The UIS Public Affairs Reporting program is accepting nominations for the PAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

The Bill Miller Public Affairs Reporting Hall of Fame was established in 2006 to recognize the contribution the university’s PAR program has made to journalism and to the state of Illinois, as well as to honor program graduates who have had distinguished careers in journalism.

Prior to the pandemic, new classes of hall of famers were inducted every two years. The last round of inductees was honored in 2019.

This year's inductees will be celebrated during an all-class reunion tentatively set for June 15 in Chicago. More details will be released about the event in the coming weeks.

PAR alumni and friends are invited to suggest names of program alums who should be considered for induction. Email par@uis.edu with the name and a brief statement on why they should be considered. Deadline: 5 p.m. Feb. 10.

To be eligible for induction an individual must have completed the Public Affairs Reporting master’s degree and have had a distinguished career in journalism for at least 10 years.

A selection committee that includes PAR director Jason Piscia, former director Charlie Wheeler and eight current hall of famers will consider suggestions and the committee's own research to ultimately select up to three inductees.

Miller, the Hall of Fame’s namesake, was director of the PAR program at Sangamon State University/UIS for 19 years until his retirement in 1993. Prior to PAR, Miller was an award-winning reporter with WTAX radio in Springfield and launched the Capitol Information Bureau, a predecessor of Illinois Radio Network. He died in 2003.