blog posts

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  Centering the Ocean in an Uncertain World: A Post for Inland Communities on World Oceans Day

  Jun 8, 2020 4:30 pm146 views

  June 8 is World Oceans Day. And on every June 8 since 1992, this day has marked an opportunity to raise awareness about the benefits humans derive from the ocean, as well as humans’ reciprocal duty to protect the ocean and use its resource responsibly and sustainably.

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  To China and Back: A Student’s Air Pollution Study Leads to Adventures beyond the Academic

  Jun 2, 2020 9:00 am147 views

  Before I began my research project “Investigation of Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality in China and United States: Volatile Organic Compounds”, I had never experienced the feeling of holding a project so near and dear to my heart that I would fall asleep thinking about it and wake up in the morning having the project on my mind.

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  Want to know who is going to win an election? Ask the voters!

  Nov 21, 2022 9:00 am153 views

  Out of growing concern about the ability of polling to accurately capture voter intention and “predict” the results of an upcoming election, some researchers have begun to explore a switch from asking voters who they intend to vote for to so-called “citizen forecasts.”

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  COVID-19: Present and Future Challenges for Education Leaders

  Jun 4, 2020 9:15 am155 views

  When Governor JB Pritzker issued a Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, 2020, the effects on the P-20 education spectrum were complex and far reaching.

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  Mission Control: Misinformation

  Nov 4, 2021 9:30 am155 views

  Misinformation has cost us all a lot of time and is increasingly costing us more.  How do you make sure you have credible information? 

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  Separate and Unequal: PR in the USA Map Amid Covid-19

  May 5, 2020 7:00 am159 views

  Is a USA map complete in 2020 leaving out America’s populated unincorporated territories - Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa?

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  Taking Stock of Bostock

  Jul 2, 2020 9:00 am159 views

  Last month, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) handed down a 6-3 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. The central finding from SCOTUS was that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects employees based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Put more simply, an employer cannot fire an employee simply for identifying as a LGBTQ+.

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  2022 U.S. Senate Elections

  Nov 4, 2022 9:00 am159 views

  This semester in PSC 407: Campaigns and Elections, political science students at UIS have been researching some of the most competitive and high-profile congressional elections taking place in 2022. Here is some of their analysis.  

• 2020 Reset: Do not give up on the year just yet …

  Jul 10, 2020 3:15 pm163 views

  We recently past the 2020 half-way point. Have you given up on your hopes and dreams for the year? Do you feel like the goals that you set for this year are no longer possible? Have you settled into a wait-and-see pattern, and now just trying to tread water? It’s understandable. After all, we all tend to move toward urgency, and we are still dealing with a global pandemic.

  For many of you, it is time for a reset. Many of you need to pick a direction and start swimming so that your long-term goals do not drown (i.e., die) along with your yearly goals. 

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  New executive orders target climate change, job creation, and environmental justice

  Mar 31, 2021 8:30 am164 views

  A new Presidential Administration brings with it new people, priorities, actions, and policies. Presidents’ approaches to environmental policy, in particular, have oscillated drastically during the last several administrations depending on which party the then-President identified with. This oscillation is so familiar to us it may feel like a given - but it wasn’t always this way.

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  Researching the Relationship Between Military Service And Public Service Motivation

  Jun 24, 2021 9:00 am164 views

  As I was preparing to retire from my military career, and focus on my civilian career in Human Resources, I started the Doctorate of Public Administration program at University of Illinois Springfield.  As I began the program and considered potential research topics, I began to focus on a way to leverage my military experience with a relevant human resource-related concept. 

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  Commencement and Graduation and Pomp and Circumstance: What does it Really Mean?

  May 18, 2022 9:00 am165 views

  Just what is graduation, what is commencement, why are they important life milestones? Let’s take a brief look.

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  Purposefully Connecting and Collaborating Online

  Jun 3, 2021 9:15 am168 views

  Like many people over the past year, I found myself at the kitchen counter with my kindergartener as we peered into his computer screen and listened to his teacher.  Eyes glued to the screen, we watched his teacher move two red cubes and then four yellow, explaining the day’s math lesson.  This was a big change for both of us.  His experience being online was limited to a treasured hour on the iPad each weekend, while my work for the last decade revolved around online degree programs.

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  The Great Dissenters: “Writing not for today but for tomorrow”

  Oct 7, 2020 2:00 pm169 views

  In the last decade of her life, Justice Ginsburg was revered as a genuine American cultural icon.  Her life serves as a testimony of the importance to fight for the equal citizenship stature of men and women in the U.S.

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  The Economy at the Start of 2022

  Mar 30, 2022 9:00 am171 views

  The economy at the start of 2022 can be summarized by the proverbial glass-half-full or glass-half-empty scenario. In this blog post, I will attempt to summarize the current data on the national, state, and regional economy, address concerns that continue to plague the economy, and summarize forecaster’s best guesses about what the economy will do for the rest of this year and into 2023.

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  Making My Case

  Jan 23, 2023 9:00 am172 views

  Scott Pyles, a political science graduate student in the UIS School of Politics & International Affairs, discusses his experience arguing a case before the Illinois Supreme Court last week.

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  Illinois Bill Explores How to Save Local Journalism

  Jun 22, 2021 10:00 am175 views

  In the blur of legislative activity that closed out the spring 2021 session of the Illinois General Assembly, state lawmakers passed a bill that would help figure out how to save local journalism. If signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the law would create a group of 15 people to study communities underserved by local journalism and recommend ways to preserve and/or restore coverage in those area.

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  Elevated Gun Violence in U.S. Cities of All Sizes

  May 1, 2023 10:00 am177 views

  Observes political science professor, Magic M. Wade, “Gun violence is not merely a red state or blue city problem, it is a worsening, widespread phenomenon affecting American communities everywhere.”

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  Why Should You Consider A Political Science Bachelor’s Degree at UIS?

  Jul 29, 2021 10:00 am177 views

  I learned about politics when I asked for a new bike at age seven.  First my mom, and then my dad, asked me if the other parent had agreed to this life-changing purchase.  I was running interference between my parents. I could tell that my mom was supportive of my quest for a bike, so I teamed up with her to convince my dad. A few days later, I was a happy little girl with a shiny new bike.  Come study politics with us at UIS to learn how individuals, societies, and states cooperate and compete with each other to get what they want.

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  PAR Alumni Spotlight: Andrea Zelinski hikes 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail

  Feb 16, 2021 12:15 pm183 views

  In the years since completing the Public Affairs Reporting program in 2008, Andrea Zelinski has been covering politics and government for news organizations in Illinois, Tennessee and Texas. But in 2020, she pause her journalism career for a seven-month journey on the Appalachian Trail, the 2,193-mile hiking trail that covers 14 states.

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  Reform: Restoration, Revitalization, and Representation

  Jun 11, 2021 11:15 am183 views

  You are invited to Reform: Restoration, Revitalization, and Representation, the first in a series of webinars on critical societal issues resulting from social determinant factors directly impacting historically marginalized populations.  The series is sponsored by The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, the UIS College of Public Affairs and Administration, and the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership.

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  GPSI: Onward and Upward!

  Jun 23, 2022 9:00 am187 views

  We’re thrilled to announce a record-breaking interview round for GPSI this May, not only did we place the highest number of interns, but we also had the most intern positions and intern applicants.

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  Fed Up with the Status Quo: Read This

  Sep 17, 2020 9:45 am191 views

  Look around your organization. Are you amazed at just how resigned everyone is to the status quo? Does the seeming acceptance of mediocrity bother you?  Despite severe environmental pressures, are the people around you behaving in obviously ineffective ways that could be threatening the very survival of the organization?  The problem is that most organizations are incapable of learning or changing themselves in response to experience (i.e., the discrepancy between expectations and results).  So what is the solution?

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  COVID and its Impact on Higher Education

  Jul 23, 2020 9:00 am193 views

  In our article recent article for Administrative Theory & Praxis “COVID and the Impact on Higher Education: The Essential Role of Integrity and Accountability”, we discuss challenges facing postsecondary institutions due to the COVID crisis and the critical roles that institutional integrity and accountability will play for postsecondary institutions in the COVID era, as well as the importance of embracing the role higher education plays in advancing social equity.

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  Conservative Judges and Transgender Rights After Bostock v. Clayton County

  Jul 27, 2022 9:30 am193 views

  In a book recently published by the University Press of Kansas, Before Bostock: The Accidental Precedent of Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, I explore the background of the recent landmark LGBTQ rights case of Bostock v. Clayton County (2020).

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  My UIS Experience

  Mar 30, 2021 9:00 am194 views

  UIS has been an incredible steppingstone in building my future. UIS encouraged me to be open minded, adventurous, independent, and confident. These qualities led me to become the successful Attorney I am now.

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  We Know This Much is True

  Jan 25, 2022 9:00 am196 views

  Deidre Graham Silas was laid to rest this past weekend, in a beautiful service that intentionally celebrated the life she lived, rather than the circumstances that tragically ended her life on January 5th.  But to fully understand this reflective piece it is sadly necessary to point out how Deidre’s life was ended....

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  Power in Other Places: On Uprisings, Black Lives Matter, and Politics

  Aug 20, 2020 9:00 am196 views

  I have always been drawn to the politics of everyday people who act outside of and against conventional politics. This grounds my interest in the resurgence of Black Lives Matter uprisings. I am interested in those moments when presumptively “powerless” people mobilize and realize other powers than those of the established institutional apparatus of politics, an apparatus which includes the police, prisons, courts, and military.

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  CPAE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Beth Ribarsky, School of Communication & Media

  Oct 27, 2022 9:00 am200 views

  CPAE Faculty Spotlight on Dr. Beth Ribarsky, Professor in the UIS School of Communication & Media, who's areas of teaching, scholarship, and service include interpersonal communication, especially within romantic relationships, as well as public speaking, assessment and pedagogy.

   

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  The 2022 Midterm Elections and Illinois 13

  Sep 29, 2022 9:00 am208 views

  Election Day is fast approach. This year, many members of the UIS community, those who are registered to vote in Illinois’s 13th congressional district, will have the relatively unique opportunity of electing a new representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.

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  LGBTQ Elected Officials & Candidates – Is Representation Fair and Equal?

  May 21, 2020 9:00 am209 views

  Political scientists have established that identity can influence representation by bringing issues to the policy process that were not previously addressed. Unfortunately, LGBTQ policy suffers from significant underrepresentation.

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  Legislative Internships and What’s Next

  Aug 19, 2021 11:00 am210 views

  Change is in the air. It’s that time of year and the UIS Campus is beginning to look like a college campus again with students coming and going in larger numbers than in over a year. Throughout this time, the Illinois Legislative Staff Intern Program has continued placing students with the Illinois General Assembly.

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  Gloves, boxes, and masks: Waste visibility, challenges, and opportunities during and post COVID - 19 pandemic

  Dec 3, 2020 9:00 am216 views

  Garbage is everywhere but is mostly overlooked in our everyday environment. Though as individuals we deal with municipal solid waste every day, waste infrastructure – like black bags, covered bins, enclosed trucks, industrial waste cycles, and publicly inaccessible landfills - keeps the majority of garbage out of sight and mind.  In reality, in Illinois, landfill space is limited (average lifespan = 21 years), and the Covid-19 pandemic is exposing just how essential, complex, and fragile our waste cycle is.

• A Path Forward for Graduate Internships at UIS

  Jan 21, 2021 11:00 am217 views

  The Graduate Public Service Intern (GPSI) Program is one of nine units within the University of Illinois Springfield’s (UIS) Center for State Policy and Leadership (CSPL).  This program affords eligible graduate students an introduction to public service, the opportunity to get work experience in their field of study, and provides students a tuition waiver and monthly stipend that makes graduate school more affordable.  The Program allows participating agencies an opportunity to educate and train potential future public service professionals and obtain necessary help on various projects throughout their agencies.

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  Earth Day: Celebrating 50 Years of Environmental Awareness & Action

  Apr 22, 2020 7:00 am217 views

  Today, Earth Day remains an important day to reflect on how far we have come, identify the problems that we must still solve, and decide what actions to take to protect and restore the ecosystems that sustain all of us.

  Although COVID-19 may keep us from gathering together at large public rallies this year, here are three things you can do to celebrate Earth Day today and every day.

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  CPAA Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Yu-Sheng Lee, MPH

  May 5, 2022 9:00 am218 views

  CPAA Faculty Spotlight of Dr. Yu-Sheng Lee, Assistant Professor of Public Health, whose research has focused on various chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, lung cancer, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

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  Race, Housing and Equity

  Sep 3, 2020 9:15 am222 views

  When we examine housing policy in the United States today, we find huge disparities along racial lines in terms of home ownership, the value of property, and the ability to obtain a mortgage.  These disparities still exist even when accounting for things like geographic location, down payment, and income.

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  Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike to speak on health equity, October 19

  Oct 15, 2021 9:30 am234 views

  Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), will discuss health equity in Illinois at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 19. This is a free, virtual presentation that is open to the public.

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  PAR Alumni Spotlight: Daralene Jones helps reveal truth of Ocoee Massacre

  Dec 15, 2020 9:00 am239 views

  For 100 years, the story of the Ocoee Massacre remained largely untold. But thanks to the efforts of Public Affairs Reporting graduate Daralene Jones and her team at WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando, the truth of what happened to Black residents in Ocoee on Election Day 1920 is being revealed to a new generation of people in Florida and beyond.

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  UIS Model United Nations Program - A Standout Experience

  Jul 1, 2021 10:15 am247 views

  A stand-out experience that I have had while studying Global Studies at the university has been being a part of National Model United Nations, a simulation of the United Nations.

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  CPAE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Daniel Platt, Legal Studies

  Aug 25, 2022 9:00 am271 views

  CPAE Faculty Spotlight on Dr. Daniel Platt, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies, whose research focuses on the intersection of legal history, legal culture, and the history of capitalism.

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  CPAA Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Amanda Hughett, Legal Studies

  Dec 8, 2021 9:00 am281 views

  Hello! I’m Dr. Amanda Hughett, an Assistant Professor of Legal Studies. I’m an interdisciplinary scholar whose research and teaching focus on law, social movements, and the criminal justice system in the United States.

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  CPAA Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Youngjin Kang, SPMP

  Apr 14, 2022 9:00 am284 views

  CPAA Faculty Spotlight on Dr. Youngjin Kang, Assistant Professor of Human Services in the UIS School of Public Policy and Management, whose research focuses on how family members develop and maintain their relationships after transitions in family structure (e.g., divorce, remarriage). 

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  ILSIP Interviews - Round #2

  May 19, 2022 9:00 am286 views

  The Illinois Legislative Staff Intern Program (ILSIP) has announced a second round of interviews, focused on filling ten remaining positions.

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  We can emerge Stronger Together: Covid-19 and the places we work

  Jun 3, 2020 10:15 am289 views

  Prior to Covid-19, there were two focusing events or crises that dramatically changed my perspective on life: the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the April 16, 2007 killing of 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech. While vastly different, the Covid-19 pandemic and the upending of life as we know it since early March 2020 is the third such focusing event that I have experienced. Focusing events force us to rethink and reset our priorities. This resetting often includes a renewed emphasis on our shared humanity that falls under the mantra or rallying cry of Stronger Together.

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  Team Effort – Interns Win!!!

  Dec 16, 2021 9:00 am295 views

  Celebrating a partnership that marries a passion for social work with policy in the Illinois Legislative Staff Intern Program (ILSIP).

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  An Existential Threat to the Indian Child Welfare Act

  May 31, 2023 9:15 am302 views

  Passed by Congress in 1978, The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) faces an existential threat from the current Supreme Court case Haaland v. Brackeen.

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  First-Generation College Student Celebration

  Nov 18, 2021 9:00 am327 views

  On November 8th colleges and universities celebrate their students, faculty, and staff who are first-generation college students.

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  One Last Thought

  Jul 21, 2022 9:00 am332 views

  In August of 2017, I was fortunate to be offered my dream job as Director of the Office of Graduate Intern Programs in the Center for State Policy and Leadership at UIS.

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  Evaluating Plastic Litter Prevention Strategies on Lake Springfield, Illinois

  Jul 22, 2021 10:00 am336 views

  As summer in Central Illinois rolls on, one thing is sure: Illinois residents depend on and love our waterways. However, some of our main recreational activities and everyday consumption patterns can also lead to high levels of shoreline litter or even widespread pollution, endangering wildlife, ecosystems, and the many summer pastimes that so many of us love.