News Bureau

There are very few things in the Illinois Street Residence Halls kitchen that Rhonda Winston doesn't have her hand in. To rephrase, Winston, a kitchen helper since 2001, is an integral part of every dish served to the students of ISRH.

Krannert Art Museum will host a free screening of the film “Woman in Gold” at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21.

The campus will host its fifth annual Summit on Online Education on Oct. 14 with Johns Hopkins University professor, author and New York Times higher education columnist Kevin Carey as the keynote speaker.

Each year, faculty members are invited to submit scholarly and creative proposals for consideration by the Center for Advanced Study’s permanent professors.

A resolution to create a chancellor's search committee was modified at the Sept. 14 Senate Executive Committee meeting to ensure state standards for underrepresented membership are met. Senators will vote on the measure at their Sept. 21 meeting.

Senators will vote Sept. 21 on a resolution asking the U. of I. Board of Trustees to postpone the implementation of an expanded background check policy it approved at its Sept. 10 meeting in Urbana.

Faculty and staff members and students are invited to discuss the future of campus information technology at the IT Power Plant Town Hall from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 22 in Illini Union Room C.

In May 2015, the campus announced that modifications would be made to its Smoke-Free Campus Policy in accordance with the State of Illinois Smoke-Free Campus Act (110 ILCS64/1-99).

Christopher Dunbar Jr., a professor of education policy, organization and leadership in the College of Education, is among the new faculty members to be featured in our annual "New Faces" feature. Inside Illinois continues its tradition of introducing some of the new faculty members on campus and will feature one new colleague online each week during the fall semester. 

Soil moisture levels rose across Illinois the second week of September as the state saw increased rainfall and cooler soil temperatures.

Penny Chisholm, a professor of environmental studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will kick off the upcoming weekend symposium hosted by the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology with a free public lecture. No registration is necessary.

A new documentary premiering on the Big Ten Network features three extraordinary women at the University of Illinois. “Making Their Mark” will air on BTN on Friday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. CDT.

Navy Capt. Charles C. Moore, who also is the Urbana campus’s Navy ROTC commanding officer, leads the pack Sept. 10 during the annual campus run to remember the victims of 9/11. He is followed by Navy Midshipman 1st Class Sheryl Acuna, who is the Navy ROTC battalion commander, and Midshipman 1st Class David Mielnik. The other flags are being carried by members of the NROTC Color Guard. The run is a 2.8-mile course that ends at the Illini Union. The nearly 100 runners included ROTC candidates for all four military branches, as well as members of the police and fire training institutes.

A report to the U. of I. Board of Trustees at its Sept. 10 meeting outlining the University Senates Conference's 2015 agenda led to pledges from both groups to work together to better meet the U. of I.'s civic land-grant responsibilities. The conversation comes as new President Timothy L. Killeen works to develop a systemwide strategic plan by next year.

Leaders say demonstrable improvement in the number of underrepresented students enrolling at the university is a sign university programs targeting them are succeeding.

The university will celebrate its 150th birthday the same way it spreads knowledge -- all around the world. Pradeep Khanna, the associate chancellor for corporate and international relations, told the Board of Trustees at its Sept. 10 meeting that in addition to campus events, preparations are being made for a worldwide celebration in 2017 to mark the U. of I.'s start as a land-grand institution in 1867.

The board of trustees gave its final approval on a background check policy for new faculty, academic profession and Civil Service employees and will consider whether to expand the policy to include graduate students and internal transfers in the future.

The state's budget stalemate won't affect the university's ability to meet its payroll obligations, Chief Financial Officer Walter Knorr told trustees at their Sept. 10 meeting.

Award-winning poet, author and musician Joy Harjo, a U. of I. professor of creative writing and of English, who also is affiliated with American Indian Studies, will give a reading Sept. 16 as part of the Creative Writers Showcase of the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities. Her reading will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Knight Auditorium at Spurlock Museum. U. of I. music professor Gabriel Solis will join her for a discussion of her work. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Richard Isaacson and Max Lugavere will discuss “The Role of Nutrition in the Management of Alzheimer’s Disease” at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 in the auditorium of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.

Each fall and spring, the Education Justice Project accepts applications from faculty and staff members, graduate students and community members who wish to participate in the programming at the Danville Correctional Center, a medium-high security men’s state prison. The project instructors are unpaid volunteers.

The YWCA will host its 11th annual Race Against Racism on Sept. 27 at the U. of I. Arboretum. Registration is open to anyone older than 10, and participants can choose to run or walk in the 5K event. The event starts at 1 p.m., and the registration fee is $20 for advance registration and $25 on race day.

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies will host its 8th annual Latin American Film Festival Sept. 18-24 at the Art Theater Co-op, 126 W. Church St., Champaign. The festival will screen six recent fiction films and one documentary from different countries of the region.

Research by University of Illinois scientists with the Center for Geologic Storage of CO2 could have planetary implications while also producing benefits close to home.

Richard Benton, an assistant professor of labor and employment relations, is among the new faculty members to be featured in our annual "New Faces" feature. Inside Illinois continues its tradition of introducing some of the new faculty members on campus and will feature one new colleague online each week during the fall semester. 

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Access is now accepting nominations for the annual Larine Y. Cowan “Make a Difference” Awards. The awards honor campus community members who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion on campus in the following areas (nomination forms and criteria are online):

A transit boarding island on Green Street, reconfigured Illini Union vehicle entrance and parking, all-way pedestrian crossing and protected bicycle lanes are some of the new features to be developed by the Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project starting in 2016.

A near-record 7,565 freshmen enrolled on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus for the fall semester, according to enrollment statistics released today on the 10th day of classes.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Acting Chancellor Barbara Wilson has named as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost designate Edward J. Feser, dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. His appointment will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval at its Sept. 10 meeting.

Walter Wilson's work is behind every great piece of art in Krannert Art Museum. And, if you take into consideration each individual's tastes, it's also behind some of the not-so-great pieces.

The Senate Executive Committee got right to work in its first meeting of the semester Aug. 24, tackling a hefty agenda that portends the busy year ahead.

Francina Dominguez,  an assistant professor of atomospheric sciences, is the first new faculty member to featured in our annual "New Faces" feature. Among the newcomers to the Urbana campus we will feature are faculty members whose appointments began this summer or fall. Inside Illinois continues its tradition of introducing some of the new faculty members on campus and will feature one new colleague online each week during the fall semester. 

The Senate Executive Committee won't be involved in the selection of search committee members for a permanent chancellor. The SEC met in a special meeting Aug. 31, called after leaders received a directive from President Timothy L. Killeen to begin the chancellor search process. 

University of Illinois President Timothy L. Killeen has enlisted a transition team to guide the process of reconfiguring UIC’s medical school structure in light of the creation of an Urbana-based medical school.

Acting Chancellor Barbara Wilson said she will accept nominations from every corner of campus in her search to fill the crucial position of vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost.

A Minute With...™ Jennifer Delaney, expert on higher education finance

One hundred forty-one freshmen and sophomores at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been designated Chancellor’s Scholars, chosen for their academic excellence and leadership potential, in the Campus Honors Program this fall.

A Minute With...™ Eva Pomerantz, expert on children's motivation in school

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is launching a campaign to increase awareness of the resources available at the University and in the Champaign-Urbana community for everyone affected by sexual violence.

A Minute With...™ Michael LeRoy, expert on collective bargaining in athletics

The Illini Gadget Garage will open this semester. It will be a place for collaborative repair, modeled after the Campus Bike Center, only for electronics.

The goal of the Gadget Garage project – part of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center – is to extend the useful life of electronic products and reduce electronic waste.

Gordon Oyer for years has had a casual interest in Thomas Merton, the 20th-century Trappist monk known for his popular philosophical writings and penchant for living in hermitage. Wanting to know more, he wrote a book about Merton.

Although the next time faculty and staff members receive Inside Illinois, it will be in their email inbox, the online version will include the same kinds of quality news and research articles, and photographs as the print version.

Barbara J. Wilson, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will serve in the role ofchancellor while the campus conducts a nationwide search to replace former Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise.

Japan House will host its first Matsuri festival, celebrating Japanese culture, at the end of the month. The event is free and open to the public.