The Michael Burlingame gift

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 where I live. Burlingame has just become the the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield, where I work. I love to tell our students what it is to study in the city where Lincoln walked. I live less than two miles from Lincoln's home and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. I love to walk in those areas, which always remind me of Lincoln's humanity as well as his greatness.

Fall colors at UIS

There is no better time to see UIS than in the fall. Here are four of hundreds of pictures I've taken in the past five years, plus a breathtaking aerial shot that was taken for us last fall.

A sign of where we're going

Something great happened at UIS late yesterday afternoon. The only trouble is, it takes some academic jargon to explain it, and so I'll hold that to a minimum. What happened was a brief and elegant ceremony honoring Karl McDermott, the Ameren Endowed Professor in Business and Government. It was an investiture ceremony -- with Chancellor Richard Ringeisen giving McDermott the medallion that goes with the position. For UIS to have endowed professorships and chairs is prestigious; they attract great faculty, who attract great students, and the "cycle of excellence" continues, as the chancellor explained yesterday. UIS now has five such positions:

The Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair of Lincoln Studies, last held by Dr. Phil Paludan.

The Wepner Distinguished Professorship in Political Science, for which a search is under way.

The Ameren Distinguished Professor of Business and Government, Dr. Karl McDermott.

The National City Distinguished Professor of Banking and Finance, Dr. Richard Judd.

The James J. Stukel Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership, which will be filled in January 2009 by Karen Swan.

And two more professorships on the way. It's part of our visionto be one of the top five small public liberal arts universities in the United States.

Chris Miller heading to Marquette

Dr. Chris Miller is leaving UIS to become vice president for student affairs at Marquette University. UIS Chancellor Richard Ringeisen made the announcement today, and Marquette made its own announcement as well. Dr. Miller is one of only two vice chancellors at UIS (the other is Provost Berman); but that is just one reason his departure is so significant. The chancellor called it a personal loss. I feel the same way. It's something that happens in professional careers: Good people and friends move on for better opportunities, and we wish them well. We want nothing but the best for them and their families. My main feeling now is that it's perfectly OK, and natural, and healthy, to pause and reflect on how good friends and colleagues enrich our own lives. That's what I'm doing today.

And then life goes on, in a slightly altered world.

International "Block Party" a huge success

I'm hearing rave reviews about the "block party" on campus Friday night. Food and dancing lessons, sharing cultures! Lots of energy in the room, to be sure. I'd love to hear from people who were there to describe their experience of it.