From Provost Schwab
Welcome to the Fall Semester! It is great to have more life on campus after a busy (and short) summer. I want to thank everyone who attended the Faculty & Staff Kickoff and a wonderful New Student Convocation and Party on the Quad. I commend our Student Affairs colleagues for the great events that will hopefully become a terrific UIS tradition that grows over time.
It was also great to welcome our cohort of faculty at New Faculty Welcome Week. The strong theme of Connection, Community, and Collaboration that emerged from the group really excited me for the year ahead.
As we move toward the year ahead, we face a wide range of external pressures and events that impact us as an institution and each of us as individuals. We face a persistent narrative that questions the value of higher education. There seems to be a never-ending increase in the regulatory burdens that sometimes distract us from our ability to focus on doing our best work for students. The societal, economic, cultural, environmental, and geo-political challenges all around us are significant and can feel overwhelming at times. However, I remain hopeful for our future. We have work to do, and we can work together to make UIS the best possible place it can be. I truly believe we have the awesome opportunity to change lives. That is an incredible honor and responsibility that we share.
I wish everyone an enjoyable, successful, and safe year ahead.
Brandon
Provost's Open Hours
Faculty and staff are invited to Provost’s Open Hours - Wednesday, September 11, 3-5 p.m., UHB 2010.
You are welcome to stop by and sign in for an opportunity to chat with Provost Brandon Schwab on a first come, first served basis.
Important Initiatives
UIS Equity Plan
The UIS Equity Plan outlines far-reaching efforts to close equity gaps across the university. Our plan was submitted to IBHE at the end of May, and we are now working toward implementation. We will be identifying the best mechanisms to keep the university informed about the plan and track our progress. There will be much more to come on this important work, which will include future university-wide climate surveys of students, faculty, and staff. The full report is available on the Equity Planning Taskforce link on the Academic Affairs website.
Program Portfolio Review
We will be initiating a review of our academic portfolio this fall to assess the long-term sustainability of our program offerings. This will include an external market analysis of our programs to better assess how our programs meet the needs of students and the regions we serve. We will be assembling a working group composed of faculty and others recommended by the Campus Senate, academic colleges, and administration to help move this important work forward and to identify the best mechanisms to keep the university community informed.
HLC – Interim Reports, Quality Initiative, and Comprehensive Evaluation
Earlier this summer we received notification that our two 4-year interim reports were accepted by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The two reports focused on our progress in the assessment of General Education outcomes and the use of data in planning and decision making. No additional follow-up is required at this time, but we need to maintain our positive momentum in both of these areas.
We are also continuing work to define our next HLC Quality Initiative (QI) to be developed in the coming year. Thanks go to members of the university community that participated in the QI survey last semester. This fall we will be seeking additional input from stakeholder groups to better understand the wide-ranging ideas and feedback from that survey so that we can refine our focus for the QI. We will also start building toward our 10-year comprehensive evaluation, which will occur in 2027-2028.
One last HLC-related item we are tracking closely is our Composite Financial Index (CFI), which is calculated from annual Institutional Update data submitted to the HLC. For the last two fiscal years, our CFI has put us in a zone that reflects the financial challenges we are facing. Based on our enrollment and budget forecasting for this fiscal year, it is likely that we will be required to undergo further financial review by the HLC next year.
Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) Grant Advising Review
As part of the Title III - Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant focused on High Impact Practices, we will be undertaking a comprehensive audit of academic advising. There is funding in the grant to support this effort which will be initiated in the coming months.
Global Engagement Working Group
Peter Shapinsky, Professor of History, and Jessica Flynn, Director of the Office of Engaged Learning, will be co-chairing a working group focused on Global Engagement. The group will assess what is happening across the university and make recommendations on how to enhance opportunities for our students. More information and a call for ways to engage in that work is forthcoming.
Opportunities to Make a Difference
Good Idea Fund
Do you have a Good Idea that could help make a positive difference for UIS? We are pleased to announce the availability again this year of one-time (non-recurring) funds to support implementation of good ideas from UIS staff and faculty. A wide range of ideas will be considered with the goal to fund projects with broad impact to the University.
Requests up to $5,000 will be considered, and smaller requests are welcome. Identified matching funds are also welcome, but not required. The Provost's Leadership Team (PLT) will prioritize the allocation of funds.
Applications submitted by October 1 will be considered, and decisions will be announced by October 15. All funds must be expended in the current fiscal year, and a final report from awardees is due no later than July 15, 2025.
Read about last year's funded Good Ideas.
Faculty AI Initiatives
UIS faculty are invited to engage with several AI opportunities this year.
Submit Your AI Research Project
Are you working on an AI research project? UIS is working on curating a list of AI research projects in progress or completed by UIS faculty. This initiative will help to bring together all the great research and showcase it on the AI at UIS website. If you have an AI research project you are involved in, please submit the project details.
Interested in Guiding AI Initiatives at UIS?
UIS established the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Steering Committee aimed at providing guidance for AI initiatives, policies, and best practices within the UIS community. This proactive step is taken to ensure that UIS remains well-prepared for the swift developments in the field of AI, enabling both our students and employees to effectively adapt to these changes. If you are interested in contributing to the university’s discussions and decisions on AI, sign up to get involved at AI Steering Committee Interest Form.
News Worth Celebrating
Grant Writing Sprint
Eight UIS faculty and staff participated in the August 19-21 Grant Writing Sprint recently offered by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, with assistance from Advancement and the UIS Fund. UIS' new grants writer, Samantha Coad teamed up with Lucia Vazquez and Carissa Craven for the event.
- Samer AbuBakr, Integrated Sciences, Sustainability and Public Health - Isolation and Identification of Potential Antibiotic-Producing Bacteria from Soil Samples of Springfield, Illinois;
- Yanhui Guo, Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence Generative Contents (AIGC)-Powered Indeterministic Computing and Virtual Reality Integration for Medical and Nursing Education;
- Lesa Johnson, Sociology/Anthropology - Unveiling Black Springfield: Exploring Historic Roots and Present Realities;
- Liang Kong, Mathematical Sciences and Philosophy - REU Site: Data-Driven Modeling with Dynamical Systems and Machine Learning;
- Yu-Sheng Lee, Integrated Sciences, Sustainability and Public Health - Causal Relationships between DNA Methylation and Childhood Eczema Using Deep Learning;
- Anne Moseley, Sangamon Experience - Sangamon Experience's Digital Project: Heart of Illinois;
- Megan Styles, Integrated Sciences, Sustainability and Public Health - Hemp Dreams: Midwest Farmer's Experiences Cultivating a Novel Crop;
- Suyang Yu, Public Management and Policy - Building Disaster-resilient and Sustainable Communities in Rural Illinois: An Evidence-based Assessment of the Role of Faith-based Community Organizations.
This intensive event provided an exceptional opportunity to enhance grant writing skills and increase the probability of securing external funding for research projects.
Summer Catch-Up - Center for Online Learning, Research and Service
The Center for Online Learning, Research & Service (COLRS) staff collaborated with Medical Laboratory Science faculty to redesign courses and produce fresh video content. COLRS staff also collaborated with faculty across campus to implement the new UDOIT Advantage tool to identify accessibility issues in Canvas courses. UDOIT Advantage offers clear guidance on how to address issues, making the process straightforward and effective. For the July Rise Employee Development Series Event, COLRS partnered with Human Resources to coordinate the App Café—a come-and-go style event where presenters shared phone and computer apps that they love with their colleagues. Over 40 attendees learned about apps related to productivity, fitness, reading, and more!
Summer Catch-Up - Office of Digital Accessibility
The Office of Digital Accessibility (ODA) helps faculty and staff create, replace, and remediate digital content on the web and in classes.
Over the summer, the Digital Accessibility Remediation Team (DART) remediated almost 1,800 pages of documents, over 400 presentation slides, and more than 60 hours of video content. ODA and DART look forward to collaborating with teams and individuals across campus to foster a more equitable digital environment for all.
Summer Catch-Up: Office of Engaged Learning
The Office of Engaged Learning offered multiple opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning opportunities over the summer.
- Study Away: 27 UIS students traveled abroad on the short-term study away seminar programs with Dr. Shapinsky to Japan, Dr. Bertaina to Spain, Dr. Hadley-Ives to Taiwan, and Dr. Yun Zhao and Mr. Calvin Young, MBA ‘24 to China.
- A total of 77 undergraduate and graduate students completed summer internships, research, or professional projects with OEL.
- I-MMAS: A CHST graduate student completed a research internship in Mexico City at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). This experience served as a pilot for graduate-level research and internships through the OEL, as well as an inaugural partnership between UIS and I-MMAS to expand student experiential opportunities to the global south.
- OEL Transition Fellows: Two graduate students worked on a collaborative project with Innovate Springfield and 5th Street Renaissance (local non-profit) to complete a technology needs assessment, implement new software, transition operations, and train staff.
Connect with Rob Weis, Associate Director of Engaged Experiences, to learn more about the unit’s experiential learning initiatives.
Important Dates
- Wednesday, September 11, 3-5 p.m. - Provost's Faculty-Staff Open Hours, UHB 2010
- Thursday, September 12, 2 p.m. - Faculty Personnel Process workshop - Overview of Personnel Process, PAC 160 (C/D)
- Thursday, September 19, 1 p.m. - Faculty Personnel Process workshop - Serving on Personnel Committees, PAC 152 (H)
- Monday, September 30, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. - University Scholars Award Luncheon (registration required)
- Tuesday, October 1, 5 p.m. - Good Idea Fund proposal deadline
- Wednesday, October 2, 3:30-5 p.m. - James J. Stukel Presidential Professorship Investiture - Dr. Pamela Hoff, Student Union Ballroom.
- Thursday, October 3, 11 a.m. - Faculty Personnel Process workshop - Preparing a Narrative and Portfolio, PAC 160 (C/D)
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
Contact: Monica Kroft