The University of Illinois Springfield honored Karen Hasara of Springfield with the University of Illinois Foundation’s William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership during a Celebration of Philanthropy event on April 13, 2022, in the Student Union Ballroom.

It’s not unusual to see a dog kennel in a house. But students taking classes in the Child Advocacy Studies program at UIS are learning how to look past what’s normal for signs of something amiss.

Something that might save a life.

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will hold three Lunch & Learn Series events this spring. The series is presented by the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society.

WHEN: Noon-1 p.m. on March 10, April 6 and May 3

WHERE: The March 10 program will be a virtual-only format via Zoom Webinar. The April 6 and May 3 programs will be hybrid with in-person and virtual participation options.

The goal of the Center for Lincoln Studies at UIS is to share the life and legacy of the nation’s 16th president.

And while those who run the Center wish they could have brought people onto campus during the first year it was open, they have no doubt they have succeeded in in sharing his life and legacy.

The Center for Lincoln Studies is one of the five priorities of the Reaching Stellar campaign, a $40 million campaign that is raising support for UIS. The Center opened on Feb. 12, 2021 – Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

For more than 40 years, thousands of people have come to UIS to look up at the stars.

Friday Night Star Parties have been held since 1980 and are a chance to learn about galaxies, the sun, stars and stellar evolution. Celestial objects that have been viewed over the years through the telescopes atop Brookens Library include the moon, planets, constellations and the Orion Nebula, among many others.

Jeff Lorber, Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of Illinois Springfield and Vice-President of the U of I Foundation, shares information on the university's Reaching Stellar campaign and how donors impact all aspects of university life in the latest edition of UIS Perspectives in The State Journal-Register.

The article was published on Dec. 5, 2021.

Edgar Gasca came to UIS because he knew he would be known by his name, not a number.

The small campus community was ideal for the first-generation college student. He is studying counseling psychology with hopes of becoming a mental health counselor or a therapist.

He knows reaching his goal will be easier thanks to the scholarships he has received. The generosity of others has allowed him to focus on his studies and involvement at the Diversity Center.

In a fiscal year marked by a return to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Illinois’ fundraising totals hummed right along.

The University of Illinois System and the UI Foundation pulled in their fourth-largest fundraising total on record in the fiscal year that ended June 30, with $446.1 million in new gifts, grants, pledges and deferred commitments.

The UI system’s three campus fundraising initiatives have exceeded the initial $3.1 billion combined goal, raising $3.26 billion since the campaigns began in 2017.

The Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield has been busy since officially opening its doors just a few months ago.

The Center is one of the five priorities of Reaching Stellar. The fundraising campaign, which hit its $40 million overall goal in August, continues until June 2022 as it raises funds to enhance the excellent opportunities the University offers its students, faculty, staff and larger Springfield-area community.