tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90214353224588997542009-11-08T07:29:52.133-06:00A new kind of conversation addressing issues that UIS students and staff care about.UIS Web Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738526312024102919noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-70620401054125636302009-11-06T13:35:00.004-06:002009-11-06T16:20:28.483-06:00

I was pleased that a UNI 101 class came to a portion of my open forum today. The students asked good questions. I'll follow up on some of them on my blog or web site, and with other questions, I'll pass along the concerns to the UIS administrators who need to hear what was said. Other people were there besides students, and that was most welcome. Among the issues I will follow up on are: how do

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-35442630045000347552009-10-06T08:42:00.003-05:002009-10-06T08:55:50.118-05:00

Last night about 300 people attended a "No Place for Hate" rally and speakout on our quad. I'd call it a great success. Led by Bret Tate, president of the student group called Queer Straight Alliance, our students and their allies cheered for the numerous calls for acceptance of a wide range of behaviors, lifestyles, and choices. That's as it should be in a university community. Nearly everybody

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-54512515508188704702009-10-02T13:45:00.003-05:002009-10-02T13:51:03.595-05:00

A handful of people were at the forum today, raising questions about some old issues and raising some new ones as well. I have some homework to do, with questions arising about reporting of our SECA contributions, why the soccer teams are on the other side of the field this year, whether we could offer a CPR class here, the lack of Board of Trustees pictures in the PAC lobby, furlough days, and

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-26539916831564496012009-09-11T07:29:00.003-05:002009-09-11T07:45:16.655-05:00

I didn't ask, but I think Chris Kennedy, a new member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, sent a clear message yesterday not only with his first question, but by the intended audience for that question. He had just listened to a quick but detailed orientation from an administrator about U of I attributes and challenges. Among many other things, he heard that thousands of students at

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-88512307963465832762009-09-04T12:45:00.004-05:002009-09-04T12:50:40.362-05:00

I left the first "Ed's Campus Forum" less than an hour ago. I thought it was a good conversation, with good questions and comments. The topics included our search for an LGBTQ coordinator, why UIS doesn't have a student union, why we don't recycle glass (I'll have to check into that), the location of the Public Safety Building, Styrofoam cups in our cafeteria, Karen Hasara and the Board of

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-38385679154612505072009-08-27T15:36:00.002-05:002009-08-27T15:39:52.439-05:00

It was good to see the crowds at UIS on Tuesday at the chancellor's picnic and then again yesterday and the Involvement Expo on the Quad, and then again this morning at the jobs fair. The campus has come back to life in the first week of classes, and it's great to feel all that energy.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-59461568131143597322009-07-23T08:46:00.004-05:002009-07-23T08:56:48.092-05:00

UIS is all over the world, and we want you to help people see it for themselves. It's easy. Send us a picture of yourself or somebody else wearing something with the UIS name or logo. This should be a lot of fun as the collection builds. Send your picture and a short caption from places around the world to webphotos@uis.edu. Or, for more information, go to the UIS Sights and Sounds page.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-33443297322884471742009-06-21T07:54:00.004-05:002009-06-21T08:12:34.993-05:00

I asked for Michael Burlingame's two-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln as a Father's Day gift, and I got it. I am so thrilled. It is called Abraham Lincoln: A Life. This new academic look at Lincoln is said to supplant the volumes written by Carl Sandburg in the early and middle parts of the 20th century. I am especially interested in reading about Lincoln's years in Springfield, Ill., which is

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-76519713196601573412009-06-18T06:04:00.004-05:002009-06-18T06:19:13.278-05:00

We'll see three major transitions on July 1:Cheryl Peck is retiring. She maintained high standards of integrity in her role as director of public relations. We're having a sendoff reception next Tuesday, June 23. Best wishes to a colleague who deserves a happy retirement. An announcement of her successor is imminent.Dr. Tim Barnett is arriving. There is much optimism around campus because of what

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-16858646315848983992009-05-15T21:55:00.002-05:002009-05-15T21:58:39.761-05:00

Commencement has become one of my favorite days for UIS. The happy faces, the interaction among friends, the exchanges between faculty and students -- it's just a great feeling. I was walking down the steps of a rather empty PAC Building early this evening, and I wondered what the graduates were doing, how they were preparing, where they would be next week. I left the building and thought, this

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-91890972147981916672009-04-27T06:39:00.003-05:002009-04-27T06:44:32.904-05:00

A great idea. A great event. Lots of energy in the room. Kids, older people, diversity. A mix of UIS students and people from the community. What more could we want? The Good as Gold event celebrated the great volunteer efforts of our students and people in the community. My favorite name goes to the Lunch Bunch, short for the Graham Elementary School Lunch Bunch Mentoring Group, a group of

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-28319880031305392262009-04-15T09:55:00.003-05:002009-04-15T10:01:32.925-05:00

Each of them represents a part of Springfield. Shimkus is from Collinsville, Schock from Peoria. Both were on campus yesterday for Shimkus's Small Business Advisory Committee meeting. Shimkus has been here many times. He commented that it's good for the party to have young people like Schock coming up. He strongly recommended that Republicans run candidates at all levels of government, because

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-82081313353359664332009-04-11T09:08:00.004-05:002009-04-11T10:57:16.005-05:00

The news media have been reporting on a controversy launched by a proposed Campus Senate resolution asking for the termination of the UIS athletic director. Discussion on campus has been robust. The chancellor strongly opposes the resolution. The Academic Professional Advisory Committee unanimously opposes it. Almost two dozen people showed up at Thursday's open APAC meeting. Many spoke up

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-70084213960305622312009-03-13T11:07:00.003-05:002009-03-13T15:53:43.523-05:00

There has been quite a discussion started today about the UIS food. I want to offer people an alternative format -- this blog, which is the perfect place for such a discussion. Click on the "Post a Comment" link at the bottom of the "comments" section below this post to add your two cents.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-51534220755823732272009-03-09T07:12:00.006-05:002009-03-09T08:12:28.005-05:00

Last week at the Civil Service Advisory Committee meeting, I suggested that I'd like to be available regularly for small open forums for UIS staff to talk about what's on their minds. The forums would be called something simple like "Talk to Ed." It would be very informal, and NOT on the PAC 5th floor. I'd go to different places on campus. (I'm also thinking some people would not want to say

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-63573262099486118932009-03-01T11:16:00.004-06:002009-03-01T11:28:24.147-06:00

To say I enjoyed the atmosphere in The Recreation and Athletic Center yesterday afternoon is an understatement. First our women's basketball team won a thrilling victory over McKendree. Later, the men's team hung close but lost to the conference-unbeaten McKendree, which is fourth-ranked nationally in the NAIA. I'll always remember this day because TRAC attendance topped 2,000 for the first time

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-47614106950030130012009-02-22T22:01:00.002-06:002009-02-22T22:05:54.777-06:00

We're really pleased to be hosting the Illinois Reform Commission tomorrow at UIS. The topic is campaign finance reform -- a perfect topic for our campus. Dr. Kent Redfield is the state's leading academic expert on this topic. He's been telling great stories about the abuse and misuse of campaign funds for almost two decades.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-17781315817421804922009-02-21T07:12:00.003-06:002009-02-21T07:25:05.209-06:00

I just learned about a new company called BlueFuego.com. What I really like about this company's creators is they don't give me all their theory. They mainly talk about what works. One of the founders, Brad Ward, is a UIS alum. He started his career at UIS and did a lot of web stuff and photography and blogging when he was a student and staffer here. He's already traveling around the world

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-23071944089070973472009-02-16T20:54:00.002-06:002009-02-16T21:00:08.439-06:00

Staff have been asking: If you can't give us much more money, could you please consider doing other things that might improve morale and make people feel better about their jobs? The answer is yes. We now have a Non-Monetary Compensation Committee, and they're kicking around some ideas. Anybody can contribute ideas to this by sending an email note to UISNMCC@uis.edu. Our Human Resources

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-75882057251611261842009-02-11T06:30:00.004-06:002009-03-02T22:04:00.071-06:00

Tomorrow is Lincoln's 200th birthday. What strikes me this morning is that it's almost impossible to talk about Lincoln without reverting to cliches. Which is why I like to walk past his house, less than two miles from mine, and look at the simple two-story building and imagine him walking down that street. Anybody can walk there. It's federal property. But no gates, no big fences to keep you out

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-74426467686996422932009-02-05T14:55:00.003-06:002009-02-05T15:08:52.323-06:00

I signed up for an exercise program in our rec center. It started a week or two ago, and I'm getting over there three times a week. Trainer Amanda Jillson is running the class. The great thing is, so many people signed up for this course called P90X that she agreed to offer two more sections. I feel better the rest of the day each time I go. People who exercise say that, and it's true with me as

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-61363732421589037332009-01-23T09:01:00.007-06:002009-01-23T14:00:37.806-06:00

I have probably seen tens of thousands of geese this week out of my fifth floor office window. Thousands for sure. Our campus isn't far from Lake Springfield. What direction are these flocks going? Some south, some north, some west, for sure. Maybe east, I don't know. It's an amazing feat of nature. I wonder where they're going. I do know they're going where they're supposed to go. Which is more

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-53853593000261804262009-01-18T14:00:00.005-06:002009-01-20T15:42:46.415-06:00

We're trying to do two things: (1) manage a difficult budget period and (2) keep an open conversation going about what it all means at UIS. Chancellor Richard Ringeisen issued a statement to the campus community about this last week. The chancellor and Provost Harry Berman will lead a campus forum at 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 21, in Brookens Auditorium. Ask whatever you'd like about our

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-69698402515725282612009-01-14T16:49:00.008-06:002009-01-15T10:34:09.298-06:00

The House of Representatives was on campus today. All 118 of them, as they were sworn in on the first day of the new General Assembly. What a privilege for UIS to be in the capital city and host events like this. Watch some video here. More photos are available here from the UIS web site. It's notable that Governor Blagojevich was impeached for a second time after the members were sworn in.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-85759071398681818132009-01-12T22:02:00.002-06:002009-01-13T16:49:11.585-06:00

The Illinois House of Representatives is coming to UIS on Wednesday. All the members. Just two days from now, for their swearing in. We're expecting nine buses and more than 2,000 guests. It's a privilege to be in the state capital, and the House is coming to campus so that it can accommodate many more people than the House chamber could in the Capitol. UIS hosted this event two years ago, and it

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0