Jill Bohn, Director of Development/Major Gifts
- Phone: 217.206.7075
- E-mail: bohn.jill@uis.edu
I arrange major gifts for two colleges:
The College of Education and Human Services
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
If you are interested in making a gift to one of these colleges, I would be happy to meet with you. I can answer questions you might have about programs within these two colleges and arrange meetings if you would like to talk to a faculty member or dean. I can also take you step-by-step through the process of creating a scholarship or arranging a different type of gift.
Why education matters:
Education is everything. What do we have without it? Education gives us opportunities—opportunities that we otherwise would never have. Without education, at least today, we would never be able to accomplish our goals in life.
What I enjoy most about my role at UIS:
I enjoy getting scholarships for students. Seeing the donors and the students together at the scholarship luncheon, knowing the impact that these scholarships make on the students’ lives and then seeing the joy that the scholarship brings to donors—that’s what I enjoy the most.
A recent example is the scholarship Melinda LaBarre and her husband Pete gave to a student in the Midstate Student Support for teaching program (MSS). She had met Devynn Allen earlier when she visited an MSS class. Then, after Devynn was chosen as her recipient, I took her the information we had on him so she could read his letter of application. She just beamed when she read that. It’s that satisfaction that means the most to me—knowing that I have a role in bringing about something so good for everyone.
Every scholarship means something to me. Those are the gifts that I will always remember.
A program at UIS I care deeply about:
MSS—the Midstate Student Support for Teaching project. This is a program for mostly first-generation students who want to be teachers. Most of them don’t even think about going to college until a counselor at the high school approaches them and connects them to the MSS program at UIS and its wonderful director, Loretta Meeks. The program helps support them through college, and then they become teachers.
These students are a lot like I was. If it weren’t for a scholarship and support, I also would not have been able to go to college. I would never have been a teacher. I would not be in my position now. These students don’t have a lot of money coming in from their families. Even with scholarships, they all have to work to work one or two jobs to be able to afford college, and it is hard sometimes to hold on to that deram of being a teacher. That is very similar to my own background, and I want to see these kids have the same opportunities I was able to have because of scholarships and other support.
Best thing about UIS:
The fact that it’s small, and that students know their professors—I hear that from alumni all the time. I also hear a lot about the Individual Option program and how flexible that program is for adult learners. Being able to put together a master’s program that really meant something to them instead of something more standardized is a particular advantage for students at UIS.
My educational and professional background :
I graduated from Eastern State Illinois with a degree in elementary education. Following my work as an elementary school teacher, I went into development work, first in Decatur where I still live, and then at UIS. I began working at UIS in August, 2002.
Something most people don’t know about me:
I’m very domestic. I love interior design, landscape design, flower gardening, and cooking. I love to bake. Two recipes that people always want me to give them are my Marina Bay Salad dressing and my carrot cake.
What I am reading now:
I read the Bible every day. The book I just finished was The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, a book about a mute boy who trains dogs.
My favorite movie:
Anything that makes me cry at the end!
My favorite sports team:
The Illini teams, and my husband watches the Chicago Bears.
Please feel free to contact me by E-mail at bohn.jill@uis.edu, or by phone at 217.206.7075. I would love to share with you the joy of making a difference in a student’s life through scholarships or other gifts.
