UIS celebrates a year of achievement in enrollment, innovation, and facility projects
There’s an ancient proverb associated with the Native American Hopi Tribe, known to be one of the oldest living cultures in history, that captures the power of collaboration in the simplest of terms:
“One finger cannot lift a pebble.”
For me, this certainly still holds true today. Since beginning my time as UIS chancellor in 2022, I have shared my firm belief that you get a lot more accomplished as a team than you do single-handedly, and it has been so rewarding to see our hardworking faculty and staff at the University of Illinois Springfield work together to produce some amazing results for our students and our community.
Recently, we shared on UIS.edu our annual “Seven Star Successes” for 2023 — a look back at some of the top highlights of the closing year. None of these accomplishments would have been possible or as fruitful without a collaborative team working toward our primary goal: student success.
At the top of the list was our strong growth in enrollment for the fall 2023 semester. A total of 4,661 students enrolled in fall classes at UIS, an increase of 11% from fall 2022. This marked one full year of semester-over-semester enrollment growth (fall 2022, spring 2023, and summer 2023) and highlights our laser-focused efforts to attract new students and retain our current ones. A number of factors contributed to this — new programming, enhanced financial aid packaging, smarter marketing, etc. — and I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work every member of our university put in to ensure students have a meaningful educational experience, whether they learn on campus or online.
To further support our enrollment goals, we have launched some exciting new programs recently that will help us reach even more potential students. This summer, we announced that UIS will offer in-state tuition to out-of-state students from the St. Louis and Quad Cities areas starting in fall 2024 as part of a three-year pilot program. By implementing this program, UIS will be able to enhance our competitiveness with other universities in the region and expand access to a world-class education for students who may have been discouraged from enrolling at UIS by the cost of out-of-state tuition.
In October, we announced the Prairie Promise, a new four-year financial aid program for Illinois residents that will fully cover the cost of tuition and fees for first-time, first-year undergraduate students enrolled full-time in on-campus degree programs starting in fall 2024. This program will not only expand access to education but also help to close the achievement gap for many students from diverse backgrounds.
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We also received the exciting news that UIS has been awarded a five-year $2.25 million grant from the Department of Education that will allow us to implement more high-impact practices to attract and retain students. High-impact practices are teaching and learning practices that have been proven to enhance college retention, graduation rates, and career prospects for students, with a particular focus on those who have historically been underserved by higher education. As we work toward the shared goal of helping more first-generation, low-income, and historically marginalized students achieve their college degrees, this grant will be instrumental in providing additional resources to ensure their success.
Beyond our enrollment efforts, we have been progressing in our work to support innovation and workforce development. Most of our workforce development programming occurs through Innovate Springfield, our downtown business incubator. Late this summer, we hired Rob Kerr to serve as executive director of innovation and opportunity to push our innovation agenda forward, which will include an expanded downtown presence. We also hired Ben Hage as the director of Innovate Springfield and brought the Sangamon CEO program into the fold. Rob and Ben’s vision for workforce development and economic vitality is really exciting, and I can’t wait to see their goals become reality.
On campus, we have some exciting facility projects that recently were completed or are in the beginning stages.
Our new Orion Lab in the Health and Sciences Building is a high-tech research laboratory open to all faculty, staff, and students and includes equipment like 3D printers, laser cutters and engravers, computing, cyber security, and fabrication equipment. The lab was built to provide a hands-on learning environment where students can experiment with tools and materials to create physical objects. This type of experiential learning can help students develop problem-solving skills, creativity, and critical thinking skills. They also get to use specialized, industry-relevant machines that will give UIS students a competitive edge in the job market.
In September, we opened a new cutting-edge esports gaming arena that allows students to virtually compete against other collegiate teams in the United States. The addition of esports provides our students valuable skills they can use inside and outside of the classroom, as students involved in esports develop STEM-related strategic thinking, planning, and time management skills while also learning how to work well as a team.
And next year, we anticipate starting construction on the quad for the Library Commons, a new, vibrant, student-centric learning space. This facility will house our library, advising, tutoring, and IT services as well as plenty of spaces to study and collaborate.
The momentum we have at UIS is exciting, and hopefully contagious! I am confident that our community will continue to be proud of its capital-city university and all we have to offer. UIS is committed to being a strong contributor and collaborator with Springfield and the surrounding region, and the more successful we can be at fulfilling our mission, the more successful our graduates will be at being the changemakers our communities and world so greatly need.
Please continue to stay engaged with us. Our website and social media channels offer easy ways to connect with us and stay aware of the stellar achievements of your Prairie Stars!
Have a wonderful and prosperous new year, and on behalf of the UIS students, faculty, and staff, thank you for your ongoing support.
Janet Gooch is the chancellor of the University of Illinois Springfield.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: UIS chancellor outlines progress in enrollment, innovation, projects
