Reese named director of the Springfield campus nursing program

Cynthia Reese began this week as the new director of the Springfield regional campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, located on the University of Illinois Springfield campus.

An accomplished educator and administrator, Reese was previously an assistant professor at Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing. She received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Cincinnati, a master’s degree in medical surgical nursing from UIC and earned a Ph.D. in nursing science from Indiana University.

“I am very fortunate to have a role bringing UIC’s highly ranked undergraduate and graduate level nursing programs to the Springfield area,” Reese said. “The innovative partnership between the University of Illinois Springfield, Memorial Health System and UIC offers an exciting and unique opportunity to make a significant impact on healthcare for the citizens of central and southern Illinois.”

The UIC College of Nursing partnered with UIS and Memorial Health Systems last fall to make Springfield the college's fifth regional campus, joining Peoria, Quad Cities, Rockford and Urbana. Classes begin this fall for students seeking to earn a UIC Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Springfield.

The Springfield program can be completed in two phases. Freshmen and sophomores can take pre-nursing and general education courses at UIS. The second phase allows juniors and seniors to complete professional nursing courses taught by UIC nursing faculty on the UIS campus.

Reese is well known in Springfield. She was associate dean of nursing at Lincoln Land Community College from 2009 to 2014, serving as nurse administrator for the associate degree and practical nursing programs. At Lincoln Land she led major curriculum revisions and implemented a rigorous standardized testing program throughout the associate degree curriculum, which was followed by a jump in students passing the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) from 80 percent to 93 percent in one year.

In addition to her 15 years of experience teaching pre-licensure nursing students, Reese conducts research in clinical simulations, inter-professional education and instrument development. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and books, and she has been a presenter at national nursing meetings.

For more information, contact Derek Schnapp, UIS director of public relations at 217/206-6716 or dschn3@uis.edu.

Ryan Croke selected as new associate chancellor for public affairs at UIS

The University of Illinois Springfield has selected Ryan Croke as the new associate chancellor for public affairs. He will also serve as chief of staff for UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch.

Croke, who was chief of staff to former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn from 2013 to 2015, succeeds Ed Wojcicki, who served UIS for more than 20 years.

His responsibilities include leading governmental relations efforts on behalf of UIS, managing UIS’ communications strategy and supervising the UIS Police Department.

“Ryan will be a great asset for our campus,” said Chancellor Koch. “He will also strengthen our ties in the community and bring a fresh perspective to our local, state and federal government relations efforts.”

“I believe in the mission of our public universities and am especially proud to call UIS home,” said Croke. “I’m eager to support the institution’s many students, staff and faculty as we continue to grow.”

Croke’s career in public service began in 2006 in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. He later served as a policy advisor and deputy chief of staff to Gov. Quinn before becoming his chief of staff in October 2013.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005 and a master’s degree in communication in 2007.

UIS professor Rosina Neginsky organizes an international conference

Rosina Neginsky, associate professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois Springfield, is organizing an international conference called “Angst in Symbolist Movement: Its Origins and Its Consequences". The conference is June 4-6, 2015 at the University of Paris IV in Sorbonne, France.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Symbolism, Art, Literature and Music in Symbolism and Decadence Research Center, founded by Neginsky. Other co-sponsors include the University of Illinois, The University of Paris IV-Sorbonne, the National Minister of Education in France and Research Council of the University of Paris-Sorbonne.

For more information, visit the conference website.