More than 200 University of Illinois Springfield students helped to collect 18,095 pounds of food to help fight hunger in central Illinois on Halloween night. The majority of the food, 17,171 pounds, will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank, while 924 pounds will go to the on campus UIS Cares Food Pantry.

The University of Illinois Springfield Cox Children’s Center has received the Gold Circle of Quality designation, the highest rating possible, from ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s quality rating and improvement system for early learning and development providers.

The University of Illinois Springfield Performing Arts Center, home of Sangamon Auditorium, has been awarded a $20,200 grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) for operational support.

A new statewide survey conducted by the University of Illinois Springfield’s Center for State Policy and Leadership and NPR Illinois shows Democrat J.B. Pritzker leads Republican Governor Bruce Rauner in the race for Illinois Governor by 12 percentage points ahead of the November 6, 2018 general election.

On June 30, the University of Illinois Springfield marked the end of fiscal year 2018 (FY2018) with more than 16,000 gifts and commitments in new business totaling more than $5.1 million. New business is comprised of new gifts, grants, pledges and deferred commitments. The University also registered $3.2 million in outright cash gifts, pledge payments, annuity/life income gifts and estate distributions. Both the new business and cash gift totals are among the best in university history.