The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois, United States. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois system on July 1, 1995. As a public liberal arts college, and the newest campus in the University of Illinois system, UIS is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. UIS is also part of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Council on Education. The campus' main repository, Brookens Library, holds a collection of nearly 800,000 books and serials- in addition to accessible resources at the University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campuses.
The University of Illinois at Springfield serves roughly 5,700 students in 27 undergraduate degree programs, 20 master's degree programs, and a doctorate in Public Administration. The university was once one of the two upper-division and graduate universities in Illinois, but now accepts freshmen, transfer and graduate students.
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History
Sangamon State University
In 1967, the Illinois General Assembly created a Board of Regents to operate Illinois State University and Northern Illinois University, as well as a third unnamed institution in Springfield. In 1969, Governor Richard Ogilvie signed into law a bill officially creating Sangamon State University. It originally operated as an "upper-division" university--that is, a university that offers only the last two years of undergraduate education, as well as graduate work. The first classes were held on September 28, 1970 at First Methodist Church in downtown Springfield. In October, SSU began offering classes in the current campus location near Lake Springfield.
Sangamon State aimed to be a "truly pioneering segment of public education" through a spirit of openness, innovation and adaptability.
The school grew steadily over the years. Its first permanent building, Brookens Library, was dedicated in 1976, and its Public Affairs Center and first dormitories opened in 1980.
Transition to the University of Illinois System
In 1995, Governor Jim Edgar signed a bill which abolished the Board of Regents and merged SSU with the University of Illinois system. On July 1, SSU officially became the University of Illinois at Springfield. Naomi Lynn, the last president of SSU, became the first chancellor of UIS.
Establishment of a four-year general education program
In 2001, it admitted freshmen for the first time in an honors program called the "Capital Scholars". On September 8, 2005, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a new general education curriculum, making UIS a full-fledged four-year university for the first time. Freshmen were slated to be admitted under the general education curriculum beginning in fall 2006.
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Campus
The University of Illinois at Springfield is located six miles southeast of Springfield, occupying 740 acres of prairie land adjacent to Lake Springfield and Lincoln Land Community College. In 1841, the land was acquired by Thomas Strawbridge Jr., a prosperous saddler and harness maker in Springfield. The Thomas Strawbridge homestead, constructed around 1845, still stands on the south edge of the University of Illinois at Springfield campus and was restored in 2012.
Today, there are three easily identifiable areas on campus: Legacy Campus, SSU Permanent Construction, and the University of Illinois era.
SSU permanent construction
The first permanent construction on campus, Brookens Library was completed in 1976 and the Public Affairs Center, was completed in Fall of 1980. These buildings were the first part of a master plan of 1970 - 1971 that called for an "urban campus" surrounded by restored prairie land, free of all vehicular traffic and easily navigable by pedestrians. All permanent campus buildings would be located within a "ring road", now known as University Drive. The Public Affairs Center also houses Sangamon Auditorium, a 2,018 seat concert hall and performing arts center built in 1981. It occupies the entire second level of the Public Affairs Center.
Academics
Rankings
UIS is classified in the US News and World Report rankings as a "Regional University", which is a school that provides "a full range of undergraduate programs . . . some master's level programs . . . [but] few, if any, doctoral programs." In the 2014 US News "Best Colleges" rankings, UIS ranked #8 in Top Public Schools (Midwest region) and #36 in Regional Universities (Midwest). ("National Universities" within Illinois, such as UIUC, NIU, ISU, and SIUC, are not ranked against UIS and other Regional Universities.)
Online degrees
The University of Illinois at Springfield has been offering online courses and degrees since 1999. The Sloan Consortium has recognized UIS with the 2007 award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Teaching and Learning and the 2008 Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education. The Society for New Communications Research, in 2008, also recognized UIS with their Award for Excellence in Online Reputation Management. Each year since 2001, the Sloan Consortium has offered one award for "Most Outstanding Achievement by an Individual in Online Learning" - the 2002 award was given to Professor Emeritus Ray Schroeder, the 2003 award was given to Visiting Research Professor Burks Oakley, and the 2006 award was given to the UIS James J. Stukel Distinguished Professor, Karen Swan. UIS also ranked 11th among online universities in the U.S. on Guide to Online Schools' 2013 Online College Rankings.
Recognition
The UIS Computer Science Department has been recognized by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyberdefense Education. The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in the national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in Information Assurance (IA) and producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines. Students attending the designated schools are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program.
Student life
Student newspaper
The UIS Journal is the weekly student newspaper of the University. Its circulation is 2,000 per week.
Athletics
UIS athletic teams are known as the Prairie Stars, and compete in the NCAA Division II's Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). UIS joined the GLVC in October 2008 and became a full-fledged Division II member on Aug. 1, 2010. The Prairie Stars were formerly members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the American Midwest Conference (AMC). Women's sports include basketball, cross country, cheerleading, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, golf, soccer, track & field and tennis.
Notable alumni
- Kathy Best - Newspaper Reporter and Editor, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Cheri Bustos - U.S. Representative, Illinois's 17th district (M.A. Public Affairs Reporting)
- Ward Churchill - former University of Colorado professor, social critic, activist (1974 B.A. Communications, 1975 M.A. Communications)
- Timothy Davlin - Former mayor of Springfield, Illinois (attended, did not complete degree)
- Vince Demuzio - Illinois State Senator, 1975-2004 (1981 B.A. in Education and Human Services; 1996 M.A. in Education and Public Policy)
- Karen A. Hasara - Former mayor of Springfield, Illinois, Illinois state senator, (1972 B.A. Psychology, 1992 M.A. Legal Studies)
- Gordon S. Heddell - United States Department of Defense inspector general (1975 M.A. Legal Studies)
- Jim Langfelder - current mayor of Springfield, Illinois
- Al Lewis - Columnist, Dow Jones Newswires
- Kimberly Lightford - current member, Illinois State Senate
- Robert "Bobby" McFerrin Jr.- vocal performer and conductor (attended 1975-76, did not complete degree)
- Rich Miller - Publisher, CapitalFax blog
- Milton J. Nieuwsma - author, Emmy-winning filmwriter-producer (1978 M.A.)
- Richard Oruche - Shooting guard on the Nigerian national basketball team (2010 B.A. Business Administration)
- Richard Osborne - Former CEO of Scotsman Industries
- Dana Perino - White House Press Secretary for the George W. Bush administration (1995 M.A. Public Affairs Reporting)
- Mitch Pugh - Newspaper Reporter and Editor, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Elgie Sims - current member, Illinois State House of Representatives
- Russell Smith - Movie producer
- Thom Serafin - communications consultant
Notable faculty
- Michael Burlingame, Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield, author of ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A Life (2 vols.; Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008) and The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994). In addition, he has edited the several volumes of Lincoln primary source materials. He has received the Abraham Lincoln Association Book Prize (1996), the Lincoln Diploma of Honor from Lincoln Memorial University (1998), Honorable Mention for the Lincoln Prize, Gettsyburg College (2001), and was inducted into the Lincoln Academy of Illinois in 2009. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A LIFE won the 2010 Lincoln Prize, sponsored by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute for American History and Gettysburg College, for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, or the American Civil War soldier, or a subject relating to their era.
- Phillip S. Paludan, professor of history - Abraham Lincoln and American Civil War scholar, Lincoln Prize recipient, and the Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair of Lincoln Studies (died August 1, 2007).
- Paul Simon, Founder/first director of UIS' Public Affairs Reporting Master's Program - United States senator, 1988 presidential candidate
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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