News Bureau

Brad Hedrick is interim director for the Division of Rehabilitation-Education Services and head coach of the men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams.

Charles Stites is a research animal scientist in the department of animal sciences. 

Susan Kies Roth is assistant dean of educational affairs in the College of Medicine.

Greg Peters is the assistant dining services director for housing, snack bars and vending operations.

Jonathan Ying is an assistant dean in the Office of the Dean of Students.

Lillian Morales earned a master's degree at the UI studying the work of Rembrandt, Monet and Jackson Pollock, but these days she earns a living by shooting photographs of (mostly) four-legged creatures at the UI veterinary clinics.

As assistant director of food services at the Illini Union, Rollie Smith makes sure that hundreds of thousands of meals served on the UI campus throughout the year are the best they can be. He has been in food service for 35 years, and 10 of those have been with the university.

Kathy Reiser is a field services coordinator with the UI Extension. From her office in Mumford Hall she keeps in touch with the academic professionals, staff members and volunteers who work in extension offices around the state.

Ken Beck is the staff musician for the UI's dance department.

Craig Cohen is producer and local host of National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" on WILL-AM (580).

Husband and wife Joe and Phyllis Williams have been UI building service workers for 20 and 23 years, respectively.

Faculty members and students who have had anything to do with UI correspondence courses probably know Susan Campanini, whose official title is that of coordinator of instructional development for the Guided Individual Study unit.

After working for 20 years at the UI, most of them in the Housing Division, electrician John DeHaven now specializes in setting up sound equipment for events around campus.

As staff secretary for the theater department, Cindy Hall says she does a little bit of everything, from making travel arrangements for staff members and guests to making sure that paychecks get delivered.

When visitors attend the Illinois State Fair Aug. 12 – 21 in Springfield, they'll likely see a booth for the College of Veterinary Medicine among the UI exhibits. One of the people who will have worked to create the booth is Beth Erwin, staff secretary for Vet Med's development office.

Since 1978, Margaret "Maggie" Agnew has been handing out towels in the locker room in the lower level of the Intramural Physical Education Building.

Betsy Kleiss originally intended to use her degree in physical education from Eastern Illinois University to teach P.E. But after graduating college and waiting for a teaching position to open, she took a job at the UI.

David Thiel, program director for WILL-Channel 12, is frequently seen by the public during the campaign drives when he appears on camera to make pitches for public support. Behind-the-scenes he scans thousands of potential shows each year, and in his free time treats himself to science fiction movies and TV shows, such as "Star Trek" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Don Hardin is the UI women's volleyball coach.

Kirk Zymkie is a coin machine mechanic for campus housing for more than 23 years. He's the vending division's only full-time fix-it man.

Gregg Homerding is the library technical assistant at the UI's newspaper library.

Rebecca McBride is associate director for marketing and patron services at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. 

Gaylon Reeves has been the business manager of the department of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering for two months. 

Nathaniel Banks is the director of the African American Cultural Program. He has been involved with the program since its inception 30 years ago, first as a student playing in its band, as a graduate program assistant, as its assistant director and then as the director since 1997.

One of the most familiar faces to longtimers on campus may be that of Carlos Donaldson, mail supervisor II. For 38 years, Donaldson has been making sure that UI faculty and staff members and students get their campus mail.

Susan Temmink Layton is the marketing assistant at the UI Press.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - How to connect with your kids - in particular in talking about substance abuse - will be the topic of a parenting workshop Jan. 22 (Saturday) at the University of Illinois.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Despite general reports of strength in the national economy, the Flash Economic Index for Illinois fell to 102.1 last month from 102.7 in November.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The College of Engineering has received a $2 million gift for endowed fellowships from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine, Iowa.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Study circles, hate groups and zero-tolerance policies aimed at curbing school violence are just a few of the topics that will be explored during the University of Illinois' third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Symposium.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The basics of using the Internet, insights into local nature, and music from opera to Sousa to beginning piano. All are among the choices this spring in noncredit courses and lecture series sponsored by the University of Illinois.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Will mankind survive the millennium?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Gender, genetics and aging are just a few of the general topics that will provide a springboard for more focused discussions by speakers participating in the Center for Advanced Study/MillerComm lecture series at the University of Illinois this spring.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Herbert S. Gutowsky, a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Illinois and a pioneer in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, died Jan. 13 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. He was 80 years old.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Several staff changes will be taking place later this spring in the Office of the Chancellor on the University of Illinois campus.

Becky Lauher is the crime prevention coordinator with the UI Police Department. 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Four University of Illinois students have been recognized for their outstanding architectural design work by the Copper Development Association (CDA), a national marketing group for copper producers.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Remote-controlled robots rescuing "hostages" while running an obstacle course, wild and wacky Rube Goldberg machines, and more than 150 exhibits ranging from spacecraft design to shape-memory metals are among the attractions awaiting visitors to the 80th annual Engineering Open House at the University of Illinois.

The University of Illinois Flash Economic Index rose slightly to 102.2 in January from its 102.1 level in December.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon will be the featured speaker at the University of Illinois Commencement ceremonies May 14.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Although fewer crimes against people occurred on the University of Illinois campus during the fall 1999 semester, police officials still are concerned about the numbers of aggravated assaults and batteries and robberies that put students in harm's way.

Joe Barron has been manager of the research farms for animal sciences since 1990.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - CNN political commentator Robert Novak will join three University of Illinois political science professors Feb. 22 in a free, public discussion about the value of presidential primaries.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - "We Are One" is the theme of this year's Black History Month at the University of Illinois.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scholars and other experts on Russia will meet at the University of Illinois next month to do some collective prognosticating on what results of that nation's March 26 presidential elections may hold in store for the Russian people and the world.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - For centuries, ethnic, religious and political differences have divided the various groups of people who inhabit the Balkans, yet many of the Balkan people remain linked by shared aspects of musical heritage. That heritage will be celebrated during the Balkan Relief Benefit Concert Feb. 22 at the University of Illinois.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Fifteen graduate and undergraduate students in the University of Illinois School of Architecture were honored for scholastic excellence during the 1999 fall semester. A total of $2,150 in fellowships, scholarships and prizes was presented.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Showcases that typically display rare and priceless Bibles now are featuring scriptures of another kind - the scripture according to daytime television.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Want to get your hands on a strand of real DNA? Visitors can pretend to be a molecular scientist March 3-4 at one of several exhibits that reflect the "Beyond 2000" theme of this year's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Open House at the University of Illinois.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Today's college students are expecting more from their residence-hall experiences than ever before. And at the University of Illinois, student needs are being met through a number of innovative housing plans.