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What students are reading on campus

Nonfiction
1. “You Can’t Dream Big Enough,” by Orion Samuelson
2. “The Elements of Style,” by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
3. “This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women,” edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
4. “For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide,” by Keith Boykin
5. “Illini Loyalty,” by Larry Kanfer
Fiction 
1. “Cloud Atlas,” by David Mitchell
2. “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by E.L. James
3. “Fifty Shades Freed,” by E.L. James
4. “Storm of Swords” (“Game of Thrones” series), by George R.R. Martin
5. “A Memory of Light,” by Robert Jordan

The list of best-selling books was provided by the Illini Union Bookstore.

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U. of I. has lowest student loan default rate in state

U.S. Department of Education data show that the U. of I. has the lowest student loan default rate among public universities in the state. 

The three-year cohort default rate at the U. of I. is 2.5 percent. Illinois State is 3 percent, followed by Governors State University at 3.9 percent.  A low default rate means that the majority of students attending the U. of I. who use financial aid are able to repay their student loans after graduation without turning to means such as defaulting.

“The low default rate illustrates our institution’s ability to provide students with the necessary tools for success,” said Keith Cornelius, of the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Illinois graduates have consistently seen success in the job market. “Our graduates are the third most recruited in the nation (as stated by The Wall Street Journal’s Top 25 Recruiter Picks) and are ranked number one in the Big Ten for starting and mid-career salaries (as stated by the Pay Scale’s 2012-2013 College Salary Report),” Cornelius said.

Illinois students also tend to have lower amounts of debt upon graduation, contributing to the low default rate. “The average undergraduate graduates from U. of I. with about $23,000 in student loan debt, which is about $3,600 lower than the national average,” he said.

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Solar Farm to be built on south campus

The orange and blue of Illinois will look a little greener after the construction of a 20.8 acre solar farm.

Begining this fall, the $15.5 million farm will begin producing an estimated 7.86 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year, which is about 2 percent of the campus electricity needs. The university will enter into land lease, development and power purchase agreements with Phoenix Solar Inc., of San Ramon, Calif. Phoenix Solar will design, build and operate the solar farm for 10 years after which the university will assume ownership.

The solar farm will be one of the largest installations at a public university in the country, according to Morgan Johnston, the sustainability coordinator for Facilities & Services.

“A number of faculty (members) are reaching out to us about how to do research and class tours with the project,” she said.

Student environmental fees provide an important funding source for the solar farm. The Student Sustainability Committee approved $1.05 million for the project, allocated over three years.

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Students to navigate the Library with Minrva

A free app for iPhones, iPads and Android phones – Minrva – supports a variety of information discovery tasks in the Undergraduate Library. 



“With the Minrva app you can search the local or I-Share library catalog for an item in the library,” said Jim Hahn, the Orientation Services and Environments Librarian, who created the app with help from undergraduate Nathaniel Ryckman. “A wayfinder module will help you locate the item using the GPS-like map of the Undergrad Library book stacks. Once in the Undergrad Library book stacks, near a subject interest, you can scan any book nearby using your phone’s camera to learn more information about that item – such as a book summary,” Hahn said.
“The app also notifies students of available technology in the Undergraduate Library technology loan pool.

This technology availability module organizes the technology by popularity, and also shows how many are remaining for checkout at the moment.”



Additional wayfinding maps for additional campus libraries are being developed.



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New building to honor and aid veterans

The Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education will be a state-of-the-art facility to help veterans adjust to campus life. It will offer counseling and support services, conference rooms and a fitness room. Additionally, residential accommodations for 12-14 veterans are planned.

“(Students and their dependents) will receive a comprehensive range of services designed to empower them to live independently to the greatest extent possible, take charge of their own lives, and successfully achieve their educational and career goals,” said Tanya Gallagher, the dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences.
The $12 million project is being funded by a $6 million donation from alumnus Ron Chez (Class of 1962), the state of Illinois and other private donors.

“There are no facilities that include a residential community in the country,” said Nicholas Osborne, the director of veteran support services at the U. of I. “This facility will be a structure and a model for other institutions to emulate.”