Dear UIS Community,

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance student success, we have recently begun work on our HLC Quality Initiative, a large-scale improvement process required by HLC as part of our participation in the Open Pathway accreditation process. After conducting a university-wide survey and targeted focus groups last year, the Provost’s Leadership Team has determined that enhancing advising services for students will be the focus of our initiative.

From Provost Schwab

Colleagues,

I hope you are doing well as we approach the final weeks of the academic year. It’s amazing to think that we will soon welcome a new batch of graduates into the UIS alumni ranks.

From Provost Schwab

Dear Colleagues,

As we approach the middle of the semester and spring recess, I hope you are finding opportunities to enjoy a bit of the milder temperatures and slowly increasing minutes of daylight. I know that I welcome the change and appreciate the reminder that many things in life are cyclical.

At the University of Illinois Springfield, we're incredibly proud of our students' drive and ambition. We know many of you are planning for the next step in your academic and professional journeys, whether it's graduate school, a professional licensure, a certification or developing new skills to advance your career. We wholeheartedly support your pursuit of excellence.

From Provost Schwab

Dear Colleagues,

I start this month’s newsletter with a bit of enrollment news now that we have passed 10th-day census. We are slightly up in total headcount (4,401) and student credit hours (+2.22%) compared to last spring. This is good news, and I thank everyone for their efforts in retaining and recruiting students. Here are a few take-aways:

From Provost Schwab

I am watching the snow fall for the first time this season and appreciating how our lovely campus changes appearance throughout the year. It has been a busy fall semester, and I hope you are poised for a strong finish and looking forward to the coming holidays. Good luck managing the projects, presentations, papers, exams (and grading!) ahead. Please read below about some training and informational sessions coming up, including a session on the new UIS Course Survey app (Dec. 4) and a webinar on countering human trafficking on college campuses (Dec.

From Provost Schwab

I write this month’s note while listening to the wind and rain outside, watching the falling leaves, and thinking about what might come following the Presidential election. I hope that everyone that was eligible to vote did so, and feels a sense of pride in participating. Personally, I will be happy to have the election behind us, but also recognize that no matter the outcome, there will not be a magic switch that changes the political discourse and division that exists in the country.

The Provost's Leadership Team is pleased to announce 12 of 23 Good Idea Fund (GIF) proposals submitted for AY 24-25 have been awarded full or partial funding. Read about funded proposals as well as outcomes of last year's Good Idea initiatives.

From Provost Schwab

It is now officially Autumn, which is reinforced by the subtle changes in foliage and the shifting hours of daylight. I have talked with quite a few members of the UIS community recently who have expressed their disbelief that we are already six weeks into the semester. It is comforting to know that it is not just me that feels like time is passing at an accelerated pace. 

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.