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  Campus awards first Certificate of Undergraduate Research

  Jennifer Merritt’s mind was racing as she prepared to graduate a semester early last fall. Working part time in the lab of psychology professor Justin Rhodes and trying to maintain high grades, Merritt, of Naperville, Ill., was hoping her research experience would be an asset when she began applying for jobs and graduate programs.
  
  When she received an email from the Office of Undergraduate Research, which was offering a Certificate of Undergraduate Research for the first time, Merritt realized she had already completed all of the necessary requirements: presenting original research, research course work and attending a workshop or presentation. She applied and was accepted.
  
  The certificate is meant to help students create a framework for the university to recognize student achievement in undergraduate research. Now, as Merritt is applying to graduate programs across the country, she’s glad to have an indicator of her dedication to scholarly research.
  
  “The best thing about Illinois is that we have so many research experts in so many different fields willing to work with undergraduate students,” said Merritt, who is interested in studying the way hormones send signals and affect memory performance.
  
  For full requirements, visit http://provost.illinois.edu/our/opportunities.html.

  

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  Parent Programs Office seeks parental input

  The Illini Union Parent Programs Office is looking for parents’ feedback regarding its services, communications and programs.
  
  Input will help staff members develop potential new programs and services to improve the experiences of families of Illinois students.
  
  Input is needed even from parents who have not used the services of the Parent Programs Office. The opinions of all members of the evolving campus community are crucial to the continued success of the Illini Union Parent Programs Office.
  
  To complete the short online survey, visit go.illinois.edu/parentsurvey.

  

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  Confucius Institute established at Illinois

  Officials from Jiangxi Normal University in Nanching, China, and the U. of I. signed an agreement establishing a Confucius Institute at the Urbana campus in November.
  
  The institute will be a unit within the U. of I. College of Education, which will operate the institute in close collaboration with International Programs and Studies, the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, and the Chinese language program, which is a unit within the department of East Asian languages and cultures.
  

  A language testing and research facility will be a component of the institute, which will be housed in the Education Building.

  
  The initial budget for the institute includes $150,000 in startup funds from the Chinese Ministry of Education, which the university is matching. A board of directors comprising representatives from the Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing, Jiangxu Normal University and the U. of I. will govern the institute.


  
  Hua-Hua Chang, a U. of I. professor of educational psychology, of psychology and of statistics, will serve as the institute’s director.


  
  More than 300 Confucius institutes exist worldwide, including several at Big Ten campuses and other large research universities. China began establishing the public nonprofit institutes in 2004 to promote Chinese language and culture in foreign countries and to facilitate cultural exchanges.



  

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  Who lived here before you?

  The former residence hall doors of notable alumni bear gold plaques inscribed with their names and how they earned their fame.
  
  “We are very proud of all our alumni, and we take pride in highlighting some who have truly excelled in their fields,” said Kirsten Ruby, the associate director of housing for communications and marketing. “The plaques serve as a small piece of inspiration to current students.” 
  
  University Housing staff tried to choose people who appealed to typical undergraduate students. Alumni plaques and their locations:
  
  Marc Andreessen, co-creator of first Web browser,
  459 Snyder Hall and 217 Townsend Hall
  Dick Butkus, NFL Football Hall of Fame, 436 Scott Hall
  Iris Chang, author, 1021 Wardall Hall
  Steve Chen, co-Founder of YouTube, 366 Townsend Hall
  Neil Doughty, REO Speedwagon band, 250 Townsend Hall
  Alan Gratzer, REO Speedwagon band, 252 Townsend Hall
  Paul Ingrassia, Pulitzer Prize winner, 225 Oglesby Hall
  Karim Jawed, co-Founder of YouTube, 474 Allen Hall
  Max Levchin, co-Founder of PayPal, 423 Blaisdell Hall Joseph Matt, REO Speedwagon band, 249 Townsend Hall
  Nick Offerman, actor, 380 Scott Hall
  Suze Orman, financial expert, 222 Trelease Hall
  Alan Ruck, actor, 227 Taft Hall
  William Wegman, photographer, 360 Weston Hall

  

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  Aviation program to transfer to Parkland College

  The Parkland College Board of Trustees approved a three-year intergovernmental agreement with the U. of I. in September for the transition of the university’s aviation program to the Champaign community college by fall 2014.
  
  The agreement includes lease of facilities and aircraft as well as marketing support.
  
  Parkland will develop and provide a two-year aviation-related associate in science degree program that continues the pilot training activities of the U. of I. Institute of Aviation, scheduled to expire this summer. Parkland plans to contract with Riverside Research, a not-for-profit engineering and technology research firm with expertise in aviation management, to assist with flight training operations and research.
  
  “We are excited that Parkland College will continue this program, so that students throughout this community, including those at Illinois, will have a path into a great career,” said Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise.


  
  Parkland and the U. of I. continue to work toward establishing aviation as a Pathway Program at Parkland, under which students may enroll in Parkland’s aviation program and simultaneously pursue bachelor’s degree studies at the U. of I.

  

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  Office in China expected to foster new, existing relationships

  With hundreds of Chinese students enrolling annually at the U. of I. and thousands of Illini alumni already living and working in China, there’s little doubt the university has a strong presence there. That presence became more tangible with the opening of the university’s first office in China this month.
  
  Set in a corporate center in the heart of Shanghai, the office is part of a state of Illinois China office, managed by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. In addition to providing some support to students, U. of I. leaders foresee the office as a central point in forging new relationships with Chinese academic and business leaders, said Pradeep Khanna, the associate chancellor for corporate and international relations in the Office of Public Engagement at the U. of I.
  
  Sarah Zehr, the director of operations for the Office of Public Engagement, will oversee the new office in China from her office in Urbana. The China office is staffed by an assistant director and two program specialists.
  
  Zehr said the goals for the new office include bringing together recent U. of I. graduates and corporate human resources officials to promote employment opportunities, forging academic partnerships with Chinese universities, sharing economic development opportunities in East Central Illinois and increasing communication for U. of I. alumni living in China.

  

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  Restrictions still apply to campus for new gun laws

  The new Illinois law allowing citizens to carry a concealed handgun hasn’t had much effect on campus. Jeff Christensen, the campus police chief and executive director of public safety, said all of the rules and regulations governing the possession of weapons on campus continue to apply. The only difference is the new exception for those with a concealed-carry permit, which still restricts the actual carrying of a firearm on campus – a provision that was pushed by university and state law enforcement officials during legislative discussions.Statewide, those with a permit can carry a handgun as long as it is hidden. If a weapon is being stored in a vehicle, it must be concealed within a case in a locked vehicle or in a locked container that is not in plain view.
  
  “You can secure the weapon in your vehicle, but you can’t carry it in prohibited areas such as a college campus,” Christensen said.
  
  Christensen said the law allows the university to designate specific parking lots for those with a concealed-carry permit, but officials decided doing so would be counterproductive.
  
  One of the biggest impacts to campus has been adding the signs the law requires. Christensen said the university sign shop made the “no guns” signs along with the smoke-free campus signs (for a campus smoking ban that started in January), as a way to reduce costs.

  

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  2014 campuswide commencement moves to a Saturday

  The 2014 campuswide commencement ceremony for the U. of I. will be held on May 17 (Saturday) at 9:30 a.m. The 143rd commencement will make a historic move to Memorial Stadium.
  
  All students who have completed degree requirements since August 2013 and May 2014 degree candidates are eligible to participate. Information about registration, academic regalia, tickets, lodging and parking is available at commencement.illinois.edu.
  
  Participants must order academic regalia by 10 p.m. April 17 by visiting herffjones.com/illinois.
  
  Hotels begin taking reservations for Commencement Weekend a year in advance. Plan ahead if your student will be participating in 2015 ceremonies.

  

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  Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

  The Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations serves up a free lunch and noontime discussions every weekday throughout the academic year. On the menu – besides food – are speakers, panels and resources at the U. of I. that introduce students to the cultures, histories and societal issues that the diverse communities on campus face.
  
  Lunches are paid for in part by the Student Cultural Programming Fee. All programs take place from noon-1 p.m.
  
  The schedule:
  
  Mondays: QUENCH with the LGBT Resource Center alternates with DISH IT UP, both in the Women’s Resources Center
  Tuesdays: FOOD FOR THOUGHT, Asian American Cultural Center
  Wednesdays: FOOD FOR THE SOUL, Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center
  Thursdays: LUNCH @ LA CASA, La Casa Cultural Latina
  Fridays: CHAT ’N CHEW, Native American House, alternates with CONVERSATION CAFE with DiversityEd, Women’s Resources Center
  
  The presentation schedule is available at oiir.illinois.edu/events/lunch.

  

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  New U. of I. Lyric Theatre program replaces opera program in College of Fine and Applied Arts

  Internationally renowned opera singer Nathan Gunn has been named general director of the new Lyric Theatre program at the U. of I., which – like Gunn – will embrace a broad spectrum of vocal theater repertoire, from musicals to opera.
  
  “This program will combine the strengths of the School of Music, and the departments of theater and of dance at Illinois, enhancing the education of undergraduates and better preparing our graduate students for the professional world,” Gunn said. “The fundamentals of singing, dancing and acting are more necessary than ever to be competitive in the world of musical theater, operetta and opera, and that is what we intend to give them at Lyric Theatre at Illinois.”


  
  Jeffrey Magee, the head of the School of Music at Illinois, said Lyric Theatre will regularly engage guest stage directors, conductors, performers and composers, with the goal of providing students with not only the tools but also the connections they need to pursue performance careers.


  
  “This will be comprehensive training for the singing actor,” Magee said. “Nathan’s leadership symbolizes that link between the university and the top shelf of the professional world, because he lives in both worlds. We’re hoping the networks that form through this program can help us carve a path for students once they graduate.”



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