News Bureau

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of eliminating birthright citizenship on his first day back in office. But birthright citizenship was enacted as part of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and no president has the authority to eliminate or modify a constitutional amendment, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in immigration law and labor issues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults provide unpaid care to another individual. Caregivers to loved ones with aging, disability or health concerns face challenges within the healthcare system and in their personal lives, but policy and culture changes can help, said Mina Raj, a professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

A Humanities Research Lab course provides community-engaged research experiences for students and training in oral history methods, allowing students to understand the history of people in their community.

Were the results of the presidential election a “change” election or a fundamental realignment of the electoral map? Although President-elect Donald Trump made inroads with some demographics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political science professor Brian Gaines says he’s “not confident that those swings reflect enduring changes of party loyalty rather than short-term candidate effects.”

Six researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named to the 2024 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes researchers and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence, as reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade. 

The University of Illinois Extension just released a 10-year strategic plan that commits to serving the state by focusing on food and agriculture as well as the economic, community, environmental and health sectors through partnerships, discovery, technology and workforce excellence. In an interview with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates, Illinois Extension director Shelly Nickols-Richardson explains how one of the largest Cooperative Extension Systems in the nation tackles so many issues at once.

Outbreaks of foodborne pathogens, such as the E. coli linked to fast-food hamburgers in several states, expose vulnerabilities in the food supply chain but also present opportunities to learn new prevention strategies, said Matt Stasiewicz, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Melita Garza is a journalism historian who studies news as an agent of democracy. News Bureau editor Lois Yoksoulian discussed the history and future of presidential endorsements with Garza in light of recent nonendorsement decisions within some news organizations. 

The threshold to be eligible for Illinois Commitment — a financial aid program that provides free tuition and fees for in-state students — has been increased from $67,100 to $75,000, putting Illinois near the top of the Big Ten in terms of the income limit.

No matter which candidate wins the presidential election, there’s a strong case to keep existing sanctions on Russia in place, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign adjunct law professor Taisa Markus.

Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education might not be cataclysmic, but other changes on the Project 2025 agenda could have profound implications for public schools and their students, said Paul Bruno, a professor of education policy, organization and leadership at the U. of I.

New vaccinations against influenza and the virus that causes COVID-19 are available and arriving at physician offices and pharmacies. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign microbiology professor Chris Brooke, a virologist who studies respiratory viruses, discusses what’s in the new vaccines, the best time to get them and why we need them at all. 

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Illinois’ historic Memorial Stadium, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has produced a new documentary. “A House of Brick: 100 Years of Memorial Stadium.” The program premieres at 9:30 p.m. CT Monday, Oct. 14, on the Big Ten Network.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance recently announced the 2024-25 fellows for its Academic Leadership Program and Department Executive Officers Seminar. Eleven University of Illinois faculty members have been selected to participate.

After making landfall, Hurricane Helene moved north and dumped an enormous amount of rainfall onto the mountainous regions of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, leading to catastrophic flooding hundreds of miles away from the storm's initial landfall location. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Jim Best, an earth science and environmental change expert, discussed the event and future ones like it with Illinois News Bureau editor Lois Yoksoulian.

Artificial intelligence tools can help physicians deliver care and medical researchers make discoveries, but cannot replace the human connection in medicine, says Dr. Mark Cohen, dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He discusses the risks and rewards of using AI tools in health care and medical discovery. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gabrielle Capone, Leland Pan and Frankie Ward are recipients of the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has welcomed a record-breaking class for the fall 2024 semester. With a freshman enrollment of 9,008, the new class brings record total student enrollment at 59,238, including on-campus and online students.

International Education is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its founding with a full slate of events this Homecoming Week.

Transitioning to a future of work that accounts for the job-destroying perils of artificial intelligence will require unions to be proactive in their bargaining and policy advocacy around automation, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announces graduates, Dean’s List and Bronze Tablet honorees for the 2024 spring semester.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students and recent graduates were offered Fulbright grants to pursue international education, research and teaching experiences around the globe this coming year.

Homecoming Week at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign takes place Sept. 8-14. WCIA-TV news anchor and Illinois alumna Jennifer Roscoe is the parade grand marshal.

Organized labor has fared considerably better during the Biden administration than it did during the Trump years, and would likely be better off under a Kamala Harris presidency, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

Anthropology professor Kendra Calhoun studies the creative language people use on social media platforms to fool algorithms that may incorrectly categorize content as “inappropriate” or “offensive.” Calhoun spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about this phenomenon, which she calls “linguistic self-censorship.”

All nine of the wheelchair racing athletes representing the U.S. at the 2024 Paralympics have a connection to Illinois. U. of I. head coach Adam Bleakney discusses his background, the competition and what he’s looking forward to at the Paris Games.

Heat stroke is a medical emergency, but recognizing the signs leading up to it and knowing how to mitigate exposure and vulnerability factors can improve outcomes, says Dr. Holly Rosencranz, an internal medicine physician and a clinical teaching professor in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

The increasingly militarized enforcement practices at the southern U.S. border have hardened attitudes toward migrants and contributed to violence against them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Latina/Latino studies and anthropology professor Gilberto Rosas said about the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that targeted Latinos.

J. David Cisneros' research explores political candidates' dichotomous rhetoric about Latinos that alternately courts them for votes while disparaging immigrant communities, and the ways in which U.S. presidents embody ideas about race and national identity.

Deepfakes can help us communicate and explore new creative possibilities, but they can also be used to mislead and spread disinformation, says digital humanities librarian Mary Ton.

Communication professor JungHwan Yang is a member of a research team that is exploring the biases associated with political polls posted on social media, how their results compare with those reported by mainstream media and their potential influence on public discourse.

Zeynep Madak-Erdogan, Robert Morrissey, Joaquín Rodríguez-López, Jacob Sherkow and Hanghang Tong have been named University Scholars in recognition of their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.

The Biden administration’s new rule to protect workers from the dangers of extreme heat ultimately may be undermined by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The new executive order from the Biden administration aimed at protecting the undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens from deportation will benefit upwards of half a million unauthorized immigrants, meaning it’s more focused on family unity than the “mass amnesty” some critics have portrayed it as, says Lauren R. Aronson, a clinical professor and the director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law.

W. Brooke Elliott has been selected as dean of Gies College of Business and the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business, pending approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees. Until officially approved, her title will be dean of Gies College of Business and Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business designate. The appointment will begin Aug. 16.

New weight-loss drugs like those sold under the names Ozempic and Wegovy can be life-changing for those with type 2 diabetes or severe obesity, but are not the best choice for those only looking to lose a few pounds, says Patrick Sweeney, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of molecular and integrative physiology. 

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was recently ranked second in the nation as a partner-friendly institution on the Partner Hire Scorecard — an online, research-based ranking of universities that provide support for academic couples in the job search process.

Justin Wytmar, who recently completed his junior year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is among 20 students nationally who were awarded the Beinecke Scholarship, which is valued at $35,000. The Beinecke award supports graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences. 

Following a national search, Jacob Pinholster has been selected as dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, effective Sept. 16, pending University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval. Pinholster’s title will be dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts designate until board approval.

Release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid has been fraught with glitches and delays, according to Stacy Bennett, a professor of education policy, organization and leadership, and a senior research associate for the Office of Community College Research and Leadership. 

The recipients of the 2024 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement include faculty members Sheldon Jacobson and Emily Knox; graduate students Dusty Bacon and Imani Canton; the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab community engagement team; and the University of Illinois Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Clinic.

An extended strike by Chicago public school teachers seems unlikely thanks to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s union credentials, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois and co-author of the 2016 book “A Fight for the Soul of Public Education: The Story of the Chicago Teachers Strike.”

Offering certain baccalaureate degrees through community colleges could be a game-changer for the state's workforce and underserved students, says Lorenzo Baber, director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Debra Flessner was selected as the 2024 Office Professional of the Year by the Illinois Administrative Professionals at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The office administrator for System Offices Shared Services, Flessner is the 32nd recipient of the annual award. 

Sociology professor Stefan Vogler at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a co-author of a new American Civil Liberties Union research report, “Policing Progress: Findings from a National Survey of LGBTQ+ People’s Experiences with Law Enforcement.”

Di Lan Johnson, a junior in global studies, was awarded the Boren scholarship and plans to study in Taiwan for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Jeanne Gang, an internationally renowned architect, graduated from the university in 1986 with a degree in architecture. Here's the transcript of her 2024 Commencement speech.

Three University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professors have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of a scientist's highest professional honors. Physics professor Chen-Yu Liu, biochemistry professor emeritus Steve Sligar and chemistry professor emeritus Ken Suslick are among 120 newly elected U.S. members and 24 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Numerous states have enacted laws that redefine tenure and academic freedom protections at their universities. Carol Symes, a professor of history at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, discusses how these laws may fundamentally change teaching and research.

Dr. James Lowe, a professor of veterinary clinical medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, describes the factors that influence infection with the H5N1 virus in humans and other animals.