2026 RISE Professional Development Retreat

This year’s RISE Professional Development Retreat, set for Feb. 6, will introduce and support the CARE Framework, a university-wide approach that focuses on creating a culture of caring and strengthening student-centered practices through Communication, Action, Respect and Empathy.

Sessions will be offered both in the morning and afternoon, with a shared keynote lunch experience for all participants.

The Office of Strategic Communications will be hosting two Open Photo Studio sessions for Fall 2025 for all staff or faculty. The photos can be used for university purposes such as department websites, campus directory, speaking engagements at conferences, etc. Any staff or faculty member who either hasn’t had their portrait taken or would like another, more recent, portrait taken are encouraged to attend. 

What type of research do you do? What fascinates you about it?

I’m an ecohydrologist, which means I study how water moves through the environment and how it interacts with plants, ecosystems and people. My recent work focuses on cities, where water systems are especially complex. I examine how water flows through urban environments, how it’s managed and engineered and how people and policies shape its use.

Congratulations to the following faculty members who will speak this year at the Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress. SRI is an annual global event focused on action-oriented, knowledge-based and inclusive approaches to sustainability

Priyanka Deo is an instructor in the School of Communications and Media and director for Student Media.

Can you give a brief timeline of how your career led you to UIS?

My journey to the University of Illinois Springfield began as an undergraduate, studying political science and sociology/anthropology. I also was a CAP Honors student, received a varsity tennis scholarship and served as captain of the women’s varsity tennis team during my senior year.

Faculty members and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for and promote the Faculty Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (FELP).

Ray Rodriguez, MPH, NBC-HWC, started as the Senior Director of Access and Equity and as the Title IX Coordinator for UIS on Monday, March 31, 2025.

Rodriguez brings nearly four decades of leadership experience in higher education, specializing in diversity, equity, reproductive health, violence prevention, ethics, inclusion and federal compliance.  

It is time to collect ideas for project proposals for the Chester Fund. This is an endowed fund provided to the University of Illinois to be used for the purchase of items or commodities that will add to the attractiveness of the University to visitors, such as rare books, works of art and museum items/pieces. Successfully funded prior projects at UIS include: the welcome mural in Enrollment Management; artwork for the new Library Commons; interior and external artwork for the Student Union; and the Lincoln statue.