The Business Intelligence Group (BIG), a student consultancy group associated with Associate Professor Yoo-Seong Song's Applied Business Research class (IS 514), has expanded its size and scope this year. In addition to graduate students, BIG now welcomes iSchool undergraduates to serve as consultants.

Sohyun An, professor of social studies education at Kennesaw State University, will deliver the 2023 Gryphon Lecture on March 20. Sponsored annually by the Center for Children's Books (CCB), the lecture features a leading scholar in the field of youth and literature, media, and culture.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, the iSchool launched its Postdoctoral Research Associate Program. The goal of this program is to prepare candidates for tenure-track assistant professor or other appointments inside and outside of academia. The cohort has grown to five postdocs, and applications are currently being accepted for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Penny Ames, admissions and records coordinator, has been selected as the winner of the 2023 Graduate College Excellence Award for Graduate Contacts. The award is given annually as part of the Graduate College's Annual Workshop for Directors of Graduate Study and Graduate Contacts. It recognizes staff members whose service has exceeded expectations in enhancing graduate students' experiences and has positively impacted their graduate program or department's operations.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 10,000 full-time school librarian positions have been lost nationwide over the past two decades. This loss is especially felt by students, since research suggests that reading, writing, and graduation rates improve where schools employ certified school librarians. Thanks to a new program cosponsored by the iSchool and Chicago Public Schools (CPS), five school libraries that had been shuttered for five or more years now have a school librarian in place, with more to come.

In an article recently published in the NACADA Journal, PhD Coordinator for Student and Academic Affairs Katelyn Talbott shares her research on online career change master's degree students. The article is the offshoot of Talbott’s PhD dissertation, which explored the motivations for career change for students enrolled in an online MS degree program and what advising services, career development services, and admissions services these students used while enrolled.

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2022 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2023. The award is cosponsored by SAGE Publishing.

Amber Holmes joined the iSchool this month as assistant director of academic affairs. In her new position, she will support Academic Affairs, playing a key role in scheduling the curricula across all degree programs and collaborating with Student Affairs to balance program needs with instructor preferences.

One of the iSchool's student organizations is celebrating a special anniversary this year—the Special Libraries Association chapter at the University of Illinois (SLA@UIUC) is turning fifty. The chapter's mission is to support and empower iSchool graduate students with specialized interests in librarianship. The organization provides a community and resources that promote learning and professional development and offers students a chance to connect with peers and working professionals who share their specific interests.

Lauryn Lehman joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of undergraduate affairs on January 9. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support to students in the BS in information sciences (BSIS) and BSIS + Data Science (BSIS+DS) programs.

Kiona Kittl joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of undergraduate programs on December 19. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support to students in the BS in information sciences (BSIS) and BSIS + Data Science (BSIS+DS) programs.

Kristina Intinarelli joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of graduate affairs on December 19. In this position, she will provide academic advising and support to students in the MS in library and information science program as well as develop and facilitate programs, workshops, orientations, and other resources for graduate students.

Jacob Hagman joined the iSchool as academic advisor and coordinator of graduate affairs on December 12. In this position, he will provide academic advising and support to students in the MS in information management and MS in bioinformatics degree programs.

Danielle Wilberg has joined the iSchool as director of corporate and foundation relations. In her new role, Wilberg will be identifying and collaborating with businesses and foundations to develop mutually beneficial partnerships that support the School's mission.

Christine Hopper, assistant to the dean, was named Boss of the Year by Illinois Administrative Professionals (IAP, formerly known as The Secretariat), an organization for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign employees in certain Civil Service classifications. She was recognized at a special IAP event on October 19.

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.