PhD student Courtney Richardson has been selected as a Publicly Active Graduate Education (PAGE) fellow by Imagining America (IA), a consortium that "brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory 'America' and world." Fellows are selected for their creative and intentional commitment to public engagement and unique approach to engaged scholarship.

Leep student Tobias Paul is the recipient of the Sarah Rebecca Reed Scholarship from Beta Phi Mu, the international honor society for library and information studies. The scholarship provides financial support for a beginning student at an LIS program accredited by the American Library Association. Paul earned their bachelor’s degrees in professional writing and political science from Miami University in May 2020. Paul's interest in librarianship dates back to high school, when they worked as a student page at their local library. 

Leep student Marian Ekweogwu is the recipient of the 2020-2021 Diversity Scholarship from Atla, a professional organization committed to advancing the study of religion and theology. The scholarship, worth $4,000, includes the option of a travel grant to attend and participate in the Atla annual conference.

Associate Professor Masooda Bashir has received a $150,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS LG-246404-OLS-20) for her project, "Securing our Public Libraries: A Forum on Privacy and Security." The project seeks to identify the existence and absence of privacy protecting technologies (software and/or hardware) in public library systems.

Tamara Roosevelt, senior grants and contracts coordinator at the iSchool, has received the Outstanding Service Award from Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (SPaRC), a working group at the University of Illinois devoted to the management and administration of sponsored programs. She was presented with the award at the SPaRC Retreat on September 4.

Senior Lecturer Sharon Comstock has been named to the first roster for the Public Library Data Alliance (PLDA) by the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) and the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). Representing an array of stakeholders, this group will continue the work of the COSLA's Measures that Matter initiative.

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program awarded $20 million to the Center for Digital Agriculture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) for the new Artificial Intelligence for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management, and Sustainability (AIFARMS) Institute. The program, a joint effort between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture was created in response to the White House's 2019 update to the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan, which aims to provide support for AI research that focuses on impacting and improving society. iSchool Associate Professor Jingrui He is one of the researchers involved in the AIFARMS Institute.

Inkyung Choi and David Hopping have been promoted to the position of teaching assistant professor, effective August 16, 2020. Choi and Hopping joined the iSchool in August 2019 as a lecturer and visiting lecturer, respectively.

MS/LIS student Jonathan Puckett has been selected as a recipient of the Sherrill Carlson Fellowship by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The fellowship, worth $35,000, is one of two national awards given by the society to the top-ranked nominee in the humanities and the arts.

Academic Advisor Katelyn Talbott has been named Outstanding New Advising Professional by IlliAAC, a professional development organization for student and academic affairs staff at the University of Illinois. The award recognizes outstanding academic advising by a University of Illinois employee and IlliAAC member with less than three years of experience. Talbott, who primarily advises MS/LIS students, joined the iSchool in January 2019.