University of Illinois Springfield

University of Illinois Springfield

Former name	Sangamon State University (1969–1995) University of Illinois at Springfield (1995–2021)
Motto	"Leadership Lived"
Type	Public liberal arts university
Established	1969; 55 years ago (1969)
Parent institution	University of Illinois System
Accreditation	HLC
Academic affiliations	COPLAC
Endowment	$20.4 million (2011)[1]
Chancellor	Janet L. Gooch
President	Timothy L. Killeen
Academic staff	740[2]
Students	3,944 (Fall 2021)[3]
Undergraduates	2,503 (Fall 2021)[3]
Postgraduates	1,441 (Fall 2021)[3]
Location	Springfield , Illinois , United States 39°43′44″N 89°37′04″W
Campus	Midsize city[4], 740 acres (300 ha)
Other campuses	East Peoria
Newspaper	The Observer
Colors	Deep navy and white
Nickname	Prairie Stars
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – GLVC
Mascot	Orion
Website	www.uis.edu

The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1969 as Sangamon State University with a focus on post-graduate education. It became the third member of the University of Illinois system on July 1, 1995. The university now also includes a liberal arts college and is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. UIS is also a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities 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 Chicago and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campuses.

The University of Illinois Springfield serves 4,198 students (Fall 2022) with 56 bachelor's degrees, 39 minors, 44 master's degrees, one doctoral degree, 37 graduate certificates, and coursework that leads to six ISBE endorsements.^[5]

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 the former Hotel Leland 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.^[6]

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 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.^[7]

Campus

The Colonnade

The University of Illinois Springfield is located six miles southeast of Springfield, occupying 740 acres of prairie land adjacent to Lake Springfield and Lincoln Land Community College.^[6] 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 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.

Legacy Campus

The Legacy Campus hosts an array of student services and facilities buildings. There is also the Cox Children's Center which was established in 1970.^[8] Some of the key buildings on this part of campus are the WUIS building, Student Life Building (SLB), Business Services Building (BSB), Human Resources Building (HRB), Student Affairs Building (SAB), and the Visual & Performing Arts Building (VPA).

Legacy Campus

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.^[6] 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.

Residence life

UIS offers four living options for more than 1,100 students.^[9] On the East Campus there are four courts of apartments, one being designated for family housing including Sunflower, Larkspur, CLover, and Bluebell Courts. There is also the housing office at Homer L. Butler Commons (HCOM). On West Campus there are 96 townhouses encompassed within Pennyroyal, Marigold, Trillium and Foxglove court. For first and second year students there are two residence halls, Lincoln Residence Hall (LRH) and Founders Residence Hall (FRH).^[10]

Academics

University of Illinois degrees and certificates

The University of Illinois Springfield has been offering online courses and degrees since 1999. Currently UIS offers 56 bachelor's degrees, 39 minors, 44 master's degree, one doctoral degree, 37 graduate certificates and coursework that leads to six ISBE endorsements.^[5]

Colleges

• College of Business and Management
• College of Health, Science, and Technology
• College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• College of Public Affairs & Education

Student life

Student newspaper

The UIS Observer is the student online news publication.^[11]

Greek organizations

Fraternities

• Alpha Phi Alpha
• Delta Kappa Epsilon
• Phi Beta Sigma
• Phi Kappa Tau
• Sigma Lambda Beta

Sororities

• Alpha Kappa Alpha
• Delta Sigma Theta
• Gamma Phi Omega
• Sigma Sigma Sigma
• Zeta Phi Beta

Transportation

The main campus of UIS is accessible via Sangamon Mass Transit District. Routes 11, 15, and 905 provide bus service from campus to the Lincoln Land Community College and to downtown Springfield.^[12]

Athletics

Main article: Illinois–Springfield Prairie Stars

Official athletics logo

The Illinois–Springfield (UIS) athletic teams are called the Prairie Stars. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) since the 2009–10 academic year, which they became a full-fledged Division II member on August 1, 2010. The Prairie Stars previously competed in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2003–04 to 2008–09.

UIS competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

Notable alumni and faculty

Alumni

• Cheri Bustos, former U.S. representative, Illinois's 17th district (M.A. Public Affairs Reporting)^[13]
• Mike Cernovich, right-wing social media personality and host of The Alex Jones Show on InfoWars (2001 B.A. Philosophy)^[14]
• Ward Churchill, former University of Colorado professor, social critic, activist (1974 B.A. Communications, 1975 M.A. Communications)^[15]
• Vince Demuzio, Illinois state senator, 1975–2004 (1981 B.A. in Education and Human Services; 1996 M.A. in Education and Public Policy)^[16]
• Karen A. Hasara, former mayor of Springfield, Illinois, Illinois state senator, (1972 B.A. Psychology, 1992 M.A. Legal Studies)^[17]
• Kyle Gupton, basketball player^[18]
• Gordon S. Heddell, former United States Department of Defense inspector general (1975 M.A. Legal Studies)^[15]
• Jim Langfelder, former mayor of Springfield, Illinois
• Al Lewis, columnist, Dow Jones Newswires^[19]
• Kimberly Lightford, current member, Illinois State Senate
• Bobby McFerrin, vocal performer and conductor (attended 1975, did not complete degree)^[20]
• Milton J. Nieuwsma, author, Emmy-winning filmwriter-producer (1978 M.A.)^[21]
• 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)^[22]
• Elgie Sims, current member, Illinois Senate
• Russell Smith, movie producer
• Thom Serafin, communications consultant

Faculty

• Michael Burlingame, historian
• John Knoepfle, poet and translator
• Phillip S. Paludan, historian
• Paul Simon, political scientist

References

1. "University of Illinois-Springfield | University of Illinois Springfield | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
2. "Rankings & Facts". University of Illinois Springfield. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
3. "College Navigator". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
4. "IPEDS - University of Illinois Springfield".
5. "Rankings & Facts | University of Illinois Springfield". www.uis.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
6. "History of SSU-UIS: 1970-1971 – About - University of Illinois Springfield - UIS". Uis.edu. 1971-09-01. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
7. "UIS Chronology | Archives and Illinois Regional Archives Depository". Library.uis.edu. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
8. "Cox Children's Center - Cox Children's Center - UIS". www.uis.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
9. "Residence Life | University of Illinois Springfield". Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
10. "Housing Amenities". University of Illinois Springfield. Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
11. "The Observer – Award-winning, student-run, weekly campus newspaper of the University of Illinois, Springfield". Retrieved 2022-09-29.
12. "SMTD Rider Guide" (PDF). Retrieved July 24, 2023.
13. "Cheri Bustos". The Washington Post. 25 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
14. "Oliver Darcy". CNN Money. 3 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
15. NNDB. "University of Illinois Springfield". Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
16. Illinois Secretary of State's Office. "Vince DeMuzio" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
17. "Karen A. Hasara". The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
18. "Men's Basketball / Kyle Gupton". uisprairiestars.com.
19. "Al Lewis (columnist)". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
20. Schoenburg, Bernard. "Illinois ball has glitz, glamour - and Bobby McFerrin". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
21. "Milton J. Nieuwsma". The Society of Midland Authors. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
22. University of Illinois Springfield. "UIS alum named White House press secretary by President Bush". Archived from the original on 2007-09-22. Retrieved 2007-11-30.

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website