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UIS announces Armstrong scholarship recipients

December 5, 2003

SPRINGFIELD - Three graduate students in the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield - Leslie A. Hague, Virginia A. Skalski, and Jennifer S. Wig - have been named recipients of the 2003 James E. Armstrong Scholarships.

Patrick Coburn, publisher of the State Journal-Register, presented the scholarships at a luncheon held December 5 at the SJ-R. The scholarships are given in memory of Armstrong, who was publisher of the Illinois State Journal and the Illinois State Register, predecessors of the State Journal-Register, from 1964 until his death in 1967. They are awarded to students in the PAR program who have demonstrated strong interest and potential in the field of government and political reporting.

Hague, the daughter of Connie Hague and Jim Hague, both of Yorkville, received a bachelor of science in news-editorial journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003. At UIUC, she was a reporter, photographer, assistant news editor, and managing editor of the student newspaper, The Daily Illini. During her tenure as managing editor, the DI won an Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award as well as a First Place in General Excellence from the Illinois College Press Association. Hague was also a recipient of the Florence H. Miner Memorial Scholarship at UIUC, and graduated as a James Scholar. During summer and semester breaks, she worked for the Kendall County Record in Yorkville as a general assignment reporter, covering city government, education, and features. In January she will begin an internship with the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Skalski, daughter of Diana and Jacob Siebels of Mt. Vernon, received a bachelor of science in journalism from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2003. While at SIU-C, she was a government reporter, managing editor, and page designer for the student newspaper, the Daily Egyptian. She has also interned as a police and general assignment reporter with the State Journal-Register. Skalski will begin an internship with the Associated Press in January.

Wig, daughter of Debra and Eric Wig of Washburn, also received a B.S. in journalism from SIU-C in 2003. She was a reporter, editorial page editor, managing editor, and editor-in-chief for the Daily Egyptian and served summer internships as a general assignment reporter for the Peoria Journal Star and for the Arlington Heights Daily Herald. She will begin an internship with Lee Enterprises in January.

UIS' Public Affairs Reporting program, directed by Charles Wheeler, is a one-year master's degree program focusing on coverage of state government news. In addition to academic work, students serve six-month internships with newspaper, magazine, radio, television, wire service, or audio news service bureaus in the Statehouse pressroom in Springfield.