UIS professor's photography part of Jacksonville art exhibition

The photography work of Kathy Petitte Jamison, associate professor and chair of the Communication Department at the University of Illinois Springfield, will be on display throughout May at the David Strawn Art Gallery, 331 W. College Ave, Jacksonville, Ill. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on May 4 from 6-8 p.m.

“For this current exhibit I’ve chosen a mix of my photography to show the combination of the influences of photojournalism and my education in fine art,” said Jamison.

Most of Jamison’s shots were captured with a Canon SLR standard or macro lens; however some of her shots were captured with her iPhone.

“I am shooting and regarding my iPhone as the camera that’s always with me to either report and/or capture intrigue," said Jamison. "Granted, whether iPhone photos are legitimate or not is currently still under debate."

Jamison’s photos often show intrigue that is suggestive of yet a further story, which makes sense.

“I am a writer and a photographer, and that I feel photography allows me to develop storyline pictorially,” she said. “I would add a sense of poetry and mood is in many of the photos I take, which makes sense, too, given I have written and sometimes published poetry.”

Before joining UIS, Jamison was a photojournalist and long-time area reporter, columnist and feature writer for the Jacksonville Journal-Courier. As a Jacksonville resident, she has taken part in a number of art shows in area since 1991.

Regular postings of Jamison’s photos can be found on her Syzygy Photography Facebook page.

For more information about her exhibition, contact Jamison at 217/206-8032 or email kjamison@uis.edu.

Leadership lived: Student finds perfect fit at UIS

 

Samia Ahmad, a junior political science and criminal justice major at the University of Illinois Springfield, had a good feeling when she visited campus in high school.

“It just felt right,” said Ahmad.

Since her freshmen year, she’s taken on a variety of leadership roles on campus. Currently she’s a Student Government Association (SGA) Senator-at-Large, film coordinator for the Student Activities Committee, and works as a Student Ambassador giving campus tours.

“UIS has taught me a lot about leadership,” she said. “It has taught me how to become vocal on my committees I serve and as a student in class. It’s taught me how to grow and just become a little more involved on campus.”

In March, she traveled to Washington, D.C. with a group of fellow campus leaders. There she met with lawmakers, toured the White House, and advocated for UIS.

“We got to lobby on the hill, which was great,” said Ahmad. “We got to meet Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, Congressman Peter Roskam, and just other Illinois congressmen and women who serve the state.”

Ahmad loves being an SGA member and serving on the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Student Advisory committee because she can make a difference.

“We’re the voice of students on campus, so every person on student government is either a senator or a board position,” said Ahmad.

She also has a passion for helping veterans, which led her to start a “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” campaign on campus. Student volunteers tied yellow ribbons on almost 400 trees on campus in November.

“We ended up speaking to some faculty on campus and a lot of them were on board with us doing this, so we ended up putting yellow ribbons on all of the trees on the outer ring of the university,” she said.

Following graduation, Ahmad would like to work for the federal government and is eyeing a job in Homeland Security.

“The leadership skills I’ve learned here at UIS are very helpful for my future,” said Ahmad. “It makes me marketable for employers and other things I want to look into.”

Emily Boles wins the 2013 CAPE Award

Emily Boles, computer assisted instruction specialist with the University of Illinois Springfield Center for Online Learning. Research and Service (COLRS), was honored with the 10th annual Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence Award (CAPE) on April 17, 2013.

Boles' nominator describes her as “a highly skilled and valued member” of the COLRS team. She has become a trusted advisor to online instructors and regularly plans and teaches workshops on best practices and trends in online learning and educational technology.

“Her mastery of both the technologies used in online learning and the pedagogy that makes classes great is unsurpassed,” said her nominator. “Emily has designed and created a number of external online learning grant projects for COLRS including projects with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department on Aging.”

Boles is widely acknowledged as a national expert in online learning and has co-authored two book chapters and a journal article on the topic. She regularly presents at national conferences and workshops and is well respected by colleagues.

“Emily is a highly valued member of our community. Faculty and staff have the highest regard for her talent, creativity, and leadership. She makes herself available to assist people whenever they ask, to offer support, and to offer encouragement,” said UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch while presenting the award.

Boles leads the Continuing Education Online initiative and has been the lead instructional designer for the Emancipation Proclamation MOOC.

“It’s really an honor to work with everyone in this room and on this campus. It’s such a vibrant community and nothing I do could be done without you,” said Boles.

The CAPE Award recognizes U of I academic professionals for their efforts in three general categories: work projects, professional development and affiliations, and contributions to their units. The winner receives $500 in cash for personal use, and another $500 is given to the winner’s department.

All academic professionals are eligible to receive the CAPE Award; nominations are reviewed by campus committees and candidates' names are forwarded to the chancellor, who makes the final selections.

Others nominated for the 2013 CAPE Award include Donna Bettis, Chad Eversgerd, Jeri Frederick, Janelle Gurnsey, Carmalita Kemayo, Jim Korte, Tulio Llosa, Greg Mayes, Carly Shank, Natalie Taylor, and Bill Wheelhouse.

UIS Emeritus Professor Charles Schweighauser helps mark 50th anniversary of St. Louis planetarium

Charles Schweighauser, professor emeritus of astronomy/physics at the University of Illinois Springfield, will present a special lecture as part of the Saint Louis Science Center’s 50th anniversary celebration of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium.

The lecture will take place on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the Saint Louis Science Center, 5050 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. and is free and open to the public.

Schweighauser, the Planetarium’s first director, will describe what we have learned in the past 50 years about the electromagnetic spectrum and dark energy; the discovery of nearby extra-Solar system planets and the search for planets that could support life.

“50 years of Astronomy with Professor Charles Schweighauser” is a free lecture, however seating is limited so please make your reservation by calling the Science Center at 314/289-4424.

Leadership lived: RA succeeds, while juggling busy schedule

 

Haesun Chang has become an expert in time management. She juggles her studies as a senior biology major at the University of Illinois Springfield with working as a resident assistant (RA) in campus housing.

“I know a lot of residents think that RA’s don’t do much, but it is a 24/7 gig,” said Chang.

Her job, as an RA, requires her to work 4 hours a week at the housing front desk and be on duty several nights a week from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. She walks around looking for trouble and is the first to respond when something goes wrong.

“When you’re on duty you’re on call,” said Chang. “You can get beeped at 3 in the morning, you can get beeped at 5 in the afternoon. It really doesn’t matter.”

On top of her regular duties, she’s also required to come up with weekly programming activities for residents in campus housing. Despite the busy schedule, Chang has learned to succeed academically and the experience of being an RA has taught her a lot about leadership.

“It taught me mainly how to be professional in high stress situations because I thought I was good at time management and being very accessible, but I realized when it comes to really high stress situations I get ahead of myself and my emotions start to come out,” said Chang.

She believes she made the right decision to come to UIS as a freshman because of the small class sizes and the personal attention she’s received.

“UIS has definitely helped me,” said Chang. “Smaller schools are actually a huge thing. My dad always told me that all of the great leaders came from small schools and UIS is definitely a really good sized school.”

As she prepares to graduate in May 2013, Chang is starting to realize how her experience as an RA could help her with future employers.

“This is definitely a leadership thing that a lot of jobs are looking for,” said Chang. “Not only does it show that we can work with a lot of stuff at one time, it also shows that we can get it done and we can work in a team.”