How Central Illinois became a hotbed for esports on high school, college levels

The following story was published by The State Journal-Register on Nov. 25, 2024.

"Players can also take the intramural route at University of Illinois Springfield, which has a sleek, new arena at Founders Residence Hall. The UIS teams compete in the National Esports Collegiate Conference, separate from IC鈥檚 Midwest Valley Esports Conference and Midwest Esports Conference.

It may be more relaxed, but that鈥檚 only true to an extent.

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天美传媒s win $10K in business pitch competition

The following story was published by the Springfield Business Journal on Nov. 1, 2024.

"A group of five University of Illinois Springfield students won $10,000 in seed funding for their startup business, TredBase, during a pitch competition hosted by Innovate Springfield on Oct. 28. The competition featured three entrepreneurial teams pitching innovative ideas.

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天美传媒s collect 9,074 pounds of food for Central Illinois Foodbank

The following story was reported by WICS-TV 20 on Oct. 28, 2024.

"University of Illinois Springfield students collected 9,074 pounds of food and grocery items during the annual Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods event on Sunday.

UIS says atotal of 10 teams, comprised of more than 130 students, went door-to-door in Springfield neighborhoods.

All items collected will be donated to Central Illinois Foodbank, which distributes supplies to food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21-county region."

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How to be a better news consumer during this election season

The following column by Jason Piscia, assistant professor and director of the UIS Public Affairs Reporting program, was published by the Illinois Times on Oct. 17, 2024.

"Have you heard anyone say recently 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait for this election to be over?鈥 Have you said it?

The feeling is understandable. The nonstop, mean-spirited social media posts, advertisements and political commentary can be exhausting.

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Illinois Innocence Project honors International Wrongful Conviction Day

The following story was reported by WAND-TV on Oct. 2, 2024.

"Today is International Wrongful Conviction Day and the team at the Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) recognized the day by placing 3,588 flags into the ground, each representing a person who was wrongfully convicted and exonerated in the United States since 1989.

Of those flags, 555, or 15%, represent individuals from Illinois who were exonerated.

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UIS named top public regional university Illinois for 6th year by U.S. News & World Report

The following story was reported by WICS-TV 20 on Sept. 24, 2024.

"The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) has been named the top public regional university in Illinois for the sixth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report.

The 2025 Best Colleges rankings, released today, also rank UIS as the seventh-best public regional university in the Midwest.

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Student numbers at UIS remain stable, freshmen enrollment up

The following story was published by Capitol City Now/WTAX on Sept. 11, 2024.

"After the first 10 days of classes, University of Illinois Springfield enrollment remains stable for Fall Semester 2024 with 4,628 students enrolled, compared to 4,661 students last year. Notably, the number of new first-year freshmen, first-time transfer students and online students increased.

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From Pulitzer Prize winners to Grammy winners: 11 notable UIS alumni

The following story was published by The State Journal-Register on Sept. 5, 2024.

"University of Illinois Springfield students are back in class, and you never know who will go on to accomplish big time things once they graduate.

For instance, some of the school's most noteworthy alumni range from a Grammy winner to Pulitzer Prize recipients.

The list includes former students from Sangamon State University, which was established in 1969. SSU merged with 天美传媒 system in 1995.

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