College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Newsletter for Alums
Spring 2024
Class News
As we prepare for graduation coming up on May 11th, here are some of the exciting things we’ve been up to this academic year.
National Endowment for the Humanities
In exciting news, with National Endowment for the Humanities support, four faculty from CLASS will be working on developing new modules and assignments to help humanities students explore the possibilities and challenges of generative A.I. We’re part of a project with four other Public liberal arts colleges and universities. Stay tuned! This is UIS’s first ever NEH program grant!
Illinois Innovation Network Grant
Professors Lesa Johnson (Sociology) & Devin Hunter (History) were awarded an Illinois Innovation Network Grant for their project “Journeys to Justice: Commemorating and Memorializing the History and Legacy of Anti-Black Terror in Illinois.” They are working on a statewide coalition to promote and support research on and remembrance of anti-Black riots, massacres and lynchings in Illinois.
2023-2024 Theatre Season
The program in Theatre presented two plays—The Thanksgiving Play in fall and John Proctor Is the Villain in spring, drawing together current students, alums, and community members through open casting. If you’re local, consider trying out or contributing to stage crew!
Mia Katz, Kayla Sarabia, Jeff Ready, Yekaterina Pruitt,
Meghan Anderson, Alan Livengood, Gabby Heinrich,
Mary Shay Dennison, Lucas Schilling (left to right)
Cameron Current (left) and Amanda Lazzara (right)
UIS Music Program
The program in Theatre presented two plays—The Thanksgiving Play in fall and John Proctor Is the Villain in spring, drawing together current students, alums, and community members through open casting. If you’re local, consider trying out or contributing to stage crew!
Amanda Pond (left) and Julia Kay Jamieson (right) 
Amelia Curtis (left) and Marcus Wilkins (right)
UIS Art Gallery
Our UIS Art Gallery continued with multiple exhibitions—including visiting artists working in multiple media from 2D and 3D to time-based art with video projections. The final student show is still up for this year if you stop by.
Visual Arts Senior
Student Exhibition: Under the Umbrella
Featuring: DT
Derrickson, Maddie
Edmondson, Taylor
McClure, Tina
Pierson, Jae Mitchel
Scott, and Kaylee
Winterbottom
What's New With Liberal Studies?
Liberal Studies is excited to announce that we launched an updated and revised B.A. curriculum for fall 2024. The new design is an excellent option for learners who have credit and/or work experience they want to use to complete their degree. It is also an excellent fit for students interested in customizing their degree plan based on their aptitudes and unique goals. LIS prioritizes essential and transferable skills, interdisciplinary inquiries, opportunities for prior learning and/or experiential learning credit, flexible learning modalities, and a variety of personalized pathways (some ideas to conjure with: Coaching and Athletics Leadership; Community Relations and Services; Health Humanities; or choose your own adventure!).
Student Spotlight
Jackie Guzman
Jackie Guzman is a graduate student in the Master's Program in Human Development and Counseling. She hopes to earn her Doctorate in Psychology to provide more specialized care and assistance to low-income and non-English-speaking communities. Jackie is also an enthusiastic member of the UIS community. She has a music minor, is a choir and band member, and is a Gamma Phi Omega International Incorporated member. This open-to-all sorority focuses on challenging and enhancing the skills and abilities of its members to create successful leaders. Most of her focus has been on helping at the Diversity Center. Jackie often interacts with students of various social and political backgrounds; however, she believes many UIS students need help reaching out. Students have difficulty asking for help and communicating with Deans, Title IX Coordinators, and other university officials.
Therefore, she feels that finding stability by learning and establishing healthy habits is essential. The Diversity Center holds events and activities such as the Hispanic/Latinx Student Discussion Group, a safe space for students to discuss topics related to student life and prepare for the Collegiate Leadership Development Program (CLDP). The United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) annually holds the CLDP. This annual conference allows Latinx and Hispanic students to meet with other Latino students and university officials to cultivate networks and leadership, communication, and interviewing skills. The conference also allows students to voice their opinions, needs, and concerns with university officials.