University of Illinois Springfield employees were recognized for their outstanding contributions during the Chancellor’s Awards and Staff Appreciation Day held at the Student Union on March 13, 2025. The ceremony, overseen by UIS Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Brandon Schwab, featured two prestigious awards: the Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence (CAPE) Award and the Chancellor’s Award to Recognize Excellence in Civil Service (CARE).

Jacob Friefeld, director of the Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield, has received the Caroline Bancroft History Prize from the Denver Public Library for “The First Migrants,” a book he co-authored with Richard Edwards. Published by Bison Books, the book examines the migration of Black homesteaders to the Great Plains from 1877 to 1920.

Jennifer Martin, an associate professor in the University of Illinois Springfield’s School of Education, has been selected to receive the Truman L. Kelley Award for Scholarship Excellence from Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), a national educational honor society. The award will be presented during KDP’s first-ever virtual Founders Day Celebration on March 8.

Shipra Gupta, an associate professor of marketing in the Department of Management, Marketing and Operations at the University of Illinois Springfield, has been named University Scholar for 2023. The award, considered the University of Illinois System's highest faculty honor, recognizes outstanding teaching and scholarship. Only one faculty member receives the annual award at UIS.

The University of Illinois Springfield presented awards for alumni achievement, service and humanitarianism during the annual UIS Alumni Gala in the UIS Student Union on Feb. 24, 2023.

Jennifer Martin, an associate professor in the University of Illinois Springfield School of Education, has been named University Scholar for 2022. The award, considered the university system’s highest faculty honor, recognizes outstanding teaching and scholarship. Only one faculty member receives the annual award at UIS.

Two University of Illinois Springfield employees were honored with Chancellor’s awards recognizing academic professional and civil service excellence during a ceremony in the Student Union Ballroom on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

Awards

Chemistry Program Marshal

Craig Meredith

Biochemistry Program Marshal and Department of Chemistry Honors Recipient

Chantz Pinder

Chemistry Outstanding Senior

Rebecca Smith

Biochemistry Outstanding Senior, and Department of Chemistry Honors Recipient

Sasha Glickfield

Natalie Kerr, a senior majoring in chemistry at the University of Illinois Springfield, recently won the first Falling Walls Lab Illinois competition to earn the title of Illinois Young Innovator of the Year. Kerr also won an all-expenses-paid trip to Berlin, Germany, to compete at the Falling Walls Lab global finale on Nov. 8. Di’Quan Ishmon, a sophomore in mechatronics engineering at Northern Illinois University, was the competition’s runner-up.

3 Tips for Completing the FAFSA^®

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA^®, is the first step in determining what federal financial assistance is available to your family and should be completed ahead of each academic year. We use FAFSA^® info to determine if you’re eligible for UIS scholarships, grants or aid.