, that benefits students and our communities, as well as makes the most efficient use of our resources, is what the University of Illinois does best. 

You can learn more about the partnership by visiting http://www.uis.edu/nursing/

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The Water is flowing!

Did you know that UIS now has its very own waterfall? Our UIS grounds crew have been working tirelessly for many weeks to complete a new waterfall at the UIS pond and I am happy to report they have finished and the water is flowing! The waterfall was built to honor recently retired UIS horticulturalist, Joan Buckles, who led the grounds crew at UIS for many years and is partly responsible for the beautiful campus that we call our own. Thanks to Brian Beckerman and all the members of the crew who did such a beautiful job on this project. As you enjoy the beautiful fall weather, I hope you will take a few minutes and wander over to the UIS pond to enjoy this wonderful new addition to our campus property.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

UIS is growing!

Word is getting out to more and more that UIS is a great place to learn and  grow …  and we are growing! Our fall 2014 enrollment report was released this morning and it’s now official: UIS has the highest enrollment in the history of the campus!

We’ve grown by almost 300 students this year. I’m especially pleased that the academic quality of our freshman class continues to increase at the same time the student body is becoming more diverse.  Fifteen percent of our student body this year is international – with most international students coming from India and China. Whether you came to join our academic community from across the street or from the other side of the globe; I’m pleased that you have chosen the Springfield campus to pursue your University of Illinois degree.  I look forward to the contributions you will make to our academic community.

Friday, September 5, 2014

UIS and Downtown Springfield, a wonderful partnership

One of the best advantages of being part of the UI Springfield campus community is being located in Springfield, Illinois. As part of our ongoing partnership with Springfield’s downtown promotional organization, Downtown Springfield, Inc., we recently created a message to express how much we all enjoy downtown Springfield and all it has to offer. I hope you enjoy the short video we put together … as much as we enjoyed making it! What do you like best about downtown Springfield?  

Thursday, September 4, 2014

UIS students are already out there contributing in the community

The fall semester at UIS has just begun; but our students are already out there in the community volunteering, representing the University of Illinois and gaining valuable “real-world” experience! The annual Welcome Week Service-A-Thon has become a tradition during the first week of classes and it’s a great opportunity for new students (as well are returning students) to get to know their community better. This event just gets bigger and bigger, thanks in part to the leadership provided by Mark Dochterman, the Director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center. As Chancellor of UIS, I’m out in the community every week and I constantly hear from community leaders and citizens that they appreciate everything that our campus contributes to the “greater good” in Springfield and in Sangamon County. My thanks to everyone who participated in the Service-A-Thon this year! I hope it’s the start of a record year of community service at UIS.