The University of Illinois Springfield has been ranked the top public regional university in Illinois and the fourth best public university in the Midwest regional category for a second year in a row by U.S. News & World Report in 2021 Best Colleges rankings released today.

UIS was also ranked fifth best by U.S. News & World Report when it comes to students graduating with the least amount of debt in the Midwest regional category.

Ten years after her book about Mulan was published, UIS English Professor Lan Dong, Ph.D. is still sought out for her expertise on the subject. With Disney’s live-action film, Mulan, released to Disney Plus earlier this month, Dong again found herself in the national spotlight.

Vickie Cook, executive director of online, professional and engaged learning at the University of Illinois Springfield has been recognized by the University Professional Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) as the 2020 Central Region Outstanding Leader.

University of Illinois Springfield Professor of Political Science Jason Pierceson’s “LGBTQ Americans in the U.S. Political System: An Encyclopedia of Activists, Voters, Candidates, and Officeholders” was recently featured on Choice’s top ten editors’ pick list for June 2020.

Choice is a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.

The University of Illinois Springfield will offer 27 new accelerated eight-week courses for prospective and current students. Most will begin Monday, Oct. 19 and end on Saturday, Dec. 5. Others, like athletic training, will start on Nov. 2 and end on Jan. 15, 2021. 

“We know this has been a challenging year for many people,” said UIS Interim Chancellor Karen Whitney. “Many students may not have been ready to start classes in August due to the COVID-19 pandemic but are ready to start now.”