News Bureau

In 1988, Safdar Khan was a lonely UI student, studying for his Ph.D. in veterinary medicine, and missing his family and friends back in Pakistan. Then one day, his American roommate - having heard Khan pining for his favorite sport - mentioned that he had seen students out in a field near Orchard Downs, all dressed in white and playing cricket.

The people who have been taking care of the injured snowy owl that was brought to the UI Wildlife Medical Clinic in January are hoping he lives up to his name, Qigiq - Inuit for "white hawk that flies in the sky."

Anyone, anywhere at any time can thumb through the pages of an open-source textbook developed by experts from the three campuses of the UI.

Olga Maslova is a new assistant professor of theatre in the College of Fine and Applied Arts

Interim Chancellor Barbara J. Wilson said suggestions for changes in the university's expanded background check policy are being seriously considered.

A student walks by two limestone sculptures on the south side of Foellinger Auditorium earlier this week.

The Committee on Institutional Cooperation continues to promote interuniversity partnerships that lead to better collaboration and lower individual institutional costs.

Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko, who heads up the U. of I.'s department of kinesiology and community health in the College of Applied Health Sciences, measures his work productivity by miles not minutes.

A new book looks at aspects of how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program affects health and well-being. “SNAP Matters” includes a chapter on obesity by University of Illinois economist Craig Gundersen, one of the book’s editors.

Who says you can't take it with you?

The design concept behind the U. of I.'s new Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education building was simple: It should feel free from conflict. The concept becomes reality with the official dedication of the center from 3:30-5 p.m. Oct. 2.

Between Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008, 123 faculty members and academic professionals retired from the UI, according to the Office of Academic Human Resources.

Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project transportation improvements are on schedule to begin this fall. The scale of this infrastructure work on key corridors will have significant traffic impacts including detours and street closures during construction. Updated project timelines and associated information will be provided beginning in late summer 2016.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been named No. 11 of “The 25 Fittest U.S. Colleges in 2015” by The Active Times, a website that aims to be “the world's best source of authoritative, inspiring, enlightening content for living the active, adventurous life.”

Last month, while leading his historic campus clocks tour through the College of Engineering dean's office, geography professor Bruce Hannon interrupted his own presentation to reach for the cellphone in his pocket.

Eight staff employees were honored with the Chancellor’s Distinguished Staff Award at a banquet April 16. The award recognizes exceptional performance.

The effort to save a group of historic campus murals received a boost last week after officials agreed to help fund the project.

The history of the UI Police Department is in fact two distinct stories covering more than 100 years.

Urbana campus administrators are considering a host of initiatives regarding the campus climate for underrepresented minorities and to increase awareness of issues of diversity and inclusion, including the possibility of creating a required general education course.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois campus is throwing a 100th birthday bash on Sept. 29 for one of its most beloved icons: Foellinger Auditorium.

A midwinter evening descends on the Bardeen Engineering Quad. 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The radio station has no studio - not even a microphone - and a coverage radius measured in blocks rather than miles. Its control room is a desktop computer in the corner of a campus office, monitored remotely by an education professor fascinated by language, radio and the Internet.

Beth Visel, an officer for the U. of I. police department, said she realized she had found the right job while chasing after suspects with a gun during training for her position, a little more than four years ago.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - One hundred twenty-one undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were honored for scholastic excellence during the 2004 spring semester. A total of $329,395 in prizes was awarded.

Ramón Soto-Crespo, an associate professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is among the new faculty members to be included in our New Faces feature.

Sandy Dall’Erba, an associate professor of agricultural and consumer economics in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, is among the new faculty members to be included in our New Faces feature.

CITES readies campus for transfer to Express E-mail, NetFiles

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Poetry, dance, theater and music will highlight a series of academic and cultural events during the spring semester at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The events are part of the "Exploring the Human Experience" initiative announced by Chancellor Nancy Cantor in connection with the commencement addresses May 12 by Maya Angelou.

Twenty-five years ago this month, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act. Twenty-five years before that, the U. of I. was at the forefront of the movement to improve conditions and access for students with disabilities – and had been doing it for nearly two decades.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Kim B. Rotzoll, recently retired as the dean of the College of Communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, died today (Nov. 4) in Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana from complications related to cancer. He was 68.

Dean Carlson, the food and beverage director at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts for nearly a decade, found his "inner foodie" almost by accident.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Ruth Watkins, vice provost and a professor in the department of speech and hearing science, has been named the Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pending approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees at its Nov. 13 meeting at the U. of I. at Springfield.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Most days of the year, Nicholas Temperley is a relatively

Richard Herman officially gave up his title as chancellor of the Urbana campus Oct. 26, following a turbulent summer that placed him at the epicenter of the controversy about student applicants on the "clout list." Several dozen of these applicants were admitted to the university - some, after having been denied admission - because of their relationships to trustees, legislators or other influential people.

Between Sept. 1, 2008, and Aug. 31, 2009, 129 faculty members and academic professionals retired from the UI, according to the Office of Academic Human Resources.

Bob Douglas resembles neither Lewis nor Clark, but he's a trailblazer nonetheless.

The impact of unpredictable state funding on students and postsecondary institutions will be the focus of an upcoming conference at the University of Illinois.

Faculty hiring for the 2010-11 academic year is following the same downward trend of recent years, but the situation provides an opportunity for campus units to re-evaluate their teaching and research priorities, according to one campus leader.

UI administrators have announced the details of two voluntary separation programs available only to employees in Urbana campus units.

This year's new faculty members included in our annual "New Faces" feature. Inside Illinois continues its tradition of introducing some of the new faculty members on campus and will feature two new colleague in each edition of Inside Illinois during the fall semester. 

After a two-year hiatus the Academic Professional Development Fund is back - fully funded and ready to assist academic professionals seeking advanced training.

The Veteran's Day ceremony, conducted Sunday at the Armory by the Illinois ROTC program, is an annual reminder of the university's historical connection with the military.

WILL-TV begins a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary this month by looking back at the station’s history, and by looking ahead to the digital era.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Robert B. Graves, the interim dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois, has been selected to be the college's permanent dean, pending approval of the U. of I. Board of Trustees. The board will formally consider the appointment at its March 13 meeting in Urbana. The appointment is effective March 16.

Coursera, a leading online education company known for massive open online courses, announced March 30 a professional data science master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

A message to recent University of Illinois graduates: Alma wants to know what you've been up to. At least that’s the goal of the recently unveiled First Destination initiative, a campuswide program that has revamped the way postgraduate information is volunteered, reported and updated.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Richard Wheeler has accepted the position of dean of the UI Graduate College, as recommended by the chancellor and president.

Michael S. Hopkins, the U. of I. aerospace engineering alumnus who recently spent 166 days orbiting Earth on the International Space Station, wasn't just along for the ride.

Michael Merriman, a building operations engineer for Campus Recreation, is comfortable in almost any environment. Stationed at the Activities and Recreation Center, Merriman monitors and services the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at ARC and several other recreational facilities on campus.

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on March 16 approved the state’s first contracts under a new Illinois purchasing initiative enacted to attract more minority- and female-owned businesses as vendors for state agencies and universities.