tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90214353224588997542009-07-02T15:50:11.968-05:00A new kind of conversation addressing issues that UIS students and staff care about.UIS Web Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738526312024102919noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-33443297322884471742009-06-21T07:54:00.004-05:002009-06-21T08:12:34.993-05:00

I asked for Michael Burlingame's two-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln as a Father's Day gift, and I got it. I am so thrilled. It is called Abraham Lincoln: A Life. This new academic look at Lincoln is said to supplant the volumes written by Carl Sandburg in the early and middle parts of the 20th century. I am especially interested in reading about Lincoln's years in Springfield, Ill., which is

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-76519713196601573412009-06-18T06:04:00.004-05:002009-06-18T06:19:13.278-05:00

We'll see three major transitions on July 1:Cheryl Peck is retiring. She maintained high standards of integrity in her role as director of public relations. We're having a sendoff reception next Tuesday, June 23. Best wishes to a colleague who deserves a happy retirement. An announcement of her successor is imminent.Dr. Tim Barnett is arriving. There is much optimism around campus because of what

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-16858646315848983992009-05-15T21:55:00.002-05:002009-05-15T21:58:39.761-05:00

Commencement has become one of my favorite days for UIS. The happy faces, the interaction among friends, the exchanges between faculty and students -- it's just a great feeling. I was walking down the steps of a rather empty PAC Building early this evening, and I wondered what the graduates were doing, how they were preparing, where they would be next week. I left the building and thought, this

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-91890972147981916672009-04-27T06:39:00.003-05:002009-04-27T06:44:32.904-05:00

A great idea. A great event. Lots of energy in the room. Kids, older people, diversity. A mix of UIS students and people from the community. What more could we want? The Good as Gold event celebrated the great volunteer efforts of our students and people in the community. My favorite name goes to the Lunch Bunch, short for the Graham Elementary School Lunch Bunch Mentoring Group, a group of

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-28319880031305392262009-04-15T09:55:00.003-05:002009-04-15T10:01:32.925-05:00

Each of them represents a part of Springfield. Shimkus is from Collinsville, Schock from Peoria. Both were on campus yesterday for Shimkus's Small Business Advisory Committee meeting. Shimkus has been here many times. He commented that it's good for the party to have young people like Schock coming up. He strongly recommended that Republicans run candidates at all levels of government, because

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-82081313353359664332009-04-11T09:08:00.004-05:002009-04-11T10:57:16.005-05:00

The news media have been reporting on a controversy launched by a proposed Campus Senate resolution asking for the termination of the UIS athletic director. Discussion on campus has been robust. The chancellor strongly opposes the resolution. The Academic Professional Advisory Committee unanimously opposes it. Almost two dozen people showed up at Thursday's open APAC meeting. Many spoke up

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-70084213960305622312009-03-13T11:07:00.003-05:002009-03-13T15:53:43.523-05:00

There has been quite a discussion started today about the UIS food. I want to offer people an alternative format -- this blog, which is the perfect place for such a discussion. Click on the "Post a Comment" link at the bottom of the "comments" section below this post to add your two cents.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-51534220755823732272009-03-09T07:12:00.006-05:002009-03-09T08:12:28.005-05:00

Last week at the Civil Service Advisory Committee meeting, I suggested that I'd like to be available regularly for small open forums for UIS staff to talk about what's on their minds. The forums would be called something simple like "Talk to Ed." It would be very informal, and NOT on the PAC 5th floor. I'd go to different places on campus. (I'm also thinking some people would not want to say

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-63573262099486118932009-03-01T11:16:00.004-06:002009-03-01T11:28:24.147-06:00

To say I enjoyed the atmosphere in The Recreation and Athletic Center yesterday afternoon is an understatement. First our women's basketball team won a thrilling victory over McKendree. Later, the men's team hung close but lost to the conference-unbeaten McKendree, which is fourth-ranked nationally in the NAIA. I'll always remember this day because TRAC attendance topped 2,000 for the first time

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-47614106950030130012009-02-22T22:01:00.002-06:002009-02-22T22:05:54.777-06:00

We're really pleased to be hosting the Illinois Reform Commission tomorrow at UIS. The topic is campaign finance reform -- a perfect topic for our campus. Dr. Kent Redfield is the state's leading academic expert on this topic. He's been telling great stories about the abuse and misuse of campaign funds for almost two decades.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-17781315817421804922009-02-21T07:12:00.003-06:002009-02-21T07:25:05.209-06:00

I just learned about a new company called BlueFuego.com. What I really like about this company's creators is they don't give me all their theory. They mainly talk about what works. One of the founders, Brad Ward, is a UIS alum. He started his career at UIS and did a lot of web stuff and photography and blogging when he was a student and staffer here. He's already traveling around the world

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-23071944089070973472009-02-16T20:54:00.002-06:002009-02-16T21:00:08.439-06:00

Staff have been asking: If you can't give us much more money, could you please consider doing other things that might improve morale and make people feel better about their jobs? The answer is yes. We now have a Non-Monetary Compensation Committee, and they're kicking around some ideas. Anybody can contribute ideas to this by sending an email note to UISNMCC@uis.edu. Our Human Resources

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-75882057251611261842009-02-11T06:30:00.004-06:002009-03-02T22:04:00.071-06:00

Tomorrow is Lincoln's 200th birthday. What strikes me this morning is that it's almost impossible to talk about Lincoln without reverting to cliches. Which is why I like to walk past his house, less than two miles from mine, and look at the simple two-story building and imagine him walking down that street. Anybody can walk there. It's federal property. But no gates, no big fences to keep you out

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-74426467686996422932009-02-05T14:55:00.003-06:002009-02-05T15:08:52.323-06:00

I signed up for an exercise program in our rec center. It started a week or two ago, and I'm getting over there three times a week. Trainer Amanda Jillson is running the class. The great thing is, so many people signed up for this course called P90X that she agreed to offer two more sections. I feel better the rest of the day each time I go. People who exercise say that, and it's true with me as

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-61363732421589037332009-01-23T09:01:00.007-06:002009-01-23T14:00:37.806-06:00

I have probably seen tens of thousands of geese this week out of my fifth floor office window. Thousands for sure. Our campus isn't far from Lake Springfield. What direction are these flocks going? Some south, some north, some west, for sure. Maybe east, I don't know. It's an amazing feat of nature. I wonder where they're going. I do know they're going where they're supposed to go. Which is more

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-53853593000261804262009-01-18T14:00:00.005-06:002009-01-20T15:42:46.415-06:00

We're trying to do two things: (1) manage a difficult budget period and (2) keep an open conversation going about what it all means at UIS. Chancellor Richard Ringeisen issued a statement to the campus community about this last week. The chancellor and Provost Harry Berman will lead a campus forum at 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 21, in Brookens Auditorium. Ask whatever you'd like about our

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-69698402515725282612009-01-14T16:49:00.008-06:002009-01-15T10:34:09.298-06:00

The House of Representatives was on campus today. All 118 of them, as they were sworn in on the first day of the new General Assembly. What a privilege for UIS to be in the capital city and host events like this. Watch some video here. More photos are available here from the UIS web site. It's notable that Governor Blagojevich was impeached for a second time after the members were sworn in.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-85759071398681818132009-01-12T22:02:00.002-06:002009-01-13T16:49:11.585-06:00

The Illinois House of Representatives is coming to UIS on Wednesday. All the members. Just two days from now, for their swearing in. We're expecting nine buses and more than 2,000 guests. It's a privilege to be in the state capital, and the House is coming to campus so that it can accommodate many more people than the House chamber could in the Capitol. UIS hosted this event two years ago, and it

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-15398083603857610552009-01-09T13:54:00.003-06:002009-01-10T11:21:34.486-06:00

The news about our governor's impeachment today probably sounds terrible to the rest of the country. But if you live in Springfield, there is a strange feeling of great relief that it's finally happened. At UIS, we have a keen eye on state government. Professsor Kent Redfield and others have been interviewed dozens if not hundreds of times around the country in recent weeks. Illinois Issues has

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-75849226855683486852009-01-02T09:37:00.006-06:002009-01-23T14:05:05.902-06:00

Facebook is really popular with our students. It's social networking. I've been told some of our students spend up to two hours a day interacting on Facebook. Some probably do more. Most of them probably don't want administrators like me prying into their conversations; so I don't. It's public conversation yet somewhat private -- for them -- at the same time. UIS has a Facebook site. Click here

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-27166819227055232102008-12-29T16:51:00.005-06:002009-01-05T12:36:51.840-06:00

Green is popular now. At UIS, it's reality. When we opened Founders Hall, a residence hall, we installed a green roof that generated some good discussion in the local community. Jeremy Wilburn took some great pictures. We hope the roof becomes a positive example in the region -- "Hey, they've got a green roof on the new residence hall at UIS!" Also, the three acres of prairie that we're

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-56258577823169948612008-12-18T10:50:00.008-06:002008-12-18T14:35:38.935-06:00

Our students at UIS are making a big difference in the world.It's starting to look like this next generation is going to reach out farther and more passionately than boomers like me ever did. For example, UIS students set out to collect 2008 pounds of food for the needy this fall; our campus doubled that goal. Remarkable. And somebody else in the world identified one of our student's Jump for

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-22443623074395353382008-12-12T16:17:00.004-06:002008-12-12T16:29:56.556-06:00

It's been an historic week for Illinois politics and government, reaching "a truly new low," according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.Located in the state capital, UIS has a lot of expertise on this topic. Here are a few ways we've been in the news:Dr. Kent Redfield in the NY Times: "Sad commentary that we re-elected him"'Charlie Wheeler in Chicago Tribune: "Most incompetent governor"Dr.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-32757643021673983962008-12-09T14:38:00.004-06:002008-12-10T13:39:42.766-06:00

The state is abuzz today with the arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. It's only the latest thing that he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat just vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Illinois Issues columnist Charlie Wheeler said months ago he expected the governor to be indicted, because an investigation has been ongoing for years. So inside Illinois, it was no great surprise, except that it

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021435322458899754.post-66596488092118594732008-11-22T23:08:00.003-06:002008-11-22T23:12:03.667-06:00

A story in the Springfield paper on Friday described the "Lost Boys" of Sudan, and how a few of them arrived at UIS. I had no idea. It's a chilling tale. Also very inspirational. These young men, who don't even know how old they are, want to help their brothers and sisters back in Sudan, and they want people to know their story. I feel compelled to find out more about this.

Ed Wojcickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123357867537339258noreply@blogger.com1