blog posts Illinois again earns a spot on the Peace Corps’ annual Top Schools list Feb 18, 2016 3:30 pm The University of Illinois is the No. 7 all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers, with 2,026 graduates having served since the agency was created in 1961. Hack Illinois explores new frontiers this weekend Feb 19, 2016 5:15 am From its inception, HackIllinois, held this year Feb. 19-21, has ventured out into the unknown on a mission to build an exceptional and creative hacking culture. This starts with fostering an environment of innovation and impact. Unity and Action: The Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center Feb 19, 2016 11:00 am By the fall of 1969, the Afro-American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois had opened in a temporary headquarters under the direction of Val Gray Ward, an activist and artist. DGS presents the first Major Exploration Week Feb 22, 2016 11:30 am Open to all undergrads, this week will provide opportunities for you to learn more in-depth information about majors. Energy conservation efforts projected to save $41M at five Engineering facilities Feb 22, 2016 11:30 am A set of energy conservation projects will guarantee more than $41M in cost avoidance over the next 20 years and reduce the campus deferred maintenance backlog by an estimated $25M. Insects explode onscreen – and in real life Feb 22, 2016 11:45 am The 2016 Insect Fear Film Festival will feature films of cockroaches that start fires through spontaneous combustion and lava-spewing tarantulas. Ebertfest announces initial slate of films and special guests for 2016 Feb 22, 2016 2:15 pm The 18th Annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival hosted by Chaz Ebert, also known as ‘Ebertfest,’ is pleased to announce the initial slate of films in this year’s festival with special guests. Former Miss America Erika Harold to headline 2016 National TRIO Day celebration Feb 22, 2016 4:15 pm TRIO programs focus on improving college access, retention, graduation, and enrollment in graduate school for first generation, low-income, disabled, adult, and veteran students. Five Illinois faculty members named Sloan Research Fellows Feb 23, 2016 1:15 pm This year, 126 Sloan Research Fellowships were awarded to early-career scientists and scholars from 52 colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada. Five were awarded to Illinois scholars. Prof. Chris Benson: Antonin Scalia's role in the Emmett Till case Feb 25, 2016 2:00 pm Chicago Tribune (Feb. 19) - How a legal rationale crafted by the ultra-conservative Scalia ultimately was used by a Kansas City activist to urge a federal investigation of the 1955 Mississippi murder of Emmett Till. University rolls out Title IX training for all during March Feb 29, 2016 9:15 am University policy requires all incoming and transfer students, as well as faculty and staff, to be regularly educated on discrimination and harassment prevention, sexual violence, and reporting options and obligations. Tonight: Justice Sonia Sotomayor at KCPA Mar 1, 2016 3:00 pm The University of Illinois will host “A Conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” a public event, on Monday, March 7. Students taking ride through civil rights history for spring break Mar 2, 2016 11:00 am Their route will take them to nine cities over nine days: Greensboro, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Atlanta; Tuskegee, Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham, Alabama; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Memphis, Tennessee. Krannert Art Museum to unveil rare panoramic painting Mar 2, 2016 11:45 am The painting – which dates to the 1870s and comprises three rolls of muslin, which are 525 feet long in total and seven feet high – is one of fewer than two dozen surviving examples in the world of moving panoramas. Interested in Einstein, warp drives? Help kick off NCSA's 30th anniversary Mar 2, 2016 11:45 am Join us in celebrating NCSA’s 30th anniversary at Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory, Urbana, on March 3. From the archives: Stateside soldiers abroad and at Illinois Mar 2, 2016 12:00 pm The University of Illinois was such an important recruitment spot for women that in 1944 they sought recruits for confidential work. It was not stated what this opportunity was however, they need to have, “a high I.Q. and a record of loyalty to the United States.” Watch: Four Illinois a cappella groups sing Lady Gaga's 'Til It Happens to You' Mar 3, 2016 1:00 pm This video is being submitted for the It's On Us campaign's 'Til It Happens to You: Sing For Survivors' contest. University of Illinois is a top producer of U.S. Fulbright students Mar 8, 2016 12:15 pm Fifteen students from the U. of I.’s Urbana campus won Fulbright awards for 2015-16, helping Illinois earn its top-five rank for public universities. Signing Day for Business students was a success Mar 11, 2016 8:30 pm Choosing a major is a MAJOR deal, and the College of Business celebrated that decision by hosting its first ever College of Business Signing Day! More than 300 course sections Mar 15, 2016 7:45 pm Need to stay on track or get ahead for graduation? Are you travelling, returning home, or working at an internship this summer? Want to take challenging, high-demand courses in an online format from anywhere in the world? Journalism professor covers Election 2016 for Getty Images Mar 16, 2016 11:00 am Assistant Professor of Journalism Charles “Stretch” Ledford covered Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders’ rally at the university’s Athletics and Recreation Center on Saturday, March 12, for Getty Images. CIC annual report shows communal benefits Mar 19, 2016 1:15 pm “Together, our universities continue to refine what is arguably the most effective means for collaboration in American higher education,” said CIC Executive Director Barbara McFadden Allen. Behind the Names: Residence Halls Named After Women Mar 21, 2016 10:45 am A total of ten residence halls are named after women who have had a profound impact on the University of Illinois. Illinois’ Large-Scale Watershed Initiative recognized at White House Mar 22, 2016 11:30 am The Resilient Watersheds Initiative seeks to provide a science-based and data-driven approach to promoting resilient, sustainable Illinois watersheds. Pitchapalooza comes to Illinois Mar 22, 2016 2:30 pm Aspiring novelists had the chance to pitch their book ideas in front of an esteemed panel of writers during Illinois’ inaugural Pitchapalooza event May 1 deadline: Accept your offer of admission to Illinois Mar 23, 2016 10:00 am Accept your offer and attend the university named #1 return on investment in the Midwest (Best Value Schools) Full schedule and additional guests announced for 2016 ‘Ebertfest’ Mar 23, 2016 12:30 pm The remaining films have been announced, along with the schedule and additional guests, for this year’s Roger Ebert’s Film Festival hosted by Chaz Ebert, also known as “Ebertfest,” coming April 13-17. Counting on sheep to deliver hands-on education Mar 24, 2016 12:15 pm “When it comes to teaching animal reproduction... the ewes present a more practical model than do other species in terms of safety, economics, and hands-on opportunities,” says Dr. Chelsey Ramirez. A capella groups' Gaga video is a finalist and needs your vote Mar 28, 2016 11:00 am Girls Next Door, The Xtension Chords, Illinois Rip Chords, and The ILL Harmonic got together to create this video for an "It's On Us"-related contest. See the 25 semi-finalists in the Image of Research contest Mar 30, 2016 9:15 am Winners will be announced at a reception on April 6 in Illini Union Room 104 Inaugural lecture planned in the Design Dialogues Speakers Series Mar 31, 2016 9:15 am Anne Balsamo will deliver her lecture, “Designing Culture, Creating Multidisciplinary Collaboration,” on Friday, April 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the NCSA auditorium Check out the Illinois campus master plan website Apr 1, 2016 11:45 am The master plan provides a long-term guide for campus growth in a way that builds on existing patterns of land use, circulation, infrastructure, and open space, while making wise use of limited land resources. Check out the many planned events Apr 5, 2016 1:00 pm International Week seeks to raise awareness about the breadth of international education, activities, and resources available to the Illinois campus and local community. A visit by U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera Apr 6, 2016 9:30 am Juan Felipe Herrera, the U.S. poet laureate and the first Latino to receive the country’s highest honor in poetry, will speak at the University of Illinois on April 28. SHAPE America honors Professor Kim Graber with Distinguished Service award Apr 6, 2016 1:45 pm Professor Kim Graber will be honored with the Research Council Distinguished Service Award by SHAPE America, the Society of Health and Physical Educators. Illinois honored with 'Tree Campus' designation Apr 6, 2016 10:15 pm The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was honored today (April 7) with 2015 Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. 36 Illinois students awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Apr 7, 2016 3:15 pm Thirty-six University of Illinois students have won National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships - 31 graduate students, and five undergraduates. Three Illini win prestigious Goldwater Scholarships Apr 8, 2016 10:15 am "These flourishing scientists have seized the research opportunities presented to undergraduates at Illinois.” UIPD loses a friend: K9 Quinty passes after one last bust Apr 11, 2016 1:30 pm Quinty spent eight years working as a drug-sniffing dog, and many of those as part of the Targeted Response Unit, which is tasked with taking narcotics, weapons and violent offenders off the street. It's National Libraries Week, and we have one of the world's best! Apr 11, 2016 2:45 pm From April 10-16, libraries across the country are celebrating what makes them great places to study, learn and grow. Six Illinois professors named 2016 Guggenheim Fellows Apr 11, 2016 3:00 pm In the past three years, 13 U of I faculty members have been honored with Guggenheim Fellowships The search for a new Urbana campus chancellor Apr 12, 2016 7:00 am Job description and more details on the search for a permanent chancellor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Undergraduate Research Week, April 17 - 23 Apr 12, 2016 11:15 am Undergraduate Research Week showcases the best of undergraduate research and creative inquiry at the University of Illinois. Campus names 2016 Commencement Speaker Apr 13, 2016 12:00 am Illinois alumnus Jeff Huber, whose company is developing a revolutionary blood test to detect early stage cancer, will be the U. of I.'s commencement speaker on Saturday, May 14. The college career of Roger Ebert Apr 13, 2016 11:45 am Ebert's time as the editor of the Daily Illini gave him a chance to exercise his writing to the fullest. It also revealed the abrasiveness that got him noticed and earned him the respect he deserved. New MOOC-based Master of Computer Science Apr 13, 2016 8:00 pm This fully online professional master’s degree equips learners with knowledge from Illinois faculty who have produced seminal research in data science. MCS-DS graduates will be qualified to enter one of the most in-demand career tracks in the industry. Meet the six winners of this year's Academic Professional awards Apr 14, 2016 11:00 am The program honors the accomplishments and contributions of academic professionals. Recipients are selected for work, personal and professional contributions. Krannert Art Museum galleries to close during summer renovations Apr 18, 2016 10:00 am Krannert Art Museum will act on its multiyear commitment to transform galleries and other public spaces by renovating four main-floor galleries this summer. Illinois students’ success after graduation Apr 19, 2016 6:00 am The Illini Success initiative invited 7,701 bachelor’s degree recipients in 2014-15 from nine Urbana campus academic schools or colleges to participate. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Garry Wills to give Thulin Lecture in Religion Apr 19, 2016 12:15 pm Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and historian Garry Wills will discuss the theology of nature when he delivers the Thulin Lecture in Religion on April 21.