planning a gift: The UIS Fund
One Donor's Story
Access and Excellence
We embrace access for all students, and yet many find it impossible to attend UIS without the financial support of donors.
By giving to the UIS Fund, you can play a crucial role in providing that access to students. When you do so, you’ll be joining many wonderful donors to the Scholarship Fund.
Dr. Sarah Dauphinais--One of Our Wonderful Donors
One of those donors is Dr. Sarah Dauphinais BA ’73 Psychology MA ’74 Human Development Counseling. Access to a university education changed Sarah’s life, and now she is passing that access on to other students by giving to the UIS Fund.
“I just wanted to encourage students,” she says, “and give them some help during the process of getting their education.”
A Non-Traditional Student
It wasn’t that common for women to think about returning to college at that age, but with the encouragement of her husband George (recently deceased), Sarah gathered her courage and enrolled in 1971.
Once at the university, she got lots of encouragement from the professors.
“I wasn’t sure I could keep up,” Sarah says, “but the professors were so wonderful. We were very fortunate to have these professors at the new university.”
Sarah finished her undergraduate degree at age 50.
All the Way to Her Doctorate
After earning her bachelor’s degree, Sarah continued to get encouragement from her husband George and from her professors. In fact, they encouraged Sarah through her master’s degree and all the way to her doctorate, which she earned at SIU-Carbondale.
Once certified as a clinical psychologist, Sarah opened her own practice in Springfield which she ran for 15 years before retiring to Arizona where her son lives.
Just imagine how many hundreds of lives Dr. Dauphinais has touched through her work. She is a living example of the ripple effect that an education at UIS 
creates—a truly Brilliant Future.
Passing on Access
Her own access to a university changed her life, and now she is giving access to other students through her gift to the UIS Fund. One such student is Ryan Roth, a student from central Illinois who is majoring in Political Science. Through your gifts to the UIS Fund, you can join with Sarah in creating Brilliant Futures for many other students as dedicated as Ryan, and just as eager to prepare for careers where they can contribute to society.
If you have questions about giving to the UIS Fund, please feel free to contact our Director of Annual Giving, Lisa Whelpley. You can also send us a question by using the link at left.
Please respond generously. Your gift will make a crucial difference in the life of a student at UIS.
