The iSchool at Illinois announces the appointment of three tenure-track faculty, Jiaqi Ma, Meicen Sun, and Haohan Wang, and four specialized faculty, Brandon Batzloff, David Charles, Renee Hendricks, and Adam Rusch.
Two projects with iSchool connections are among the ten proposals that will receive a total of $14.2 million over the next three years as part of the University of Illinois Investment for Growth program. Since the program was created in 2018, the University has invested more than $78 million to provide seed funding for projects that generate revenue, advance the University's mission, and address areas of high and emerging student demand.
In 2022, Illinois became the first state in the nation to mandate the teaching of Asian American community history in public elementary and secondary high schools. The Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act ensures that every K-12 student in Illinois learns about the contributions of Asian Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States. To mark the implementation of this act, the Center for Children's Books (CCB) is hosting a series of events for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Forty-four iSchool instructors were named in the University's List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent for Spring 2022. The rankings are released every semester, and results are based on the Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) questionnaire forms maintained by Measurement and Evaluation in the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Only those instructors who gave out ICES forms during the semester and who released their data for publication are included in the list.
Eugene L. Moore has joined the iSchool as assistant dean for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. In his new position, he will provide professional expertise, strategic leadership, administrative oversight, and collaborative guidance to advance the School's DEIA mission and initiatives.
Talia Shaw has joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of graduate affairs. In this position, she will primarily provide academic advising and support to MS/LIS students as well as develop and facilitate programming/workshops, review applications for admission, and create new resources in collaboration with Student Affairs colleagues.
Professor Emerita Kathryn (Kathie) Luther Henderson passed away at home on August 18. She was determinedly independent until the start of her final illness on her 99th birthday.
Thirteen iSchool master's students have been named 2022-2023 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. Since 1997, the Spectrum Scholarship Program has promoted diversity among graduate-level students pursuing degrees in library and information studies through ALA-accredited programs.
Katrina Hagler joined the iSchool on August 8 as director of recruitment and admissions. In this position, she will oversee recruiting and admissions for the School's degree programs.
Penny Ames, admissions and records coordinator, is among the eight civil service employees from across the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have been named recipients of the 2022 Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award. Each recipient of the Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award receives $1,000 and a plaque. Recipients' names also are engraved on a plaque displayed in the Illinois Human Resources Office.
