The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to present “Gemstones,” a group exhibition that features an accomplished roster of local, regional and national artists that have also served as donors to the gallery. The exhibition will open with a free public reception from 5:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, and will run through Thursday, July 27.

Doug Hamilton, head of artificial intelligence (AI) research at Nasdaq and a University of Illinois Springfield alum, spoke about the current state of artificial intelligence and ethical considerations during two appearances April 12-13, 2023, on campus.

Hamilton earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UIS in 2012. He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he earned his master’s in engineering and management.

Ashley Lisenby, a 2016 graduate of the UIS Public Affairs Reporting program, was named Wednesday the new news director at St. Louis Public Radio.

The Public Affairs Reporting program is looking for former students to assist with two events happening at and around UIS in the months to come.

1. On April 20 at 3 p.m., the UIS School of Communication and Media (the academic unit that includes PAR) is hosting an alumni panel discussion to highlight what alumni are doing with their degrees. This opportunity is open to PAR alums who are journalists OR have related careers, like PR or lobbying. The event is at UIS.

Each month, UIS has a guest column spot in The State Journal-Register. I was given the opportunity to write this month’s entry about the Public Affairs Reporting program's 50-year anniversary.

⁦Aside from getting to see my byline again in the newspaper where I spent 21 years of my life, I was happy that Mike Kienzler, a member of the first PAR class in 1972-1973, shared some memories from his days as a student and reporting intern at the Capitol.

Doug Shaw has been an I.T. professional for Caterpillar, beginning his career as a program analyst in 1997, and is currently a Business Process Specialist in I.T. risk management.  Mr. Shaw has also taught management information systems as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Illinois at Springfield-Peoria Center for 20 years.  He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Western Illinois University. He also serves as Board President for Solvera Healthcare and is the immediate past President of the Board of Education for Peoria Public Schools.  Mr.

Jean-Pierre Lucas was born in Lima, Peru, but since a young age his family moved to Champaign, Illinois.

Mark Danenhauer, a 2005 graduate, received a Special Merit award for his thesis entitled ”Determining the Optimal Degree of Local Involvement in the Management of a National Park”. Before coming to UIS, Mark spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar. He was awarded the Environmental Studies Alumni Award in 2004 in recognition of his exemplary dedication to environmental issues and demonstrated involvement in environmental projects.

I am a 2000 graduate of the ENS Masters program. After coming from a very large university, it was refreshing to be in an environment where the student-to-faculty ratio was very reasonable. What also attracted me was the diversity of the program. I had heard that “Sangamon State” (UIS’ former name) was progressive in nature and indeed the courses reflected this fact. I did not have the “hard-science” background yet I was encouraged to enroll in several such courses including environmental chemistry and toxicology.