The University of 缅北禁地 Springfield Research Board has honored two former graduate students, both from Sangamon County, with awards for their master鈥檚 thesis projects for the 2016-2017 academic year. The awards were presented during a ceremony on February 8, 2018.
the Outstanding Master's Thesis Award to Jonathon Mark Redding.
The Outstanding Master鈥檚 Thesis Award was presented to Jonathon Mark Redding of Springfield. Redding graduated from UIS in December 2016 with a master鈥檚 degree in history. His thesis was entitled 鈥淏enjamin Chew 鈥� Loyalist or Patriot?鈥� His thesis chair was Kenneth Owen, UIS assistant professor of history.
Redding grew up in Chicago and says his parents instilled in him a love of books and education from an early age. Although interested in history, he obtained a bachelor鈥檚 degree in sociology from Greenville University and pursued a career as a computer systems administrator. Later, he obtained an MBA from Benedictine University.
After relocating to Springfield, he decided to formalize his knowledge of history by pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in American History at UIS.
鈥淭he night classes offered at UIS were a perfect match that allowed me to continue my daytime career as a computer systems administrator,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y newly acquired interest in colonial American history was a 鈥榟appy coincidence鈥� stemming from a class assignment in Dr. William Siles鈥� Archival Management course and the arrival of Dr. Kenneth Owen on the UIS History Department faculty. Dr. Owen specializes in colonial American history and 鈥榗onverted鈥� me to that era.鈥�
Courtney Cox, a Chatham native, was honored with the English and Modern Languages Department award for her master鈥檚 thesis entitled 鈥淎pplications of Creative Writing Methodology: A Paired Meta-Reflection of Researcher Subjectivity in Qualitative Composition Inquiry.鈥�
Cox graduated from UIS in May 2017 with a master鈥檚 degree in English. Her thesis chair was Stephanie Hedge, UIS assistant professor of English.
During her time pursuing her master鈥檚 degree at UIS, Cox says she discovered her passion for composition pedagogy, publishing and technical writing. While at UIS, Cox was managing editor of campus publications 鈥淯proot鈥� and 鈥淎lchemist Review,鈥� as well as an executive board member of the Graduate Public Service Internship Program Association. Cox is now pursuing a Ph.D. in English Studies with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition.
The Outstanding Master鈥檚 Thesis/Project Award is funded primarily through an endowment established by Nancy and Charles Chapin, along with gifts from other donors. In addition to providing funding for the Outstanding Master鈥檚 Thesis/Project Award, Charles and Nancy Chapin have provided support for Brookens Library, the Chancellor鈥檚 Fund for Excellence and scholarships.