New Zealand Ambassador to speak in Springfield

His Excellency Roy Ferguson, ambassador from New Zealand, will be the featured speaker Wednesday, December 3, at a lunch at the Prairie Heart Institute's Dove Conference Center. The event is part of the Ambassador Series co-sponsored by the University of Illinois at Springfield and WSEC-TV. Advance reservations are required.

The program begins at 11:30 a.m., with lunch served at noon.

At the lunch, Ambassador Ferguson will share business, economic, and political insights from his distinguished career in public service, which includes ambassadorships to South Korea and North Korea and other foreign affairs positions. A question-and-answer period will follow his presentation.

This is the second event in the Ambassador Series. Future programs include:
His Excellency Welile Nhlapo, ambassador from South Africa (January 22); His Excellency Oleh Shamshur, ambassador from Ukraine (March 11); and His Excellency Wegger Christian Strommen, ambassador from Norway (date TBD).

Cost for the remaining five events is $720 for a table of eight for the series, and $90 per person for the series.

For more information, contact Stacey Willenborg at 217/206-6058.

Ira Glass coming to Sangamon Auditorium, UIS

Host of NPR's This American Life will present "Radio Stories and Other Stories"

Popular National Public Radio host Ira Glass will visit the University of Illinois at Springfield's Sangamon Auditorium, on Saturday, December 13, at 8 p.m. to present "Radio Stories and Other Stories," based on his award-winning Showtime and public radio shows. The sponsors are ACE Hardware and Public Radio WUIS 91.9.

Glass is the affable host and producer of the quirky hit show This American Life, now heard by millions each week and recently adapted for television by Showtime. He travels the country meeting everyday people from all walks of life telling "unexpected stories that happen to be true." Glass will share some of his favorite yarns and answer questions from the audience when he visits Sangamon Auditorium, UIS.

Glass began his career in 1978, when he was 19, as an intern at National Public Radio's network headquarters in Washington, DC. Over the years, he worked on nearly every NPR network news program and held virtually every production job in NPR's Washington headquarters. He has been a tape cutter, newscast writer, desk assistant, editor, producer, and has filled in as host of Talk of the Nation and Weekend All Things Considered. He moved to Chicago in 1989 and put This American Life on the air in November 1995. Under Glass's editorial direction, the program has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence, including the Peabody and DuPont-Columbia awards, as well as the Edward R. Murrow and the Overseas Press Club awards.

Tickets for this event are $42 or $37 and are on sale now. To order tickets visit www.SangamonAuditorium.org or call the Sangamon Auditorium Ticket Office at (217) 206-6160 or toll free at 800-207-6960. Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Ticket Office, which is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Individual tickets to all Visiting Artist Series and Family Events are on sale now, and tickets to Broadway shows go on sale approximately six weeks prior to each event. Patrons can receive a discount through the Create Your Own Series option by simply choosing at least five events from the Visiting Artists Series, Broadway Series, and Family Events at UIS. Please call the Ticket Office for more information.

About Sangamon Auditorium, UIS
Sangamon Auditorium, located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield, hosts more than 120 performances annually. Also home to the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Springfield Ballet Company, it is the only auditorium of its kind and size in the Springfield area, with a seating capacity of 2,018. Sangamon Auditorium continues to fulfill its mission of presenting and supporting varied cultural and educational professional arts activities to audiences in Springfield, Sangamon County, and the surrounding areas. The auditorium administrative offices can be reached at (217) 206-6150 or by email at onstage@uis.edu.

World AIDS Day

The campus will host a number of activities in observance of World AIDS Day, Monday, December 1

11:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., PAC F

• Free AIDS testing

2:30 - 7:30 p.m., PAC C/D

• Movie and dialog
• Second Life (UIS virtual reality) - Scavenger hunt and dance
• Suffice, the Center for First-Year Students - chorus, writers, & poets speak out against AIDS
  

6 p.m.

• Special guest speaker: Nigerian artist Ibiyinka Alao, first-place winner of the 2001 UN International Art Competition

Co-sponsors: BASUAH (Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS); Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Minority Services; and UIS African-Caribbean Student Organization, African Student Association, Center for First-Year Students, Counseling Center, Diversity Center, Health Services, Office of Student Life, Office of Technology Enhanced Learning, and Public Health program

Brookens to host "An Evening with Ray Bradbury"

Brookens Library will host an evening with legendary author Ray Bradbury, via a live satellite interview, beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 19, in Brookens Auditorium. The program and a reception in the PAC restaurant immediately following are free and open to the public.

Bradbury is the author of such classics as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. From his home in Los Angeles, he will discuss his life and work in a conversation with Dr. Loren Logsdon, professor emeritus of English and Western Civilization & Culture at Eureka College. Logsdon, a friend of Bradbury and an expert on his writing, will open the evening with a short address.

Bradbury is a native of Waukegan, Illinois, and one of 35 Illinois authors whose names are engraved on the fourth floor frieze of the Illinois State Library. Fahrenheit 451 is a cautionary tale about a media-obsessed society where citizens have stopped reading. Some of its themes are censorship, freedom of expression, and the effects of television and technology on society.

The program is part of The Big Read in West Central Illinois. For more information about the program at UIS, contact the office of the dean of Library Instructional Services at 6-6597.

UIS to host program in "Central Illinois Patchwork of People" series

The University of Illinois at Springfield is holding a program in its "Central Illinois Patchwork of People" series on Tuesday, November 18, in Conference Room C/D in the Public Affairs Center lower level on the UIS campus. A luncheon buffet begins at 11:30 a.m. and the presentation will take place at noon. Tickets for the luncheon are no longer available, but the presentation is free and open to members of the public who make reservations.

The presentation is part of a series that is examining the people and cultures that have influenced life in Central Illinois and will feature the topic "What They Built." John Hallwas, professor emeritus of English at Western Illinois University and Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholar, will discuss "Small Town Heritage: Illinois Townscapes 1870-1920." Richard Hart, president of the Elijah Iles House Foundation, will present "Prairie Acropolis: Greek Revival Influences on the Architecture of Central Illinois."

This series is being co-sponsored by the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society. Reservations to attend the presentation should be made by Monday, November 17. For more information or to make a reservation, contact the UIS Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@uis.edu or 217/206-7395.

UIS Emiquon Field Station to host lecture on "Deep Views of the Past"

The University of Illinois at Springfield's Emiquon Field Station will host a public lecture titled "The Emiquon Archaeo-Geological Project: Deep Views of the Past" at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18, at the Field Station, which is at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana and Lewistown. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are not required.

The featured speaker will be Alan Harn, assistant curator of anthropology at Dickson Mounds Museum.

In 2004, before water returned to the historic floodplain, the Ameren Corporation worked to anchor a gas pipeline that stretches across parts of the Emiquon Preserve. The excavations that resulted provided an opportunity for Harn and Sally McClure of The Nature Conservancy to gain new insights into paleo climates, bottomland geomorphology, and their relationships to past human civilizations at the site.

In this talk, Mr. Harn will describe the excavations and interpret the complex array of subsurface information that was revealed. Deep sediment profiles indicated that today's Thomson Lake is only the most recent in a series of Illinois river paleochannels to have occupied the bottomland. Archaeological remains distributed along these water courses allowed researchers to determine when the paleochannels and their associated landforms developed and died away. Uniquely preserved deposits of paleo vegetation on the lake beds also provided botanists with new information about climate more than 10,000 years ago.

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 at the turnoff. See a map.

For more information, contact Mike Lemke, Emiquon Field Station director, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or 217/ 206-7339.

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.

Paralympic athlete Jean Driscoll to speak at UIS

Paralympic athlete Jean Driscoll (left) will be presenting "Dream Big and Work Hard" on Thursday, November 6, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program, part of the Girl 2 Girl DreamSpeakers series, will be held in the Student Life Building gym on the east side of the UIS campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Driscoll, a 1991 graduate of the University of Illinois, is recognized by Sports Illustrated for Women as one of the top 25 female athletes of the twentieth century. She won silver medals in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games and served as a Presidential delegation member to the 2008 Olympics. She holds the world record in the 10,000 meter track event and marathon road racing distances and is the only person ever to win the Boston Marathon eight times.

The presentation is sponsored by the UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center, Athletics, and Office of Disability Services.

Girl 2 Girl DreamSpeakers is a mentoring program for girls in grades 8, 9, and 10 in Springfield School District 186 and is made possible through a grant from the Sangamon County Community Foundation and its Women for Women Fund.

For more information, call 217/206-7716, e-mail volunteer@uis.edu or go online to www.jeandriscoll.com.

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.

UIS program will examine the crisis in Sudan

The University of Illinois at Springfield will present documentary photographer Ryan Spencer Reed speaking on "Sudan: The Cost of Silence" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 12, in Brookens Auditorium. Reed's presentation and a book-signing session that follows are free and open to the public.

Brookens Auditorium is located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus.

Abandoning his medical studies in 2002, Reed moved to Africa and eventually found himself in a camp in northwestern Kenya where most of the more than 90,000 refugees were Sudanese. The harsh conditions these people faced affected Reed so deeply that he has since focused his work exclusively on Sudan. He has traveled to that country, especially Darfur, several times to document the conflict there, and his program at UIS will examine the political, historical, and social issues at work.

UIS sponsors of the event are the Social Work Club and the Office of International Programs, with support from the UIS Speakers Series and Diversity Task Force, and the Riis-Parks Project.

See more information about Reed's work The Sudan Project

For more information about the UIS event, contact Larry Livingston, UIS assistant professor of Social Work, at 206-7527

31st annual International Festival will focus on "Harvest Celebrations around the World"

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host its 31st Annual International Festival, this year focusing on "Harvest Celebrations around the World," from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, November 16. The event is free and open to the public.

The festival will feature cultural performances and exhibits, plus a variety of ethnic foods from local restaurants. All activities will take place in the lower-levels of the Public Affairs Center and Library on the UIS campus.

This year, in "theme park" fashion, each room will represent a different part of the world with continual performances, food, and exhibits presented together. Programs will be available to help participants visit the celebrations of their choice. The theme of "celebrating the harvest" is intended to illustrate how people in other countries observe their equivalent of America's Thanksgiving holiday.

For more information, contact the UIS Office of International Student Services at 217/206-6678 or send an e-mail to iss@uis.edu.

WUIS marks War of the Worlds 70th anniversary

In observance of the 70th anniversary of Orson Welles' infamous radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, WUIS, in association with Gordon Productions, will present a re-creation of the original program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield.

WUIS will broadcast the performance on Halloween night at 9 p.m.

With a nod to the night that the Mercury Theatre radio group panicked America, the live show at the Hoogland Center will be presented as if it were an actual 1930s radio show. The actors will be dressed in period costumes, reading from scripts, while sound men provide all of the appropriate sound effects.

Cast members are Kevin Purcell (reading the Orson Welles role), Don Schneider, Pat Foster, Dennis Rendleman, Flynn Hanners, Brett Rutherford, and Steve Krampitz, along with local broadcasters Dave Leonatti (WUIS), Bob Murray (WTAX), Jim Leach (WMAY), Johnny Molson (ALICE 97.7/WMAY), and Joe Crain (NewsChannel 20).

Tickets for the stage performance are $12, and can be picked up at the Hoogland box office, by calling 523-2787, or online.

For information about the broadcast on Halloween night, call WUIS at 217/206-6516.

See an article about the performance from the October 30 State Journal-Register.

UIS Diversity Center to host traveling exhibit "Summer of Hate"

The Diversity Center at the University of Illinois at Springfield will host the traveling exhibit "Summer of Hate: A Modern Perspective on the Springfield Race Riot of 1908," from November 3 through 21 in the Center, room 22 of the Student Life Building on the east side of the UIS campus.

Ken Page, president of the Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), will unveil the exhibit during an opening reception at 5:30 p.m. on November 3 in the Center. Both the exhibit and opening reception are free and open to the public.

Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the Springfield Race Riot of 1908, the 14-panel exhibit includes photographs, maps, and historical accounts of the violence that resulted in the deaths of six people and the destruction of dozens of homes and businesses and led to the founding of the NAACP.

Area high school students researched and created the exhibit with assistance from staff members at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. After researching the riot using historical materials in the Presidential Library, the students toured Springfield to pinpoint key riot locations, gather modern and historical images, and create maps.

"It is my hope that events such as this exhibit will translate into positive action that will last one hundred years," Page said.

For more information, contact the UIS Diversity Center at 217/206-6333 or e-mail diversitycenter@uis.edu.

UIS among host sites for international programming contest

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host a round of competition in an international programming contest on Saturday, November 1. Spectators are welcome.

Sponsored by IBM and the Association for Computing Machinery, the 33rd annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest – also known as the Global "Battle of the Brains" Software Competition – sets three-member teams of university students against each other in a competition to solve real-world problems.

The event has become the largest and most prestigious competition of its kind, each year attracting thousands of students – including some of the world's finest students in computing sciences and engineering – from universities around the world. Ninety winning teams from regional contests, held from September to December, will advance to the World Finals, which for 2009 will be hosted by KTH – Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

At UIS, 18 teams from eight colleges and universities will compete. Teams will meet for registration and welcome from 9 to 10 a.m. in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. Team members, special guests, and a representative from IBM will be introduced and the competition will begin at 12:30 p.m. An awards ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium will present ribbons to the top four teams and prizes to the top three teams. The UIS Computer Science Club will host the event, which is sponsored locally by UIS, Novanis, and Capitol Strategies.

Last year, five teams from the UIS competition site placed among the top 10 in the Midwest Regionals and two teams from the UIS competition attended the World Finals.

For more information about the UIS competition, contact Laszlo Acs, past-president of the UIS Computer Science Club, at 622-5398.

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.

UIS speaker to discuss "Queer Love in the Time of War and Shopping"

"Queer Love in the Time of War and Shopping," a presentation by Dr. Martin Manalansan (shown at left), will be held beginning at 3 p.m., Wednesday, October 29, in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program and discussion session that follows are free and open to the public.

Dr. Manalansan is interim director of Asian American Studies and an associate professor of Anthropology at the U of I Urbana-Champaign campus. "Queer Love…" reflects his interdisciplinary research into socio-cultural anthropology, gay and lesbian studies, sexuality and gender, and race and ethnicity. It is also the title of the chapter he contributed to The LGBT Studies Reader (currently under review). Manalansan's other research interests include immigration and globalization, cities and modernity, food and culture, public health, the Filipino diaspora, Asian Americans, and the Philippines.

His address is presented as part of the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS -- events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university's effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.

The next ECCE program will be "Indians from India" and "Bollywood Satirized," an art exhibit and discussion on November 6. See the complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester.

For more information about Dr. Manalansan's presentation, contact Lan Dong, assistant professor of English, at 206-8334.

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

UIS to host Sunday Star Party for people with disabilities

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host a special Sunday Night Star Party for people with disabilities on Sunday, November 9, weather permitting, in the UIS observatory. The party is free, but reservations are required.

Featured objects for viewing will be Jupiter, the largest planet, and the moon.

Conducted by Charles Schweighauser and John Martin, UIS professors of astronomy and physics, Sunday Star Parties use a telescope specially designed to give people with disabilities access to the sky. This is the first telescope in the world designed for, and dedicated to, people with disabilities.

The modified eight-inch Schmidt Cassegrain telescope employs a traditional optical design but with a fixed eyepiece that brings the image to the viewer. This eyepiece can be moved backward and forward in its tube as much as seven inches without refocusing, and can accommodate anyone from a large person in a high wheelchair to a child in the lowest, smallest wheelchair. A laptop computer runs the telescope, eliminating the need for a large keyboard and monitor that can emit too much distracting light on the dark observation deck.

To make a reservation, or for more information, contact Schweighauser at 206-6721 no later than Friday, October 31, for the November 9 Star Party.

UIS Emiquon Field Station will host lecture on "Migratory Waterfowl and the Illinois River"

The University of Illinois at Springfield's Emiquon Field Station will host a free public lecture on "Migratory Waterfowl and the Illinois River," at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 28. The Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana and Lewistown.

The speaker will be Dr. Josh Stafford, waterfowl ecologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey and director of the Forbes Biological Station in Havana, Illinois. Dr. Stafford will cover a variety of topics, including a brief history of Illinois River wetlands and waterfowl research in the region, trends in migratory duck populations, chronology of migration, and results of recent waterfowl studies at the Emiquon Preserve.

Entrance to the Emiquon 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 at the turnoff. See a map

For more information, contact Mike Lemke, Emiquon Field Station director, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or (217) 206-7339.

UIS to present survey of 1908 riot by noted historian and author

"Centennial of Fire," an address by noted historian and author Dr. Roberta Senechal (at left), will be presented beginning at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 23, in the lobby of the Public Affairs Center at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program is free and open to the public.

In this lecture, Senechal surveys the course of Springfield's 1908 race riot, and the reaction of the press and public, weighing the known facts in light of her later work on collective violence, in the United States and elsewhere.

Senechal's published works include the award-winning In Lincoln's Shadow, the only book-length study of the Springfield riot. Originally published in 1990 by the University of Illinois Press as The Sociogenesis of a Race Riot: Springfield, Illinois, in 1908, a reprint of the book under its new title is forthcoming from Southern Illinois University Press. She is currently an associate professor of History at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, where she specializes in American social and urban history, the history of crime and violence, women's history in the United States, and African-American history.

Senechal's presentation is one of the keynote addresses for the 30th Annual Conference of the Association for Integrative Studies, hosted by UIS and held October 23-26 at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel. It is also a program in the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS -- events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.

Upcoming ECCE programs include "Queer Love in the Time of War and Shopping" with Martin Manalansan on October 29; and "Indians from India" and "Bollywood Satirized," an art exhibit and discussion, on November 6. See the schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester.

The Association for Integrative Studies is an interdisciplinary professional organization founded in 1979 and charged with promoting the interchange of ideas about integration and interdisciplinarity, in all of the arts and sciences, among scholars and administrators around the world.

For more information about Dr. Senechal's presentation, contact Karen Moranski, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education at UIS and associate professor of English, at 206-7440.

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

UIS to host array of Lincoln Bicentennial events

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host a variety of programs in observance of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial, ranging from lectures to musical events to a contest for high school students across the state.

On Wednesday, October 15, UIS' annual Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series will present "Lincoln and Presidential Campaign Politics." Speakers will be Dr. Jennifer Weber from the University of Kansas, who will examine "How Lincoln Handled the Antiwar Movement," and Dr. Silvana Siddali, from St. Louis University, who will discuss "Lincoln and the Constitution in Civil War Era Presidential Campaigns." Illinois State Historian Dr. Thomas Schwartz will moderate the discussion. The program begins at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium on the UIS campus. Admission is free.

Composer/folklorist duo Jay Ungar and Molly Mason will lead a musical Early Birthday Celebration for A. Lincoln at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2009, in UIS' Sangamon Auditorium. Their performance of Ungar's composition "Ashokan Farewell," heard in Ken Burns' The Civil War, earned the couple an Emmy nomination and a Grammy award. Special guests for this program are the 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Band, directed by R. Todd Cranson, assistant director of co-curricular music at UIS. Ticket information is available from the Auditorium Ticket Office at 206-6160 or 800-207-6960.

In February, public radio WUIS 91.9 will broadcast a number of special programs focusing on Lincoln. More information about "Lincoln the Poet," "Lincoln the Lawmaker," and "Lincoln and Humor," including broadcast times and dates, will be available from the WUIS website.

On Saturday, February 21, UIS faculty and students will present a readers' theater production of Ronald Gow's one-act play The Lawyer of Springfield beginning at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. A discussion session with the audience will follow the performance.

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 28, acclaimed performer/composer Wynton Marsalis will lead the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in a concert at Sangamon Auditorium. This "extraordinarily versatile" orchestra, which Marsalis serves as musical director, is composed of leading jazz soloists who perform an extensive repertoire that ranges from their own compositions to jazz classics. Ticket information is available from the Auditorium Ticket Office at 206-6160 or 800-207-6960.

Applications are now being accepted for the Lincoln Legacy High School Forum -- a statewide contest for high school juniors and seniors co-sponsored by UIS and the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The three categories of competition are: Historical Essay, Creative Expression in the Written Word, and Performance/Visual Arts. The first prize in each category is a one-year tuition scholarship to the University of Illinois at Springfield; winners will be invited to UIS to present their work to the public on Saturday, April 4. Entries must be postmarked by January 2, 2009. Get complete information.

From April 2 to 17, a juried "Lincoln Legacy" exhibit, presenting selected artwork from the High School Forum, will be on display in the Access Gallery, located in the lobby of the Visual and Performing Arts Building on the east side of the UIS campus.

For more information about any event in UIS' series of Lincoln Bicentennial events, contact the Office of the Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, at 217/206-6512.

All three campuses in the U of I system are hosting events in the University's Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration. Get more information.

See information about programs and events sponsored by the Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

UIS political art series to present a look at the Black Panther Party

The next program in the Political Art and the Public Sphere series at the University of Illinois at Springfield will be a screening of excerpts from "What We Want, What We Believe," a documentary about the Black Panther Party, at 6 p.m. Monday, October 13, 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.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Black Panthers were considered one of the most dangerous militant groups in America. Newsreel Films was the unofficial documenter of the Panthers, and "What We Want, What We Believe" -- not a documentary so much as living history preserved on film -- has been described as "a fantastic journey back to a time when equal rights were the name of the game, and the price to pay for them was very high."

Footage includes interviews with founding members Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, and Huey P. Newton; a look at some of the group's activities, such as demonstrations, speaking appearances, and the Breakfast Program for neighborhood children; and interviews with FBI agents and film of police raids on party offices.

Each month Political Art and the Public Sphere features a showing or performance of some kind of "political art," followed by a group discussion of the issues it raises. "The basic idea is to consider how 'art' raises provocative social and political questions," said series facilitator Richard Gilman-Opalsky, UIS assistant professor of political philosophy.

This fall, the series focuses on questions of race and class in 20th century American politics with topics ranging from the Springfield race riot of 1908 to the disenfranchisement of black voters in the 2004 elections.

"Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate, and to circulate ideas and arguments," said Gilman-Opalsky. "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."

The presentation of "What We Want, What We Believe" is also co-sponsored by the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS – events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.

The next PAPS event will be a showing of the film "American Blackout" at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 10, in Brookens Auditorium. For more information about the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.

Upcoming ECCE programs include a screening and discussion of the film "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" on October 17. For more information about any ECCE event, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or send an e-mail to speakerseries@uis.edu.

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.

UIS and WSEC Ambassador Series

The UIS and WSEC Ambassador Series presents a luncheon with Swiss Amabassador, His Excellency Urs Ziswiler

11:30 a.m., Wednesday, October 8, at the Prairie Heart Institute's Dove Conference Center, downtown Springfield

Upcoming programs are:

• December 3 - His Excellency Roy Ferguson, ambassador from New Zealand
• January 22 - His Excellency Welile Nhlapo, ambassador from South Africa
• March 11 - His Excellency Oleh Shamshur, ambassador from Ukraine
• Date TBD - His Excellency Wegger Christian Strommen, ambassador from Norway
  

The ambassadors will share business, economic, and political insights. A question-and-answer period will follow each presentation.

Cost: $860 for the series for a table of 8; $108 for the series, per person

For more information, contact Stacey Willenborg at 6-6058.

UIS to host Campus Preview Day

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host a Campus Preview Day for prospective students and their families from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 18. The program will include an academic fair, campus tours, lunch, and greetings from Chancellor Richard Ringeisen and Provost Harry Berman.

For reservations or additional information, contact the UIS Office of Admissions -- phone (217) 206-4847 (toll-free 1-888-977-4847), e-mail admissions@uis.edu. For those unable to attend the regular session, individual visits can be arranged by contacting the Admissions Office.

The next Preview Day is scheduled for Saturday, November 8.

UIS to host address by expert in Constitutional and national security law

Was part of successful challenge to administration's use of military tribunals

"Lawyers, 'Lawfare,' the War on Terrorism, and the Rule of Law" is the topic of a program beginning at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 9, in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program and discussion session, as well as an informal reception immediately following, are free and open to the public.

The featured speaker will be attorney/professor Steve Vladeck (left), who was part of the legal team that successfully challenged the Bush administration's use of military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay. Vladeck will discuss what the rule of law should mean in the context of the war on terror, not just for lawyers on both sides of the issues, but for society as a whole.

Vladeck has also been a consultant and co-author for amicus briefs in a host of other cases arising out of the war on terror, and he is the author of reports on related topics for various organizations, including the ABA Standing Committee on National Security. He is currently an associate professor at Washington College of Law, American University, where his teaching focuses on Constitutional law, the federal courts, and national security law.

Vladeck's address is presented as part of the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS -- events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university's effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.

Upcoming ECCE programs for October include a screening and discussion of the documentary "What We Want, What We Believe" on October 13; the film "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" on October 17; and a presentation by author/historian Roberta Senechal on October 23.

See the complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester.

For more information about Vladeck's presentation or about any ECCE event, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or send an e-mail to speakerseries@uis.edu.

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

UIS Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series will examine "Lincoln and Presidential Campaign Politics"

The 2008 Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series presented by the University of Illinois at Springfield will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, October 15, in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS.

This year's topic is "Lincoln and Presidential Campaign Politics." The lectures and a reception and book signing that will immediately follow are free and open to the public.

Lincoln Legacy Lectures bring nationally known scholars and policy experts to Springfield to discuss issues that, while they are of contemporary interest, also engaged Abraham Lincoln and citizens of his era. Speakers focus on the topic's modern form as well as how Lincoln addressed it.

This year's featured speakers -- Dr. Jennifer Weber, assistant professor of History at the University of Kansas, and Dr. Silvana Siddali, associate professor of History at St. Louis University -- will draw parallels between the presidential campaigns of 1860 and 1864 and the campaign currently underway. The discussion will be moderated by Illinois State Historian Dr. Thomas Schwartz.

Dr. Weber (left) will speak on "How Lincoln Handled the Antiwar Movement." Lincoln faced harsh criticism from the outset of the Civil War. Antiwar Democrats objected to encroachments on civil liberties and to Lincoln's claims to expanded presidential powers. His strategy for dealing with Democratic critics was, for the most part, to ignore them -- an approach that very nearly failed. Weber will discuss how Lincoln's now-highly-regarded leadership might be considered today if the 1864 election had been held three months earlier, before the Northern armies started winning.

Dr. Weber is the author of Copperheads: The Rise and Fall of Lincoln’s Opponents in the North (Oxford University Press, 2006). Her works-in-progress include a collection of essays in honor of Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War historian James M. McPherson, with whom she studied as a doctoral student at Princeton University. She was an invited scholar at the conference marking the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in 2005, and she currently serves on the advisory panel for the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

Dr. Siddali (right) will speak on "Lincoln and the Constitution in Civil War Era Presidential Campaigns," will examine how the presidential campaigns of the time caused American voters to consider a number of crucial issues, including the perpetuity of Union and the right to extend or prohibit slavery in new territories. Both parties framed the contest as a vote on the Constitution, yet neither side foresaw the sweeping constitutional changes that would result.

Siddali is the author of From Property to Person: Slavery and the Confiscation Acts, 1861-1862 (Louisiana State University Press, 2005) and the forthcoming Missouri's War: The Civil War in Documents (Ohio University Press, 2008). She has been the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, including grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was also an invited presenter at the opening ceremonies for the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Dr. Siddali received her Ph.D. in History from Harvard University.

Program moderator Thomas F. Schwartz (left) is chief historian for exhibits and content in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and director of Research and the Lincoln Collection in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

An acknowledged authority on Lincoln and his times, Dr. Schwartz is a widely published author. He serves as senior editor of the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association and as historical advisor for the Journal of Illinois History. He is also a member of the advisory board for the state and federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial commissions.

Presented by the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, this year's Lincoln Legacy Lectures Series is also a University of Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial event. Cosponsors of this year's lectures are: UIS Speakers' Awards Committee, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Public Affairs and Administration, and Office of Undergraduate Education. The lectures are also made possible this year by a gift from Bill and Nancy Simpson of Springfield.

In previous years, lectures have focused on Lincoln and Race (2002), Ethics and Power (2004), Lincoln and Economic Opportunity (2005), Lincoln and America's Faith (2006), and Lincoln and the Law (2007).

Seating in Brookens Auditorium is limited; however overflow seating will be available in conference room C/D, where the audience can watch a large-screen live video feed. Conference room C/D is located on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS. Those unable to attend in person can watch a live webcast by going to www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html at the time of the event.

For more information, contact the Center for State Policy and Leadership at 217/206-6576.

Buffet supper will precede Capitol Steps performance at UIS

The UIS Alumni SAGE Society will sponsor a pre-election dinner party on Friday, October 31, prior to the performance of The Capitol Steps comedy group later that evening in Sangamon Auditorium at the University of Illinois at Springfield. A cash bar reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. and a buffet dinner at 6 p.m. will be held in the Public Affairs Center Restaurant at UIS. The Capitol Steps' performance begins at 8 p.m. in the Auditorium.

The restaurant will be decorated for the event with election memorabilia, and participants are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue clothing and sport old campaign buttons.

The menu will include such dishes as Senate Bean Soup; Victory Garden Salad; Pork Barrel Loin; Chicken in Every Pot Pie; Depression Lasagna (meatless); WPA (White Potato Au Gratin) Spuds; Greenback Beans; Farm Subsidy Corn Soufflé; All-American Apple Pie Ala Mode; Red, White, and Blueberry Cheesecake; and the Midwest Bread Basket.

The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. The group has recorded 28 albums, including their latest, Campaign and Suffering. They’ve appeared on all the major television networks and their Politics Takes a Holiday specials can be heard four times a year on National Public Radio.

Cost of the dinner is $28 per person; ticket prices for the Capitol Steps vary. To make reservations for both the dinner and Capitol Steps performance, please call the Sangamon Auditorium ticket office at 217/206-6160. Space for the dinner is limited and dinner reservations should be made no later than October 24.

UIS to present address on "Japan and a Changing Asia"

"Japan and a Changing Asia" is the subject of a presentation beginning at 7:30 p.m., Monday, October 6, in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program is free and open to the public.

The featured speaker will R. Michael Schiffer (left), program officer in Policy Analysis and Dialogue at the Stanley Foundation, where he is responsible for the Foundation's Asia programs as well as a range of other national and global security issues. Schiffer previously served as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow at the National Institute of Defense Studies in Japan and, from 1995 to 2004, he was senior national security adviser and legislative director on the staff of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Schiffer is widely published on a range of international security, political, and media issues.

The Stanley Foundation -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private operating foundation -- works to promote public understanding, constructive dialogue, and cooperative action on critical international issues. The Foundation's efforts recognize the essential roles of both the policy community and the broader public in building sustainable peace.

This event is sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois and the Sister Cities Association of Springfield and is also presented as part of the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS -- events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.

Upcoming ECCE programs for October include "Lawyers, 'Lawfare,' the War on Terrorism, and the Rule of Law," with law professor Steve Vladeck, on October 9; a screening and discussion of the documentary "What We Want, What We Believe" on October 13; the film "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" on October 17; and a presentation by author Roberta Senechal on October 23.

See the complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester.

For more information about Schiffer's presentation, contact Steve Schwa