Due to our on-campus density increasing with the start of the Fall 2021 semester and the high transmission rates of COVID-19 throughout our region, state and country, the UIS COVID-19 Rapid Response Team has made the decision to require COVID-19 testing for all on-campus individuals for a one-month “entry testing” period beginning the week of Aug. 16. Compliance with this directive will be closely monitored.

All on-campus students, faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated must test once per week.

The University of Illinois Springfield named Laura Liesman Director of Athletics.

“I am thrilled to join the UIS community," Liesman said. "I want to thank Chancellor Whitney, Vice Chancellor Comerford, the search committee and everyone who engaged in the search process. The commitment and passion of the coaches and staff is energizing and I look forward to partnering together to provide an exceptional experience for our student-athletes while continuing to integrate Athletics into the fabric of the campus and Springfield community.”

The University of Illinois Springfield has named Laura Liesman as its Designate Director of Athletics, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. The Aurora, Illinois native has spent the past 18 years at Georgian Court University (GCU) in Lakewood, New Jersey. At GCU, she is the Assistant Vice President for Athletics and Recreation and Director of Athletics.

Human beings are frail and susceptible to any number of environmental, interpersonal and societal influences. That is still our nature despite our growth in intellect and sophistication and our lessons of history. Many in the sciences and medicine are still trying to discover and sort out how we think, feel, process and socialize with one another. There is much to learn about individual and group interactions in society.

I learned about politics when I asked for a new bike at age seven. First my mom, and then my dad, asked me if the other parent had agreed to this life-changing purchase. They had the authority to make the decision, of course, but I soon realized that they were also cooperating among each other along the way. In the meantime, I was running interference between my parents. I could tell that my mom was supportive of my quest for a bike, so I teamed up with her to convince my dad.