Fall enrollment numbers at the University of Illinois Springfield took a 5% plunge, school officials said Wednesday.

The total number of undergraduate and graduate school students enrolled in classes stands at 3,944 compared to 4,146 students in fall 2020.

Karen Whitney, UIS interim chancellor, said the COVID-19 pandemic was problematic in how the university's recruitment and admissions teams got out to high schools and community colleges.

The three campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Springfield, and Chicago all have different vaccine exemption policies. In Springfield, UIS says get vaccinated or prove you should be exempt, otherwise don't come to campus.

"I think it's really good that everyone here has to get vaccinated to be on campus, but I know a lot of people who think otherwise because they're scared of it,” UIS freshman Mina Edmondson said.

Stair climbers commemorated 9/11 in a literal way Saturday. 

The climbers, among them those too young to remember first-hand the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a plane that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, made their way up flights of stairs at the Crowne Plaza hotel to mark the revered day and to honor the first responders who climbed the steps of the World Trade Center that morning to rescue the injured.

The following is an excerpt from a column by University of Illinois Springfield Associate Professor of Astronomy-Physics John Martin. This column appeared in The State Journal-Register on September 12, 2021.

Everyone living in central Illinois is familiar with the beauty of a star-filled night sky split in half by the Milky Way. Even those of us living in towns and cities full of lights have just a short distance to travel to take in awe-inspiring views.

Many people feel called to public service. They want to contribute to making their communities and the world a better place. Both the Master of Public Administration and the Master of Public Policy can help to equip students with the competencies they need to help government and nonprofit organizations be more effective at providing valuable public goods and services.