07.21.25

Dear members of the UIS Campus Community:

I am pleased to announce that on July 17, 2025, after campus-level review, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved the following UIS faculty for tenure and/or promotion:

Faculty Promotion:

• Kristi Barnwell, Associate Professor, History – promotion to Professor
• J. Travis Bland, Associate Professor, Public Management and Policy – promotion to Professor
• Richard Funderburg, Associate Professor, Public Management and Policy – promotion to Professor
• Liang Kong, Associate Professor, Mathematical Sciences and Philosophy – promotion to Professor

Faculty Tenure and Promotion:

• Samer AbuBakr, Assistant Professor, School of Integrated Sciences, Sustainability and Public Health – tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Matthew Geras, Assistant Professor, Politics and International Affairs, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Amanda Hughett, Assistant Professor, Legal Studies, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Andrea Jensen, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Serkan Karadas, Accounting, Economics and Finance, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Sevilay Onal, Assistant Professor, Management, Marketing and Operations, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Jason Piscia, Assistant Professor, Communication and Media, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Junu Shrestha, Assistant Professor, Integrated Sciences, Sustainability and Public Health, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Jae Yom, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor
• Yun Zhao, Assistant Professor, Integrated Sciences, Sustainability and Public Health, tenure granted and promotion to Associate Professor

Thank you,

Janet

Janet L. Gooch, PhD

Chancellor

University of Illinois Springfield