U.S. News & World Report gives UIS top rankings

U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 Edition of America’s Best Colleges ranks the University of Illinois at Springfield as the best public university - Master’s category - in the state of Illinois and the fourth best public university in that category in the entire Midwest. The Master’s category includes colleges and universities that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s programs but only a few, if any, doctoral programs.

The prestigious rankings placed UIS at 26 on a list of 71 top public and private colleges and universities in the 12-state Midwest region that includes, in addition to Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota. UIS was ranked 4th best among the 15 public universities on the list.

“This really represents a singular moment for this institution and one toward which we’ve been building for a long time,” said UIS Chancellor Richard Ringeisen. “We had no idea that UIS would be ranked so high and certainly didn’t expect to be ranked the best public university in our category in the entire state of Illinois and the 4th best in the Midwest. To say we’re thrilled is an understatement.”

Ringeisen said that it came as a surprise to be ranked so high particularly because it was the first time that the university was eligible for such rankings. “We were not eligible to be ranked by U.S. News until two years after we graduated our first class of freshmen,” he said. “That fact alone – being given such high marks the first time we were eligible to receive them – is particularly gratifying.”

UIS enrolled its first class of freshmen to the Capital Scholars Honors Program in fall 2001.

The rankings are based on several key measures of quality including peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.

U.S. News also gave UIS a high ranking in a category called “Great Schools, Great Prices” for being among only five public universities in the Master’s category in the Midwest with students who graduate with the least debt. UIS was the 3rd best on the list with a total of 71% of its students graduating with an average debt of $12,309.

Ringeisen credited Provost Harry Berman, the deans and faculty in UIS’ four colleges, and the enrollment management staff for their tireless efforts in building the quality and reputation of the university. “These incredible rankings are a direct result of the dedication and hard work of our faculty and our academic and student affairs staffs.”

UIS offers 22 bachelor’s degrees, 20 master’s degrees and one doctoral degree in Public Administration.

UIS, Heartland Community College sign articulation agreement

An Articulation (2+2) Agreement between the College of Business and Management at the University of Illinois at Springfield and Heartland Community College was signed on July 15 by HCC Dean of Instruction Steve Herald (pictured on the left) and UIS CBM Dean Ron McNeil (pictured on the right) .

A 2+2 agreement is a partnership that facilitates the transfer of students from a community college to a senior university.

A four-year course plan has been mapped out for Heartland students that will ensure that they take the necessary foundation courses to prepare them for any of the four undergraduate degree programs -- Accountancy, Business Administration, Economics, and Management -- offered by the CBM.

"Heartland Community College is very excited about the opportunities these cooperative agreements will provide for our students," said Sarah Diel-Hunt, Associate Dean for Social and Business Sciences at Heartland. "The faculty, programs, and facilities in the College of Business and Management at UIS are top notch. In addition, the small class size and student-centered approach at UIS make it a very appealing transfer option for our students."

In addition to the 2+2 agreement, Heartland and UIS have also entered into an Online Partnership Agreement to facilitate the delivery of online baccalaureate completion programs in business and economics to students and alumni of HCC.

Dyanne Ferk, Associate Dean of the College of Business and Management at UIS, said that Heartland has expressed particular interest in UIS' online BBA and Economics programs as options for place-bound adult learners. UIS also offers courses leading to the bachelor's degree in accountancy and management at its Peoria Center.

A 2+2 agreement creates synergy between the faculty of both colleges because they have ongoing communications concerning transferring students and maintenance of the degree plans. Students also benefit from having academic advising from the senior university while still at the community college.

The College of Business and Management at UIS is accredited by AACSB International and offers programs that prepare students for challenging careers and positions in private and public sector organizations. Graduate degrees are also offered in Accountancy, Business Administration, and Management Information Systems.

Founded in 1991, Heartland Community College is a two-year, fully accredited institution of higher education with campuses located in Normal, Pontiac, and Lincoln. Heartland's main campus, in Normal, opened for classes in 2000.

UIS announces spring semester deans' list

A total of 444 students were named to the University of Illinois at Springfield Deans' List for the 2008 spring semester. Of the students listed, 56 are majoring in programs within the College of Business and Management, 61 are in the College of Education and Human Services, 282 are in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 38 are in the College of Public Affairs and Administration, and 7 have not declared a major or are non-degree students.

To qualify for the designation, a student must be an undergraduate who took at least eight graded semester hours and maintained a grade-point average of at least 3.75 for the semester.

Download a pdf file of students' names, arranged alphabetically by hometown

Spring08DeansList.pdf

UIS to host presentation on UN discussion of violence against women

Dr. Cindy Smith, chief of the International Center of the National Institute of Justice, Washington, DC, will speak on "The Ultimate Diversity: 191 Member Countries of the United Nations Try to Agree on Issues of Violence against Women" at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26, in Brookens Auditorium at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Brookens Auditorium is located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus.

The program is free and open to the public.

At the 17th session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in April in Vienna, member states were unable to agree on issues surrounding violence against women around the world.

This presentation will examine the political and cultural context in which these debates took place, as well as the implications of UN resolutions for the United States.

From 1996 to 1998, Smith was a faculty member in the Criminal Justice program at UIS, where her teaching focused on research methods and statistics, policy, and the fundamentals of criminal justice. She is presently on leave from the University of Baltimore, where she was the director of the Criminal Justice Graduate Program for several years. A Senior Fulbright Research Scholar, she recently returned from Ankara, Turkey, where she spent nearly a year conducting research on human trafficking. Dr. Smith serves as chair of the Division of International Criminology of the American Society of Criminology and is a board member of the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council to the United Nations. Over the past decade she has received state and federal grants for research in such areas as prison-based therapeutic communities, chronic juvenile offenders, and juvenile gender issues. She has also published widely on the topics of suicide terrorism, elderly victims of financial abuse, restorative justice in the United Nations, and transnational crime and technology methods.

Dr. Smith’s presentation is part of the ECCE (Engaged Citizenship Common Experience) Speakers Series at UIS, campus-sponsored lectures by speakers who exemplify engaged citizenship. The series is a one-hour course that is part of the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience, the distinctive set of courses taken by undergraduates at UIS to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world. This summer’s series concludes with "The Power of Photography in Social Movements," a presentation by Dr. Larry Livingston, UIS assistant professor of Social Work, on July 16.

For more information about the ECCE speaker series, contact Kimberly Craig at 206-6425 or by e-mail at speakerseries@uis.edu.

See a webcast of the presentation

More about the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

More about the Commission's 17th session

More about the National Institute of Justice

The NIJ International Center

The NIJ Violence against Women and Family Violence Program

More about Dr. Cindy Smith

More about Criminal Justice at UIS