UIS Music program presents Fall Showcase Concert

For a musical tour around the world, UIS students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend the UIS Music Fall Showcase Concert on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

The event will feature music from a variety of countries, cultures and historical periods. Highlights include selections from Russia, China, Germany, and New Orleans plus songs sung in Swahili and Hebrew.

The evening begins with a pre-concert lecture by UIUC musicology student Jessica Davis of Urbana in the lobby outside the PAC Studio Theatre from 7 to 7:20 p.m. Doors will open for the concert following the lecture, and refreshments will be served after the performance.

The Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Todd Cranson, will open the evening with music of John Robichaux’s 19th Century New Orleans Dance Orchestra. This music was all the rage at high society dances around the turn of the 20th Century and competed and comingled with early jazz in the Crescent City.

Following the Chamber Orchestra, the Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Sharon Graf, will perform numerous selections from around the world including Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs” performed with the Chamber Orchestra.

The program concludes with selections by Sousa, Wagner, and more performed by the UIS Concert Band.

The Showcase Concert is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome and will benefit the UIS Music Student Merit Award.

The current UIS Music program began in 2001 and is comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as Springfield community members, all with a variety of skill levels. Anyone interested in joining the UIS Chorus, Band or Chamber Orchestra may contact Sharon Graf or Todd Cranson by emailing music@uis.edu or calling (217) 206-6240.

Putting the Economy in its Place: A Socio-Ecological Conception of Sustainability

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Putting the Economy in its Place: A Socio-Ecological Conception of Sustainability featuring Dr. Stefano Longo, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at UIS.

WHEN: Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room F at UIS
(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

DETAILS: Sustainability and sustainable development have become dominant buzzwords when discussing environmental concerns. Utilizing a socio-ecological lens, this discussion will examine the emergence of these concepts in public discourse, their forward potential and/or shortcomings, and offer new directions for understanding and application.

During his graduate studies Dr. Longo developed an expertise in the areas of environmental sociology, political economy, and social theory. His research focuses on the global food system, examining the intersection of environmental and social processes in the context of food production, consumption, and distribution.

This event will be held along with other UIS Sustainability Week activities on campus.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

UIS Chorus to perform at Springfield's Vachel Lindsay Home

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Sharon Graf, will perform at the Vachel Lindsay Home in Springfield.

WHEN: Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: 603 South 5th Street, Springfield, Illinois

ADDITIONAL INFO: This will be the vocal group’s first performance of the semester and the first ever at the historic home of poet Nicholas Vachel Lindsay.

The event will feature music from a variety of countries, cultures and historical periods. Highlights include songs from Russia, China, and a selection sung in Swahili.

The current UIS Chorus program began in 2001 and is comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as Springfield community members, all with a variety of skill levels. After the Vachel Lindsay event, the next Chorus performance will be at the UIS Showcase Concert, which features the Chorus, Chamber Orchestra and Band and will be held at the PAC Studio Theatre at the University of Illinois at Springfield campus on December 4, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the UIS Chorus or the upcoming performance contact Dr. Sharon Graf at 217/206-6240 or by e-mail at music@uis.edu.

Lunch-time Presentations at UIS

“Central Illinois: Patchwork of Creative Minds”, a thought provoking lunch time educational series examining creative expression that has flourished in the heartland of Illinois, will continue on October 21 at the University of Illinois Springfield with a hot lunch buffet available at 11:30 a.m. and program from 12 noon until 1:30 p.m.

The presentations October 21 will focus on “Springfield Public Garden Design: Historic and Modern”. Terri Cameron, master gardener and historic preservation advocate, will make a presentation entitled “Springfield's Early Park Design and Its Impact” that will examine Springfield’s early parks through archival photos, publications and Springfield Park District minutes. Diane Mathis, Director of Marketing and Development for the Springfield Park District, will speak on “Innovative Park Design”. She will preview Southwind – Springfield’s new universally accessible and environmentally friendly park.

There is a charge for lunch but the presentations are free and open to the public. The luncheon and presentations will be held in the University of Illinois Springfield Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Rooms C/D (level below the Sangamon Auditorium lobby). The cost for lunch is $20 and paid reservations are required for the luncheon by October 14, 2009. Pre-registration is also requested from those not purchasing the lunch who wish to attend the presentations.

The series will conclude with a session on Wednesday, November 18 that will focus on “Creative Images: Canvas and Glass”.

Find out how to register and get more information by visiting www.uiaa.org/uis, or contact the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395 or alumni@uis.edu.

ECCE program focuses on poststructuralism

The University of Illinois at Springfield will be hosting its final program for the summer Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series on Wednesday, July 15 at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. The program is called “This Event is Not Taking Place: Truth, Reality and History in Baudrillard’s Political Philosophy” and will be presented by Dr. Richard Gilman-Opalsky.

The lecture, followed by an open discussion, will focus on some of the central claims of the work of Jean Baudrillard and the most provocative tenets of late 20th century French social and political philosophy, especially the movement known as “poststructuralism.” Gilman-Opalsky will discuss how this movement challenges the ways we think and speak about the world in which we live. Background knowledge about Jean Baudrillard or “poststructuralism” is not needed to understand and participate in this program.

Gilman-Opalsky is an assistant professor of political philosophy in the Department of Political Science at UIS. His teaching areas and research interests include the history of political philosophy, continental and contemporary political theory, socialist philosophy, globalization, cosmopolitanism, critical theory, and poststructuralism.

For information about the ECCE Speaker Series, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or e-mail speakerseries@uis.edu.

Dr. Peter Wenz to discuss political philosophies in the U.S. during ECCE presentation

Dr. Peter Wenz, University of Illinois at Springfield Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, will present a program called “How to Form Political Coalitions without Sacrificing Personal Integrity” on Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus.

Wenz’s presentation is part of the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series at UIS. The event is free and open to the public.

The program will examine the cultural and political division in the United States between the left wing and right wing. Wenz argues that Americans use 12 political philosophies in their thinking, not simply a dual, Republican/Democrat approach when analyzing political and controversial issues. His talk will illustrate this possibility with discussion of same-sex marriage, school vouchers, genetic engineering and other current issues.

Wenz retired from UIS in December 2004 after spending 28 years as a member of the Philosophy Department. He also had a one-third joint appointment to do research and writing in what was originally called the Center for Legal Studies, now called the Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Policy Studies.

Wenz is the author of six books, the most recent of which is titled Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates. After his presentation, the UIS bookstore will be selling copies of the book, and Wenz will also do a book signing.

This program is the first of four ECCE presentations this month. Other events include a program called “V for Vendetta: A Discussion of Terrorism and Political Violence,” with a showing of the movie V for Vendetta and a discussion with Dr. Richard Gilman-Opalsky, on Monday, June 15 at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, and a program about the Southwind Park Project by Diane Mathis and Butch Elzea on Tuesday, June 23, at 2 p.m. in University Hall room 2008. Marc Miller will give a second program about the Southwind Park Project that will take place at the park on Friday, June 26, at 11 a.m., when community members and UIS students are invited to plant trees and gardens.

For information about any ECCE event, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or e-mail speakerseries@uis.edu.

UIS to host tech camp for middle-school girls

The University of Illinois at Springfield’s Computer Science Department will be holding Girl Tech 2009, a technology camp for middle-school girls, on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the University Hall Building on the UIS campus.

The camp will offer sessions on programming, robotics, computer networking, iMovie, Photoshop and computer hardware. A partial list of sessions includes Cartoons Galore!, Persona Magazine, Wireless Treasure Hunt and Robotics at the Robot Zoo. Instructors of the sessions are female faculty members in the UIS Computer Science Department and Visual Arts Department, as well as staff members in Information Technology Services.

Classes begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. Before and after camp activities are planned to allow camp participants to stay the entire day.

To be eligible, students must be entering 7th, 8th or 9th grade in the fall. The registration fee is $20 per girl, which covers lunch both days, snacks and a participation T-shirt.

For more information about specific sessions and to obtain the registration form, go online to http://csc.uis.edu/girltech2009.

Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) training for women

Free 12-hour self-defense course for all UIS women students, staff, and faculty

• Wednesday evenings in February (Feb. 4, 11, 18, & 25)
• 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Led by Sgt. Mike Stuart and Ofc. Amanda Baughman of the UIS Police
  

Contact the UIS Women's Center at 6-7173 or womenscenter@uis.edu to enroll.

Learn more about RAD

For more information on acquaintance and stranger rape prevention as well as rape survivor support, information and referrals, contact the Women's Center.

Bookstore Grand Opening

UIS' new bookstore will celebrate its Grand Opening in Founders Hall on Thursday, November 13.

• Ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
• Discounts on clothing and gift items
• Refreshments
• Prizes
  

Sustainability brown bag

"Save Time, Save Money, Save Trees: Conserve Your Limited Resources through Office Sustainability"

noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, December 4, PAC F

Speaker: Rose Schweikhart Cranson, dean's assistant, College of Public Affairs & Administration

Next program: February 4. Jamie McGill, campus recycling coordinator, will talk about Recycling at UIS.

Campus blood drive

• 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 19
• Bloodmobile will be parked near Lincoln Residence Hall
• If you have questions about donating, call 753-1530.
• Walk-ins are welcome, but to schedule an appointment, call Jessica at 753-1530 x 6814 or sign up online.
  

Central Illinois Community Blood Center is the only blood provider to 19 central Illinois hospitals, including Memorial Medical Center and St. John's Hospital in Springfield.

UIS political art series to screen "American Blackout"

The University of Illinois at Springfield series Political Art and the Public Sphere will conclude for the fall semester with a screening of the film "American Blackout" at 6 p.m. Monday, November 10, in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. Both the film and the discussion session that follows are free and open to the public.

While much has been said about alleged voting irregularities during the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, these incidents are nevertheless often dismissed as rumors or unintentional mishaps resulting from an overburdened election system.

Filmmaker Ian Inaba's "furious documentary" chronicles recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 and follows the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who not only took an active role in investigating these election debacles, but found herself in the center of another controversy after publicly questioning the Bush Administration about the 9/11 attacks. New York Times movie critic Jeannette Catsoulis concluded: "'American Blackout' isn't a conspiracy rant. It's a methodical compilation of questions and irregularities that deserves a wider audience."

This fall the PAPS series focused on questions of race and class in modern American politics. Series facilitator Richard Gilman-Opalsky, assistant professor of political philosophy at UIS, said, "This is a provocative film and it should lead us into an open discussion about the disenfranchisement of African American voters one week after the 2008 presidential election, where tales of long lines, voter suppression, and vote counting questions littered the news in the preceding weeks."

Gilman-Opalsky explained that the basic idea of PAPS is to consider how "art" can raise important social and political questions. "Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate, and to circulate ideas and arguments," he added. "In the public sphere, people form a collective political opinion and will. Ultimately and ideally, the public sphere brings the interests and demands of the public to bear on those who hold power."

For more information about this program or the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.

Black Springfield Speakers Series

Part I: Education

7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, November 5, Brookens Auditorium

Speakers include

• Santita Nunn, director, School-aged Programs, Springfield Urban League
• Farries Morrison, first black educator and administrator in Springfield
• Dr. Walter Milton Jr., superintendent, Springfield School District #186
• Sharon Beler, director, LLCC Springfield East Campus
  

Reception immediately follows presentations

Presented by UIS African-American Studies Department

Co-sponsors: Diversity Center, Speakers' Award and Diversity Task Force Funding Committee

For more information, contact Kemau Kemayo at 6-8248

Sustainability Brown Bag Series

A new monthly event sponsored by the Senate Committee on Sustainability

• "Sustainability Initiatives at Food Service" - noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, November 5, PAC G

Speakers: Alan Barnhart, food service Administrator, and Howard Seidel, executive chef. Presentation will also discuss the Local Food Initiative.

• "Save Time, Save Money, Save Trees: Conserve Your Limited Resources through Office Sustainability" – time and place tba, Wednesday, December 4

Speaker: Rose Schweikhart Cranson, dean's assistant, College of Public Affairs and Administration

For more information, contact Tih-Fen Ting, SCS chair, at 6-7876 or TTing1@uis.edu.

The China Experience

A brown bag presentation by Kathy Petitte Jamison, assistant professor of Communication and 2008 UIS China Faculty Exchange Scholar

Noon-12:45 p.m., Wednesday, October 29, PAC 3B

Bring your lunch and learn about China and the exchange program.

Campus Adobe Day

Representatives from the U of I Software WebStore and Adobe will be on hand to present free workshops that explore Adobe Creative Suite 4’s new features and functionality.

9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Monday, November 3, PAC C/D

Three sessions:

• 9:30-11:30 a.m. See how Creative Suite Design Premium enables a cross-media workflow
• Noon-1 p.m. Learn how to move your projects into the digital age quickly and effectively
• 1:30-3:30 p.m. Empower learning with PDF and Adobe Acrobat 9
  

Seating is limited; register for one or all of the sessions and get additional information

Webcast for Campus Sustainability Day

A live interactive webcast on "Climate Realities, Challenges and Progress in Higher Education" will be open to members of the campus community (release time policy applies for staff)

1 to 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 22, in Brookens Auditorium

Made possible by the UIS Provost’s Office, Senate Committee on Sustainability, and Office of Sustainability

See a description of the program and information about the moderator and speakers

Contact Facilities and Services at 6-6530 for details.

UIS Emiquon Field Station to host discussion of "Electronic Teaching"

A lecture and discussion on "Electronic Teaching, Online and Offline" will be presented at the University of Illinois at Springfield's Emiquon Field Station beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 21. The program is free and open to the public.

The discussion will be led by Dr. Keith W. Miller, UIS professor of Computer Science. Dr. Miller is also associate director of the field station.

The Emiquon Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve, between Havana and Lewistown. Entrance to the field station is on Prairie Road, located off Illinois Rts. 97/78, approximately one-and-a-half miles north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted.

UIS is a recognized leader in online education, and Dr. Miller, one of UIS' "early adopters" of electronic learning, has used computers in his teaching for over 30 years. In this presentation, he will give a brief description of his experiences in online learning and will suggest ideas for designing opportunities in Internet learning.

Following the lecture, a discussion session will allow members of the audience to share their own experiences and questions about how to use the Internet to enhance teaching and learning, for both face-to-face and online classes.

For more information, contact Keith Miller at miller.keith@uis.edu or call 217/206-7327.

See a map to Emiquon.

Reception honoring Caryl Moy

The Friends of Brookens Library will host a reception with Dr. Caryl Towsley Moy, SSU Professor Emerita of Child, Family, and Community Services

7 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 28, in the PAC Restaurant

to celebrate the publication of her new book, Naperville's Genevieve: A Daughter's Memoir.

For more information, contact the Development Office at 6-6058.

Depression screening day

Thursday, October 9

The Counseling Center and Campus Health Service will offer free depression screenings in HRB 64 (noon to 4 p.m.) and the LRH conference room (noon to 3 p.m.).

• Written self-tests
• Confidential screening interviews
• Videos
• Brochures
  

Symptoms of depression include: loss of interest in favorite activities; feeling sad, helpless, or worthless; changes in sleeping and eating habits; an inability to concentrate; fatigue and loss of energy; feeling irritable, tense, anxious, and restless; suffering unexplained aches and pains; and thoughts of death or suicide

For more information, call the Counseling Center at 6-7122

Dedication ceremony

The campus community is invited to the dedication of a scholar tree and bench in memory of beloved UIS professor Lee Frost-Kumpf (at left), who served UIS from 1996 to 2003.

5 p.m., Monday, October 20, PAC lobby

See more remembrances of Lee, share your own memories, or contribute to the scholarship fund in his name.

Flu shots scheduled

When and Where

• Thursday, October 2, PAC C/D, 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 7, PAC G, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 22, in PAC C/D, 1 - 7 p.m.
• Thursday October 23, PAC C/D, 3 - 7 p.m.
  

Cost

• Students: $16
• Significant others of students: $20
• Employees without State of Illinois Insurance and their spouses, significant others, and their family members living in the home; who are 17 years of age or older: $20
• State Employees and retirees who provide proof of State of Illinois Health Care Insurance: Free
  

For more information, call Campus Health Services at 6-6676

Campus invited to investiture ceremony

Dr. Karl McDermott will be invested as UIS Ameren Distinguished Professor of Business and Government

5 p.m. Thursday, September 25, in Brookens Auditorium

The campus community is invited to attend the ceremony, which will celebrate both Dr. McDermott and Ameren.

Energy Report open forums

1-2 p.m., Tuesday, September 9, PAC G

11 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, September 10, PAC G

Those who are unable to attend in person are invited to provide feedback via e-mail to any member of the energy task force: Al Barnhart, Dave Barrows, Joan Buckles, Joe Eck, Wes King, Marc Klingshirn, John Ringle, Tim Ritzo, and Tih-Fen Ting (chair).

UIS professors to discuss "most grandiose experiment"

On the border between France and Switzerland, in a tunnel deep underground, a project is underway that promises to be "the most grandiose experiment in the history of science," according to an astronomer at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Charles Schweighauser, professor of Astronomy/Physics at UIS, says that the experiment -- being conducted by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and involving the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – will attempt to answer questions like "What is matter?" "What was matter like within the first second of the Universe's life?" and "Do extra dimensions of space really exist?"

Schweighauser says the scientific community is anticipating results that may very well open up a whole new way of looking at the Universe. "Our understanding of the Universe is about to change," he notes. "A lot of physicists will be disappointed if a whole new Physics doesn't come out of this experiment."

The LHC will be activated on September 10.

To help the public gain some sense of the scope and importance of the experiment, Schweighauser and two other UIS professors will present "Discovering a More Beautiful Universe with the Large Hadron Collider" beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 28, in conference room F, located on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS. The illustrated program will be presented for a general audience and is free and open to the public.

Schweighauser will facilitate the discussion and will begin the program with "The Large Hadron Collider and How it Works," a discussion of the instrument itself.

Following Schweighauser's presentation, Dr. Hei Chi Chan, associate professor of Mathematical Sciences, will discuss "The Physics behind the Experiment: What they're looking for and hope to find."

Following Chan, Dr. John Martin, assistant professor of Astronomy/Physics, will speak on "The Physics Involved and How It Relates to the Early Universe," an examination of what the experiment may reveal about many unanswered questions on how the Universe evolved.

A question-and-answer session will follow the three presentations.

The Large Hadron Collider is a gigantic particle accelerator housed in a 27-kilometre tunnel near Geneva, Switzerland, and relies on technologies that until recently did not exist. LHC experiments are expected to provide insights into questions such as what gives matter its mass, what the invisible 96 percent of the Universe is made of, why nature prefers matter to antimatter, and how matter evolved from the first instants of the Universe's existence.

CERN is the world's leading laboratory for particle physics. Headquartered in Geneva, it has 20 member nations; six other countries including the United States, as well as two international organizations, have been granted Observer status. CERN is one of the world's largest and most respected centers for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works.

For more information, contact Schweighauser at 217/206-6721.

The Power of Photography in Social Movements

A presentation in the ECCE Speakers Series

Noon on Wednesday, July 16, in Brookens Auditorium

Larry Livingston, assistant professor of Social Work, will speak about the power that photographs can have to spur people to action on social issues.

Examples will be drawn from the works of Ansel Adams (environmentalism), Lewis Hine (child labor), Dorethea Lange (poverty), Gordon Parks (civil rights), and Jacob Riis (housing standards).

Participants will be challenged to think about the causes that concern them, as well as what images might convey that concern to others.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Kimberly Craig at 6-6245.

College of Education and Human Services to honor four emeritus faculty

Four retired faculty members from the College of Education and Human Services at the University of Illinois at Springfield – Jack Genskow, Barbara Hartman, Gary Storm, and Don Yohe (shown at the left, top to bottom) – will be honored at a luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 19, in the Auditorium Lobby in the Public Affairs Center on campus. Genskow is being honored posthumously.

A panel discussion with Hartman, Storm, and Yohe will be moderated by English Professor Emerita Judith Everson. Portraits of the four, to be installed in the College, will also be unveiled. The event is open to the public, however, reservations are required and must be made by June 12.

Hartman was an associate professor of Human Development Counseling; Storm was an associate professor of Teacher Education; and Yohe was an associate professor of Child, Family, and Community Services. Genskow, who was a professor of Human Development Counseling, died in December 2000.

Larry Stonecipher, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, noted, "Each of the professors being honored made valuable contributions, to Sangamon State University and to UIS, and they established a legacy of excellent teaching that continues."

The new portraits will join those of emeritus faculty M'Lou Burnett Dixon, Robert Crowley, Caryl Moy, James Pancrazio, and Regan Smith – who were honored in previous years – on the walls of the College’s classroom area on the third floor of Brookens Library. All of the portraits were painted by Robert Nettles, of Louisville, Kentucky.

The Office of UIS Alumni Relations is co-hosting the event along with the College and the CEHS Alumni Council.

Make a reservation or get more information.

Those who are unable to attend the event in person may send greetings.

Make a donation to a scholarship in honor of these faculty.