UIS’ Celebration of Philanthropy event to honor Mark and Julie Staley for outstanding advocate leadership

The University of Illinois Springfield will honor Mark and Julie Staley of Springfield with the University of Illinois Foundation’s William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership during a virtual Celebration of Philanthropy.

The Zoom webinar will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 3. All are invited to attend the free virtual event by registering in advance at go.uis.edu/CoP21.

Mark and Julie Staley have called Springfield home for nearly two decades. Their belief in the power of education is what drew the couple to getting—and staying—involved at UIS.

Julie is president of the Staley Museum in Decatur, as well as CEO and owner of Spencer Films and president at Spencer Theatre Company. Mark is general partner of SB Partners and VLS Holdings, which specialize in private equity and other alternative investment vehicles. They are both involved in the leadership of their two family foundations: The A.E. Staley Jr. Foundation and the Staley Family Foundation.

“Education is a cornerstone of our family charitable foundation and we are always committed to supporting those institutions in our area,” the couple said. “UIS is a vital part of the Springfield community and our surrounding area. It has grown exponentially throughout the years, and continues to help Springfield thrive.”

Their involvement at UIS began with Mark joining the Stars Athletic Advisory Board and Julie using her TV news anchor skills to benefit the University by hosting and emceeing events, including the annual UIS Scholarship Luncheon and the Good as Gold awards ceremony which honors local volunteers. She also has been a pitch person for NPR Illinois (WUIS).

Mark and Julie have financially supported numerous projects at UIS, including the Student Union and Baseball Turf projects. The couple established the Staley Family Athletic Scholarship to benefit the UIS Department of Athletics and continue to support the University of Illinois System through an endowed scholarship at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Mark remains a member of the Stars Athletic Advisory board and Julie serves as a board member on the Reaching Stellar Campaign Committee. Julie also recently became a UIS student in the doctorate of public administration program.

Named for the late CEO Emeritus of the 7-Up Company and a longtime member of the University of Illinois Foundation Board of Directors, the William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership celebrates individuals who play active roles in securing private support for the University of Illinois.

Past UIS recipients of the William E. Winter Award include David Farrell, Paul O’Shea, W. Robert Felker, Pamela McClelland, Cullom Davis, Bob Clary, Leonard Branson, Thom Serafin, Tom Marantz, Julie Kellner, Guerry Suggs and Michelle Suggs (deceased); Howard Humphrey (deceased), James Lundquist (deceased), Clifford Greenwalt and Larry Shiner.

For more information, contact Maggie Owen, assistant director of advancement engagement, at 217-206-6058 or mowen7@uis.edu. 

Springfield resident David Farrell honored for Outstanding Advocate Leadership at UIS

The University of Illinois Foundation today announces long-time Springfield resident David Farrell as the recipient of the 2018 William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership.

The award will be presented at the UIS Celebration of Philanthropy on Wednesday, April 25 at UIS. The U of I Foundation is the fundraising arm of the University of Illinois.

Farrell’s career in state government was capped by 20 years as Director of Public Affairs for the Illinois Commerce Commission. During his career and since retirement in 2002, he has been a tireless advocate for NPR Illinois/WUIS, frequently taking part in on-air fundraising. His deep voice adds sincerity and gravitas to every appeal he makes.

“I’m happy to do it,” he said, “because there’s nothing like NPR Illinois. It appeals on so many levels of the mind and emotion.”

He has also contributed to NPR Illinois as a member of the Citizen Advisory Board and was instrumental in helping to start the station’s Health and Harvest Desk. Springfield can also thank him for “Fresh Air”, a popular program which years ago he helped to bring to the station.

Farrell, who has a deep interest in fairness, also contributes his marketing and communications expertise to the UIS Illinois Innocence Project (IIP), and has served as emcee at the annual Defenders of the Innocent Reception. He and his wife Laurie, who shares in Farrell’s advocacy, have also initiated, underwritten and helped plan IIP events.

“The Illinois Innocence Project is a way to make the entire justice system stronger,” according to Farrell. “This work strengthens the entire society.”

Farrell’s advocacy at UIS also includes Central Illinois Nonprofit Resource Center, the Theatre program and the UIS Cares Food Pantry.

The William E. Winter Award, named for the late CEO Emeritus of the 7-Up Company and a longtime member of the University of Illinois Foundation Board of Directors, celebrates individuals who play active roles in securing private support for the University of Illinois.

Past UIS recipients of the William E. Winter Award include Paul O’Shea, W. Robert Felker, Pamela McClelland, Cullom Davis, Bob Clary, Leonard Branson, Thom Serafin, Tom Marantz, Julie Kellner, Guerry Suggs and Michelle Suggs (deceased); Howard Humphrey (deceased), James Lundquist (deceased), and Clifford Greenwalt.

For more information, contact Jeff Lorber, UIS vice chancellor for advancement, at 217/206-6058 or email jlorber@uis.edu.

Springfield architect Paul O’Shea honored for Outstanding Advocate Leadership

The University of Illinois Foundation today announces Springfield native and long-time resident Paul O’Shea as the recipient of the 2017 William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership.

The award will be presented at the UIS Celebration of Philanthropy on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at UIS. The U of I Foundation is the fundraising arm of the University of Illinois.

A licensed architect who recently retired as planning and design coordinator for the City of Springfield, O’Shea has received many awards for his community service, including the 2012 First Citizen Award from The State Journal-Register.

O’Shea has been a tireless advocate for the University of Illinois Springfield. His greatest service has been as an ambassador building relationships between Springfield and UIS.

“The university represents an asset to Springfield that is hard to describe,” O’Shea said. “It has a major impact on our region and the city. Both the university and the community benefit when we come together.”

O’Shea works behind the scenes to encourage financial support for UIS by suggesting fundraising events, helping to plan them and inviting people to attend. He has inspired many to give through his outspoken confidence in UIS and his and his wife’s giving.

He began providing financial support for UIS in 1998 and through the years has given often to many university funds, especially for athletics. In 2012, O’Shea began funding athletic scholarships, and more recently he and his wife, Lynne, have made a generous gift in support of the UIS Intercollegiate Baseball Program Field Turf Project.

The William E. Winter Award, named for the late CEO Emeritus of the 7-Up Company and a longtime member of the University of Illinois Foundation Board of Directors, celebrates individuals who play active roles in securing private support for the University of Illinois.

Past recipients of the William E. Winter Award include W. Robert Felker, Pamela McClelland, Cullom Davis, Bob Clary, Leonard Branson, Thom Serafin, Tom Marantz, Julie Kellner, Guerry Suggs and Michelle Suggs (deceased); Howard Humphrey (deceased), James Lundquist (deceased), and Clifford Greenwalt.

For more information, contact Jeff Lorber, UIS vice chancellor for advancement, at 217/206-6058 or email jlorber@uis.edu.

UIS and SIU School of Medicine researchers to collaborate on important health research

Seven faculty members from the University of Illinois Springfield and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine have been awarded grants from the Caryl Towsley Moy, Ph.D., Endowed Fund for Collaborative Research.

Sameer Vohra, M.D., J.D., assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the SIU School of Medicine and Yanhui Guo, Ph.D., UIS assistant professor of computer science, will employ big data analytics to discover patterns and correlations that might aid in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients. Elham Khorasani, Ph.D., UIS assistant professor of computer science, also will join the team.

Hamed Qahri-Saremi, Ph.D., UIS assistant professor of management information systems and Robert Robinson, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at the SIU School of Medicine, will examine the different patterns of use of the Electronic Health Record system and their effects on the work routines in ambulatory health care settings. Rassule Hadidi, Ph.D., UIS professor of management information systems and Stacy Sattovia, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at the SIU School of Medicine, also will be part of the research team.

Richard Moy, M.D. (1931-2013), founding dean of the SIU School of Medicine, and his sons Philip and Eric Moy created the $250,000 endowed fund at UIS in honor of their wife and mother, former professor Caryl Moy (1932-2010). The fund supports faculty from UIS and the SIU School of Medicine who do team-based research. Caryl Moy taught for 21 years at UIS (then Sangamon State University) beginning in 1970. She also served as a clinical professor at the SIU School of Medicine.

For more information, contact Cecilia Cornell, UIS associate vice chancellor for graduate education, at 217/206-7230 or ccorn1@uis.edu.