Good morning! I hope everyone was able to spend time with family and friends over the Labor Day weekend as we all celebrated and paid听tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. For our important work at UIS, we are now into our fall semester, looking forward with great optimism and hope.
New Information听
Chancellor鈥檚 Employee Forum听
Save the date for an听open forum for faculty and staff via Zoom at 3 p.m. Sept. 16.听I will update attendees on the ongoing search for a permanent Chancellor, my 10-point plan and more. Questions can be submitted ahead to听askthechancellor@uis.edu. Please use 鈥淥pen Forum Question鈥� in the subject line.听
Mental Health Symposium听
The UI System is hosting the second annual Mental Health Symposium to address the pandemic-related anxiety and challenges facing students. The virtual, interactive symposium will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 15.听听
First Generation Connection Series听
Necessary Steps听is seeking faculty and staff to join its听First Generation听Connection Series this fall. A first-generation college student is one whose parent/guardian has not graduated with a baccalaureate degree from a four-year college or university. If you鈥檙e first-gen and are interested in helping,听听
Know a Student with Undergraduate Research?听
UIS is hosting the听听Virtual Midwest/West Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity (URSCA) Conference Nov. 13. Please encourage your students to submit a presentation title and 150-word abstract of their research before Oct. 11. Submissions may be emailed to听COPLAC@uis.edu.听
HyFlex听Classrooms听
UIS is now home to seven听HyFlex classrooms听equipped with the latest audio/video equipment. These classrooms听offer听more听options for course delivery. For a quick instructional tour of a听HyFlex听classroom, please contact听Kara McElwrath.听 Schedule a听HyFlex听room for your course here:听Classroom Scheduling.听
Visual Arts听Gallery Reception听
Mark your calendars for 5:30-8 p.m. Sept. 9.听The听mixed-media art exhibition, 鈥�180,000,鈥�听operates under the guise of听PlantBot听Genetics, a parody of Big Agricultural Firms, which manipulate the current food production and distribution systems. VGA hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.听
Online Directory Updates听
The online directory has been updated to automatically pull employee data from BANNER, which听automates listings to improve accuracy. In the transition, some employees鈥� phone numbers may no longer display.听听Visit听听to update your number if it鈥檚 not correct. You will also have the option to edit your office address and mail stop. If your department is listed incorrectly, please contact听the employee who handles HR/Payroll responsibilities for your unit.听
Information听that Bears Repeating听
SHIELD Testing听听
Testing is required for everyone on campus, regardless of vaccination status. Vaccinated employees must听test听once听a week, and employees who are not fully vaccinated with approved or pending exemptions must test twice a week. If you are unable to test during the times available at the UIS Testing Site, you may test at a community testing site and upload your results to your Patient Portal. UIS Testing hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.听听
Professional Development at Your Fingertips听
Just a reminder that all UIS employees have access to the valuable trainings and seminars from听.听I encourage you to听take some time to听listen to听a听recorded seminar,听attend a webinar or read an article to听make the most of this incredible subscription.听听
Celebrating our Star Power听
Congratulations to the UIS Advancement Team on听鈥淩eaching Stellar鈥�听almost a year ahead of schedule. The public portion of the fundraising campaign, the largest in the University鈥檚 history, launched in October 2017. As of Aug. 13, Reaching Stellar had recorded a total of $40.02 million in gifts and commitments.听
Congratulations to听Stacey Gilmore, who was named听.听Stacey is the director of the UIS Cox Children鈥檚 Center. Her nominator said she and staff at the Center have gone 鈥渁bove and beyond鈥� during the COVID-19 pandemic to help children and families.听
Happy September! Thank you for the countless hours you spend making UIS a great place to learn and work. I look forward to another beautiful autumn here with you.听
United in Safety,听
Karen听听
Karen M. Whitney, PhD
Interim Chancellor University of 缅北禁地 Springfield 听