The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team was honored by the Great Lakes Valley Conference for their many accomplishments this season.

Head coach Ryan Copeland was named the conference Coach of the Year. He led the team to a 34-5 regular season record, as well as winning the second regular season division title ever.

Aaleiyah Spaulding of Springfield said Thursday she had not been on the University of Illinois Springfield campus since the school went to remote classes in March 2020.

Spaulding was taking part in a "stage experience" at Sangamon Auditorium, marking her graduation with a degree in psychology. That experience may have kept down the number of guests because of COVID-19 , and Spaulding couldn't celebrate with all of her classmates, but it was memorable nonetheless, she said.

The University of Illinois Springfield, in partnership with SHIELD Illinois, is now offering free COVID-19 saliva testing to the public.

The free tests are being funded through an agreement between the Illinois Department of Public Health and SHIELD Illinois using federal relief money.

Community testing is available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the Student Union (west entrance).

University of Illinois Springfield runners Blake Jones and Taryn Christy became the first athletes in school history to qualify for a spot in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the school announced on Tuesday. 

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on May 19, 2021.

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The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a public webinar “COVID-19 and Returning to Work: Implications for the Workforce, Women and Work Sectors.”

In the webinar, panelists will discuss how issues like childcare and the lingering fear of COVID-19 infection are affecting the state and local workforces, why women may be more affected than men in returning to work and what re-start challenges businesses are facing.

The University of Illinois Springfield will offer 28 accelerated online and blended courses for prospective and current students. Most classes will begin Monday, March 15, and will conclude in early May.

“This is a great opportunity for new UIS students to start or finish their education,” said UIS Interim Chancellor Karen Whitney. “It’s also a chance for current students to add to their course load and potentially earn their degree in a shorter period of time.”

Due to the accelerated nature of the classes, it is recommended that students only enroll in one course.

University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball assistant coach Jenna Kotas has been named one of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Thirty Under 30 honorees, the organization announced on Wednesday.  

University of Illinois Springfield junior Lexi Dhamrait of Springfield was in New Orleans with UIS administrator Mark Dochterman on an annual spring break service trip when they got word from the university system that in-person classes were canceled for the rest of the semester.

The University of Illinois Springfield could return to a more normal atmosphere in the fall if the pandemic trends continue in the right direction.  The university system has announced it plans to offer more in-person classes starting in August, citing the rising number of people getting vaccinated as a main reason. 

Tasneem Shaik said her mother and father are coming from India for her graduation from the University of Illinois Springfield in May.

That experience will look a little different than past UIS graduations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students like Shaik, who is getting her master's degree in computer science, are being given the option of having an in-person “stage experience” days before a May 15 virtual commencement celebration.

Students were informed of the plan last week.