9.18.23
Happy Monday, UIS!
In case you missed last week’s announcement, fall enrollment numbers are up by 11%! What an incredible achievement. Thanks to each of you for the amazing work you do on a daily basis. Enrollment reflects the combined efforts campus wide to be a welcoming place for our students to learn and grow.
New Information
Professional Development Retreat Feedback
Part of continuing our successful trajectory is ensuring that we are caring for ourselves and one another. Thank you to the nearly 200 employees who participated in our first professional development retreat Friday and to the volunteer committee who planned this wonderful day for us. I appreciated that you prioritized this opportunity and that you are willing to contribute to shaping the UIS culture. If you attended any part of the retreat, we would love to hear your feedback about the day and/or know if you’d like to help with planning the next iteration, likely this spring.
High school students will be on campus for a hands-on field day Sept. 26 to learn about nursing and other health science careers. If you see visitors on campus, please say, “Hello,” and make them feel welcome.
UIS CAPE Collaboration
Continuing and Professional Education (CAPE) has announced a new collaboration with the Illinois Governor's Office of Management and Budget and the Grant Accountability and Transparency Unit. CAPE will launch a training series to support grantees, potential grantees and state agency personnel in grant administration.
New Approach to Desktop Refresh
Effective this fiscal year, the Desktop Refresh Program will adopt a shared funding model to improve consistency and longevity of the program. In this model, ITS will provide a Windows desktop computer for each eligible employee at $0 to the unit. For users who select a different model, ITS will contribute $1,000 toward the cost of the machine. The unit will cover the remaining cost. Details are available on the Desktop Refresh Program webpage.
Constitution Day
At 5 p.m. today in the Student Union Ballroom, UIS experts will convene a panel discussion about how the U.S. Constitution relates to two contemporary issues. Panelists include Drs. Deb Anthony, Nicolas Waterbury and John Transue. You can also watch the event on Zoom.
Chester Fund Award
UIS will receive funding from the John N. Chester Estate Endowment to enhance the Admission office space in University Hall by installing an inclusive and interactive wall mural. The goal of this project will be to make the space more welcoming to potential students and their families who visit UIS. The Chester endowment has helped UIS fund many art installations over the past several years to help beautify and improve campus, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to enhance the Admission space!
SECA Campaign Begins Sept. 20
The annual State University Employees Combined Appeal (SECA) campaign kicks off this week and will conclude Nov. 15. SECA is an annual opportunity for our faculty and staff to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and communities throughout Illinois and beyond. Read more on the SECA website.
Hispanic/Latinx/e Heritage Month
Each year, UIS celebrates and commemorates the cultural and global impact of the Hispanic/Latinx/e culture during Hispanic/Latinx/e Heritage Month, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. A list of this year’s planned events is online.
Flu Shot Clinics
The Sangamon County Department of Public Health will offer two flu shot clinics at UIS: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 4 and 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 8. Both clinics will occur in the PAC Board Room (formerly PAC E) on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center. Watch Campus Announcements for more details.
Information that Bears Repeating
Faculty and Staff Campaign Update
Thank you for your generosity! This past fiscal year university employees gave $395,680. This was a record-breaking campaign, and it couldn’t have been achieved without you!
Grad Week: Sept. 25-29
Please encourage undergraduate students to register for our virtual Grad Week. Grad week has been a great yield tool for us the past three years!
Supervisor Development Series: HR/AEO updates
Details about the Sept. 27 Supervisor Development Series training on HR/AEO updates, as well as other HR news, are provided in the most recent monthly HR newsletter.
Celebrating our Star Power
Aaron Stewart, the facilities business manager for UIS Facilities and Services, has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for August 2023.
The UIS Master of Public Health (MPH) program received its first-ever national accreditation!
Political science professor Jason Pierceson is co-recipient of the LGBTQ+ Politics Best Book Award from the Sexuality and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA) for his book, “Before Bostock: The Accidental LGBTQ Precedent of Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins.”
This just in: For the fifth straight year, UIS has been ranked the best public regional university in Illinois by U.S. News and World Report! Read more on the UIS Newsroom.
Let’s continue the great work,
Janet
Janet L. Gooch, PhD
Chancellor
University of Illinois Springfield