The Illinois Innocence Project at UIS has freed or exonerated 20 people since it was founded 20 years ago.
On campus in Springfield, it’s known for the powerful display of flags each Wrongful Conviction Day in October, where one flag is displayed for every innocent person exonerated from prison.
But IIP also is known for giving both undergraduate and law school students real-world experience that shapes them into the next generation of defenders of the innocent.
Our Funding Statement
Since 1976, UIS Star Parties have welcomed 50,000 – 100,000 people to the wonders of the universe. These events are one of the very few free science education programs for kids and families in Central Illinois. We need your support to sustain the program’s excellence.
The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) announced that the Reaching Stellar Campaign hit its $40 million goal on August 13.
University officials said the campaign is far from finished, as Reaching Stellar will continue into June 2022 to support its five priority areas, which include scholarships, academic excellence, the Center for Lincoln Studies, “the public good” and facilities & technology.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 30, 2021.
There was nothing unlucky about Friday the 13th this year for the University of Illinois Springfield. That is the day that the Reaching Stellar Campaign hit its $40 million goal almost a year ahead of schedule.
The public portion of the fundraising campaign, the largest in the University’s history, launched in October 2017. As of Friday, Aug. 13, Reaching Stellar had recorded a total of $40.02 million in gifts and commitments.
The College of Business and Management has heard for years from students who said they would consider pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree – if it was offered online.
“We would say, ‘One day, one day,” CBM Associate Dean Jorge Villegas said. “That day has arrived.”
In October the CBM is set to launch its online MBA program, as well as a master’s degree in Finance. In the pipeline for 2022 are online master’s degrees in Cybersecurity Management, Health Care Informatics and Human Resource Management.
When Sangamon Auditorium first opened its doors on Feb. 21, 1981, with Hal Holbrook’s performance of “Mark Twain Tonight,” it became a valuable arts resource for the surrounding area.
Learning today empowers the future. Academic excellence springs from passionate and talented professors, inquisitive and hard-working students, and amply resources to empower both.
Reaching Stellar priority becomes reality with opening of Center for Lincoln Studies
UIS held its grand opening for the Center for Lincoln Studies on February 12, 2021 – the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The Center is one of five stated priorities of the Reaching Stellar fundraising campaign that seeks to raise $40 million for UIS by 2022.

My Work on the “Jailhouse Snitch Bill”
A Guest Post by Payton Raso, Recent UIS Graduate

In All Began at Lindop Elementary
As a child, Elise Simmons often stayed late at Lindop Elementary School in Broadview, Illinois.