In celebration of the University’s upcoming 55th anniversary, we are very excited to partner with Publishing Concepts (PCI) to conduct Storied – The 55th, A UIS Alumni Oral History Project, the full-scale alumni oral history program which will provide an opportunity for all 45,000+ living alumni to share their story, in their words.

Every Prairie Star has a story, and the UIS Alumni Association wants to hear our alumni’s stories. Literally thousands of alumni stories are lying dormant, just waiting to be told. However, with over 45,000 living alumni, it would take many years to meet with each individually. To be honest, with our limited resources, we’d never be able to tackle a project the scope and size of this. This is a big and bold effort. That’s why we’re partnering with PCI to complete this effort. By partnering with PCI, we’re able to access their trained staff of real, live human beings who are excited to listen to what our alumni have to share. These stories will be preserved in a book that celebrates the University’s impact on alumni lives and who they are today. Our other partner in this project – the UIS Archives unit – will also receive these stories. 

Why do I need to know about this project?

Two reasons…first, you may get phone calls or emails from alumni asking if this is a UIS activity or if it is spam. Please assure anyone that contacts you that this is a UIS sponsored activity and that their information is safe to be shared with PCI. If there are additional questions, please have them reach out to the Division of Advancement at 217-206-6058 or advancement@uis.edu. Secondly, if you are an alum of UIS, you may also be asked to participate.

Additional information on the project will be published on the Advancement website next week.