11.1.21
Dear Colleagues -
November is here, which means we are in the home stretch of the fall semester. It has been a truly incredible semester filled with student life programming, athletics, classroom activities and more. Shows have returned to the Sangamon Auditorium and the Studio Theatre, and safety protocols are working exceptionally smoothly. Spring 2022 course registration goes live today. There are so many things to be proud of!
New Information
New SHIELD Testing Hours
The UIS SHIELD Testing Site has new hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Testing is open to all UIS students, faculty and staff as well as the general public.
Spring 2022 Instructional Plan
Recently, Provost Papini outlined the plan for Spring 2022 instruction. A few highlights:
- Changes in course delivery modalities, after today, must be approved by the Dean. Courses scheduled for on-ground delivery may not be shifted to remote during the semester without approval from the Dean’s office.
- UIS plans to eliminate the six-foot physical distance requirement for vaccinated students in on-ground classes during the Spring semester.
- Instructors will receive a notification from Health Services of any exempt students enrolled in their on-ground classes. Those notifications are expected to be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Fall Accelerated Courses
We have some exciting news to share about UIS’ Fall Accelerated Courses, which began Oct. 18. Registration for Accelerated Courses this fall was up 52.8% over last year. Those are terrific numbers. UIS will also offer Accelerated Courses during winter break. Those classes will begin Dec. 13 and run through Jan. 15. Please remind your students of this great opportunity to complete a class over winter break.
Information that Bears Repeating
Keep your Website & Directory Listing Updated
Academic units are asked to check their website content and make appropriate updates for accreditation, new programs, etc. Also, faculty and staff are being asked to review your directory listing at uis.edu/directory to add a bio, change or hide your photo, or update your phone number or office location.
Professional Development at Your Fingertips
A reminder take advantage of online professional development through Academic Impressions. The platform, devoted to higher education, offers virtual training courses, on-demand video courses, articles and live and recorded webinars.
Celebrating our Star Power
Congratulations to Dr. Sean McCandless, assistant professor in the School of Public Management and Policy, for being invited to lead a workshop on techniques to conduct intersectionality research during the Public Management Research Conference in May 2022.
Welcome to our new Director of Financial Aid, Laci Englebrecht. Laci was formerly the Director of Financial Aid for MacMurray College in Jacksonville, so she comes with exceptional experience.
While we are in the final eight weeks of the semester, there is still so much to see and do on campus. I encourage you to take your lunch at the Student Union tomorrow to listen to our Camerata Chamber musicians perform as part of the Brown Bag series that happens the first Tuesday of each month.
United in Safety,
Karen
Karen M. Whitney, PhD
Interim Chancellor University of Illinois Springfield