Follow the department on social media!

Important Dates and Deadlines

TODAY!
April 12: Deadline to DROP a 2nd-8-week course

If you are expecting to participate in the English & Creative Writing Convocation on May 11 and you have not yet registered (remember, this is different from putting yourself on the degree list) please email englishadvising@illinois.edu right away and let us know. All information is available here.

Fall Semester Schedule Updates

A new version of the FA24 Cheat Sheet is available on the website!

Upcoming Literary Events

Check out details here!
4/18:  CW Awards Reading | 4:30 | Illini Union 314A 
4/25:  Corey Van Landingham book release w/ John Dudek | 5:30 | Analog Wine bar 
5/4:   (Saturday)  MFA Final Public Reading | 1:00 | Illini Union 210 

Upcoming LAS Career Services Events

Career Services Events (open to all students)
Global Professional Spotlight Series (Online), April 12, 12 pm to 1 pm. (Link in Handshake)

FOR SENIORS: Job Search Jumpstart Lab, April 16, 11-1 pm in 107 Greg Hall – Come with your questions, your laptop, your resume or cover letter drafts, and any concerns that have been holding you back from seeking that first post-college job. Meet other Seniors who are wrestling with the same challenges (you are not alone). Our staff will be on hand during this 2-hour open session (come as long as you need) to answer questions, make suggestions, review drafts, or just help you get started. Lunch will be provided, with veggie options available. PLEASE register in Handshake to order the correct amount of food! (Signing up means you get an email reminder.)

Library Pop-Up Traveling Bookmobile

Looking for more fun things to read? The University Library is going on tour with some must-reads from genres like Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Romance and Contemporary, Horror and Suspense, and Poetry and Memoir. Join us from 11 AM to 3 PM at our different pop-up locations! Bring your iCard and check out your next read!

Climate and Crisis, 1660-1820: April 19-20 @ Levis Faculty Center

Culture Talk, Joy Harjo & Jenny L. Davis

Featuring Joy Harjo (23rd United States Poet Laureate; member of the Muscogee [Creek] Nation) and Jenny L.  Davis (American Indian Studies and Anthropology; member of the Chickasaw Nation). Join us in person or live stream the event.

Date & Time: Apr 23, 2024 @7:30 pm  

Location: In person at Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts OR Live Stream

About the Speakers

Joy Harjo 

In 2019, Joy Harjo was appointed the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold the position and only the second person to serve three terms in the role. Harjo’s nine books of poetry include Weaving Sundown in a Scarlett Light, An American Sunrise, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems, and She Had Some Horses. She is also the author of two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior, which invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her “poet-warrior” road. She has edited several anthologies of Native American writing including When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through — A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry, and Living Nations, Living Words, the companion anthology to her signature poet laureate project. Her many writing awards include the 2024 Frost Medal for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Society of America, the 2022 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2019 Jackson Prize from Poets & Writers, the Ruth Lilly Prize from the Poetry Foundation, the 2015 Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and is artist-in-residence for the Bob Dylan Center. A renowned musician, Harjo performs with her saxophone nationally and internationally; her most recent album is I Pray For My Enemies. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Jenny L. Davis

Jenny L. Davis is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and an Associate Professor of Anthropology and American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where she is the director of the American Indian Studies Program and co-director of the Center for Indigenous Science. She is the co-editor of the Studies in Language and Gender series at Oxford University Press.

Her research interests sit at the intersections of Indigenous language futurism (including language reclamation & revitalization); Queer Indigenous Studies; Speculative fiction and poetry; NAGPRA & repatriation; and collaborative/community-based methods. Her research has been published in the Annual Review of Anthropology, American Anthropologist, Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Gender & Language, Language & Communication, Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals, the American Journal of Biological Anthropology, and The Routledge Companion to Publicly Engaged Humanities Scholarship (forthcoming), among others. She is the recipient of two book prizes: the 2019 Beatrice Medicine Award from the Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures for Talking Indian: Identity and Language Revitalization in the Chickasaw Renaissance (University of Arizona Press, 2018) and the 2014 Ruth Benedict Book Prize from the Association for Queer Anthropology and the American Anthropological Association for her co-edited volume Queer Excursions: Retheorizing Binaries in Language, Gender, and Sexuality (Oxford University Press, 2014).

IBC Positions for Resume-Building

Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) is seeking highly motivated and detail-oriented students from any college who are interested in marketing, photo and video production, alumni relations, or event planning. These are unpaid positions, but they don’t expect the work will take any more than 10 hours a week (and can be flexible depending on students’ academic schedules), and these are opportunities that will provide students with tangible experiences that they can reflect back on when building their resumes or interviewing for employment post-graduation. Additionally, participating students will be full members of IBC, an organization that provides its members with multiple opportunities for personal and professional growth!

• Alumni Operations and Engagement Coordinator: https://illinois.joinhandshake.com/edu/jobs/8823113
• Media Production Specialist: https://illinois.joinhandshake.com/edu/jobs/8823081
• Marketing Associate: https://illinois.joinhandshake.com/edu/jobs/8823025/details

Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing

Upcoming Performance by WYW

Don’t forget these!

FALL COURSE: WRIT 300

Students must successfully complete this course to become a paid undergraduate consultant with the Writers Workshop.

Fulbright Scholarship Opportunities

Interested in research, teaching, or graduate study abroad? The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards 2,000 scholarships annually for students to conduct research, teach English, or pursue graduate study in 140 countries. For over ten years, the University of Illinois has been a top producers of Fulbright U.S. student awards. Apply to be a 2025 awardee! 

Eligibility
Current juniors, seniors, and recent alumni in all academic disciplines, who are U.S. citizens, are eligible to apply. 

The Fulbright Scholarship funds 1 year of research, teaching, or graduate study. The selection committee rates candidates based on their academic or professional qualifications, language skills, evidence of maturity, motivation, adaptability to a different cultural environment, knowledge of the host country, and the impression a candidate will make abroad as a citizen representing the U.S. 

Deadline 
The priority deadline for undergraduates and recent alumni is June 24, 2024.
The required campus deadline is August 26, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. (noon).

Fulbright Personal Statement Workshops:

Online –Monday, April 15, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Register HERE
In Person – Tuesday, April 16, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.- Rm IUB 514

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Workshops:

Online – Tuesday, April 23, 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – Register HERE
In Person – Wednesday, April 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Rm IUB 514

Fulbright Research & Graduate Study Workshops:

Online – Friday, May 3, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Register HERE

Need Academic Support?

I-Connect Experience

Summer Course Sneak Peek

Illinois Student Undergraduate Research Journal (ILSURJ)

Illinois Student Undergraduate Research Journal (ILSURJ) are looking for Copy Editors, Content Editors, Layout Specialists/Graphic Designers, and Public Relations Staff.

ILSURJ has been established for the purpose of advancing undergraduate research in all disciplines at the University of Illinois. Through the biannual publication of student research in both print and electronic format, ILSURJ showcases the dynamic nature of undergraduate inquiry on campus. Our goal is to build bridges between undergraduate and graduate students, faculty among varying disciplines, and the public. 

Through our peer-edited, faculty-reviewed electronic and print publications, we strive to develop and display the work produced by our high-achieving undergraduate researchers in all academic disciplines in the spirit of development towards professional research. We aim to inspire interest in research and individual curiosity throughout the student body, faculty, and surrounding community. To review the roles available check out the application below!

APPLY NOW!

New Student & Family Experiences is hiring Orientation Leaders

New Student and Family Experiences is looking for undergraduate students to serve as Orientation Leaders to help us welcome our Fall 2024 new students!  The position description and link to apply are below.

The OL position is designed to offer students the opportunity to implement orientation programming for new first year students and family members. OLs should be knowledgeable about the University of Illinois and have a desire to help new students have a successful transition. OLs attend a paid spring training session to help prepare them to be student leaders for New Student & Family Experience events. All OLs will assist at various events such as International Student Orientation, Fall Orientation/Welcome Days and various other orientation programs. Opportunities for continued fall/spring OL work will also be available. More information will be provided at training. The hourly rate for the OL position is $15.

APPLY NOW: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/438108272

Spring 2024 WRC Book Clubs

LAS Career Services Spring Programming

Call for Submissions

You are invited to submit your work to the Madison Journal of Literary Criticism for the Spring 2024 Dream Edition! This edition will encompass what it means to “dream of more,” which includes both contemplating future aspirations and reimagining in a multitude of constructed contexts. Whether it entails the past, present, future, systems, institutions, relationships, methodologies, holidays, politics, fashion, education, emotions…we live in a world of constructs. To break away from these constructs, we dream of something new, something kinder, something better. This edition focuses on how those dreams take shape and will showcase the collective desire—and manifestation—of change that transcends the limits of our current reality. This edition we hope to publish criticism: academic, poetic, in the medium of art or prose or short stories. We hope to have a loose theme as writers and creators are more than willing to interpret, define, and redefine the term however suits them best, so the submitted work does not have to explicitly tie to abolition or social justice. We welcome nuanced perspectives and multiple interpretations, so please submit! 

For samples of work previously published : View MJLC’s Past Editions

If you have any questions, please direct them to mjlc@rso.wisc.edu

Follow the department on social media!

Important Dates and Deadlines

As always, if you would like to schedule an advising appointment with Anna or Keshia, please CALL the office at 217-333-4346. We are happy to answers questions via email (englishadvising@illinois.edu) but complex matters require an appointment (in person or virtual).

Carr Visiting Author Series: Jessamine Chan

Author’s Corner: Illini Union Bookstore
Mar 7, 2024, 4:30 pm

Jessamine Chan’s short stories have appeared in Tin House and Epoch. A former reviews editor at Publishers Weekly, she holds an MFA from Columbia University. Her work has received support from the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Wurlitzer Foundation, Jentel, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, the Anderson Center, VCCA, and Ragdale. Her first novel, The School for Good Mothers, is a New York Times bestseller and a Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club pick. She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.

Spring Creative Writing Contests DEADLINE TODAY!

Deadline: Noon, Thursday, February 29, 2024
The English Department is pleased to announce its annual undergraduate literary competitions in Short Fiction and Poetry. Prizes range from $100 to $1500 with multiple awards in each category.

Contest rules are as follows:
Short Fiction: Submit no more than one unpublished story (7500 words, maximum length)
Poetry: Submit up to 5 unpublished poems in a single document.

To be considered for a prize, submissions must adhere to the following rules:

• All submissions must be sent via email as an attachment to: jdudek4@illinois.edu.
• The subject line of your email message must read as follows: “UNDERGRAD POETRY: Last name” or “UNDERGRAD FICTION: Last name”
• If you enter in both categories (poetry and fiction), you will need to send separate emails.
• In the body of your email, please include your:
  • name
  • address
  • phone number
  • e-mail address
  • status (grad or undergrad)
  • UIN

This year, we are also able to offer new scholarships worth $1000 in both Fiction and Poetry. These scholarships will be distributed to students based on merit, with preference given to students displaying financial need and who graduated from an Illinois high school.

If you would like to be considered for one of these scholarships, please include the following along with the information above:

• a brief note on your financial need
• the name of the Illinois high school from which you graduated

Your entry itself is to be contained in one attached .docx file. The name of this file must be the contest category followed by your last name, such as “FICTION JONES.docx” or “POETRY JONES.docx” Your name should not appear within the document itself.

Winners will be announced April 1. Please direct any questions to John Dudek, Associate Director of Creative Writing at jdudek4@illinois.edu.

Invitation! ISSS Intercultural Spotlight Series

UI-CON is happening THIS WEEKEND!

Don’t forget, UI-CON is being held at the Illini Union on March 2nd & 3rd, 2024!

This is Chambana’s first-ever Comic and Anime Convention, and you can register for FREE!

UI-CON aims to provide a free convention for Central Illinois residents through the efforts of various UIUC RSOs. This includes JAC (Japanese Anime Club), CDL (Cosplay Design League), Character Creation Hub (CCH), and many more. Our convention focuses on anime, comics, and WEBTOON. We aim to provide opportunities to students and local artists to sell their art and products, make new connections, and support fan culture in Central Illinois, especially for students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With the help of the UIUC English Department, this free convention is hosting a wide variety of events, such as performances, a cosplay contest, and a huge hall for artists and vendors. We are also collaborating with multiple high-scale entities such as video game developers, voice actors, and WEBTOON.

Check out all our special events and our latest news announcements here!

https://www.ui-con.org

Beinecke Scholarship DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Looking to gain a graduate degree (PhD or MFA) in the arts, humanities, or social sciences?  If so, the Beinecke Scholarship is a merit- and need-based scholarship that can fund you! 

Eligibility
Juniors who are U.S. citizens, who have received need-based financial aid at UIUC, and who are pursuing a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences are eligible to apply. 

The Beinecke Scholarship provides $5,000 to recipients immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. 

The Beinecke seeks students with demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement, and personal promise. Students who have taken a breadth of coursework (not just artistic performance classes) and who seek a terminal degree (PhD or MFA) in the arts, humanities, and social sciences are prioritized. While eligible, applications for professional degrees such as law or business are generally not competitive. Applicants should have received need-based financial aid at Illinois and be dependent on financial assistance to attend graduate school. 

Get tips about applying from recent Illinois Beinecke Scholars.

The required campus deadline is March 4, 2024, at 12:00pm (noon).

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

Gilman Scholarships DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Are you a Pell grant recipient who wants to study abroad or do an international internship? If so, the Gilman Scholarship is for you!

Eligibility
Freshmen through Seniors who are U.S. citizens or nationals, Pell grant recipients, in good academic standing, and will be participating in a credit-bearing study abroad program or international internship are eligible to apply. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship provides enrolled students, who are Pell grant recipients, up to $5,000 for either study abroad or an internship abroad. If you plan to study a language critical to U.S. national security while abroad, you can apply for an additional $3,000. If you plan to conduct STEM-related research while studying abroad, you can apply for an additional $1,000.   

Get tips about applying from recent Illinois Gilman Scholars.

Deadline 
The national deadline is March 7, 2024.

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

Quad Fellowship PRIORITY DEADLINE APPROACHING!

The Quad Fellowship provides $40,000 for students who will pursue (or are currently enrolled in) a master’s or Ph.D. degree in a STEM discipline at any U.S. university.

Eligibility
Seniors who will be enrolled in a U.S. graduate program in the fall of 2024 and who are citizens or legal residents of Australia, India, Japan, the United States, or any ASEAN country (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam) are eligible to apply. 

The Quad Fellowship sponsors exceptional master’s and doctoral students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the United States. The fellowship develops a network of science and technology experts committed to advancing innovation and collaboration in the private, public, and academic sectors, in their own nations and among Quad countries. Quad Fellows develop knowledge of the societies and cultures of the participating countries through programming and networking opportunities with each country’s top scientists, technologists, and politicians. 

The scholarship is awarded to students who portray 1) Academic excellence in a STEM field, 2) Passion for the intersection of STEM and social impact, 3) Capacity to bridge differences between people, 4) Orientation towards results, and 5) Innovation and creativity.

Deadline 
The national deadline is April 1, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Application Preparation
If you are interested in applying, the National and International Scholarships Program (NIS) will gladly provide you feedback on your drafts. To learn more, visit topscholars. 

If you submit materials to NIS by March 7, 2024, at noon (priority deadline), university faculty and staff will also review your materials.

Humanities in Action (HIA) DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Get $1000 to learn, grow, and serve the community 

Interested in applying your humanities training to address a vital area of need in the Champaign-Urbana community? Apply to be a Fall 2024 Humanities in Action scholar. HIA Scholars receive $1000, training, and support for their participation in this semester-long service program. Complete applications are due March 8. View application details. 

A partnership between We CU and the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), HIA is intended to help remove some of the financial barriers that prevent humanities students from taking advantage of community engagement opportunities through the School of Social Work’s Community Learning Lab. Humanities in Action scholars work with community partners to serve the Champaign-Urbana community. Each student will receive $1000 over the course of the semester to support their participation in the program, which requires around a 4 hour per week time commitment. Past HIA scholars have developed long-term relationships with community organizations, leading to a variety of other opportunities beyond the program. 

Undergraduate Competition DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Image of Research – Undergraduate Competition
Deadline to enter: Tuesday, March 19
All undergraduate students are invited to enter the 2024 Image of Research competition. Students should submit a photo related to their research, scholarship, or creative work and a short (100-200 word) narrative to communicate the connection between the image and their research. Awards include 1st ($300), 2nd ($200), and People’s Choice ($100). All submissions will be celebrated at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Support for Undergraduate Research DEADLINE APPROACHING

Hiring Undergraduate Students for Pre-Health Ambassadors Position

The Pre-Health Team in The Career Center is looking to hire Pre-Health Student Ambassadors for the 2024-2025 school year. Please share the attached flyer to students who may be interested. For further information, see below. The deadline to apply is March 18. Please reach out to Grace Yun (yeyun2@illinois.edu) if you or your students have any questions. Thanks ahead of time! 

Here is the link to apply: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/668646164

Description: The Pre-Health Ambassadors provide assistance to The Career Center’s (TCC) Health Professions and Graduate School Preparation Team on projects related to preparation and application to health professional school programs (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, etc.). Ambassadors engage in both small and large projects while receiving continuous personalized professional development from TCC staff. They host information sessions, offer peer advising, and provide insights to prospective students and their families. We are looking for highly motivated students with diverse experiences to apply their knowledge and effectively communicate their experiences to students in the pre-health community.

Focus Group at The Career Center

Upcoming WGGP Events

NEW FILMMAKING RSO!

2nd 8-Week Courses (3 NRES Courses and 1 KIN course)

For students looking for second eight-week courses:

All classes are:

Taught by NRES faculty
Online, asynchronous, 3 credit hours
Approved to fulfill one or two General Education categories
Part of one or more NRES Minors or Certificates
 

NRES 100 – Fundamentals of Environmental Science

Format: online, asynchronous

General Education: Nat Sci & Tech – Phys Sciences

Description: Introduction to environmental sciences and current environment issues. Topics include population growth, world food supplies, agriculture and the environment, biodiversity, fossil fuels and “green” energy issues, endangered and threatened species, water use, conservation and pollution, global warming, acid rain, ozone depletion, waste management and reduction, recycling, toxins and health, mineral resources, and environmental policies and regulations. Course addresses the complex relationships between the human race and the natural systems that contain our air, water, energy, and biotic and food resources.

NOTE: For students who may be interested in changing majors to NRES, this course will fulfill the NRES 102 major core requirement.

Minor: Natural Resource Conservation

Certificate: Natural Resource Conservation

NRES 101 – Wildlife Conservation 21st Century

Format: online, asynchronous

General Education: Nat Sci & Tech – Life Sciences

Description: This course is an introduction to the conservation, diversity, and ecology of animals. The diversity of fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds both around the world and in Illinois will be explored. The course will have a strong conservation component where students are introduced to a variety of threats facing animals. The students will be introduced to how to manage sustainable wildlife populations. The students will be exposed to current issues in Illinois to illustrate how people and animals can co-occur and a broad overview of the management, restoration, and conservation techniques.

NRES 105 – Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Systems

Format: online, asynchronous

General Education: Nat Sci & Tech – Life Sciences and Quantitative Reasoning II

Description: Examines the response of ecological systems to climate change by drawing on multiple lines of evidence from the past and present. Topics include species range shifts, timing of biological events, ecosystem function, and feedbacks. The implications for conservation, as well as approaches to mitigating and adapting to climate change, are also explored. Computer-based exercises are used to enhance quantitative reasoning skills and build climate and ecological literacy.

Careers in Human Resources

Need Academic Support?

I-Connect Experience

Summer Course Sneak Peek

Illinois Student Undergraduate Research Journal (ILSURJ)

Illinois Student Undergraduate Research Journal (ILSURJ) are looking for Copy Editors, Content Editors, Layout Specialists/Graphic Designers, and Public Relations Staff.

ILSURJ has been established for the purpose of advancing undergraduate research in all disciplines at the University of Illinois. Through the biannual publication of student research in both print and electronic format, ILSURJ showcases the dynamic nature of undergraduate inquiry on campus. Our goal is to build bridges between undergraduate and graduate students, faculty among varying disciplines, and the public. 

Through our peer-edited, faculty-reviewed electronic and print publications, we strive to develop and display the work produced by our high-achieving undergraduate researchers in all academic disciplines in the spirit of development towards professional research. We aim to inspire interest in research and individual curiosity throughout the student body, faculty, and surrounding community. To review the roles available check out the application below!

APPLY NOW!

Online Middle Grades Graduate Certificate

The Middle Grades Graduate Certificate program at the College of Education provides a pathway for non-teachers to earn their teaching license in the state of Illinois. This Graduate Certificate (CERT) program is offered with endorsement options in two areas (Literacy and Science) and culminates with licensure to teach learners in grades 5-8. Candidates who have completed a bachelor’s degree in a relevant content area are eligible for this program (NOTE: This program is most suitable for students with undergraduate degrees in English or science). Graduates of the Middle Grades Certificate program may also apply their coursework toward a master’s degree in the College of Education. The deadline to apply for the Summer 2024 cohort is March 15^th. 

New Student & Family Experiences is hiring Orientation Leaders

New Student and Family Experiences is looking for undergraduate students to serve as Orientation Leaders to help us welcome our Fall 2024 new students!  The position description and link to apply are below.

The OL position is designed to offer students the opportunity to implement orientation programming for new first year students and family members. OLs should be knowledgeable about the University of Illinois and have a desire to help new students have a successful transition. OLs attend a paid spring training session to help prepare them to be student leaders for New Student & Family Experience events. All OLs will assist at various events such as International Student Orientation, Fall Orientation/Welcome Days and various other orientation programs. Opportunities for continued fall/spring OL work will also be available. More information will be provided at training. The hourly rate for the OL position is $15.

APPLY NOW: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/438108272

Don’t forget these!

Spring 2024 WRC Book Clubs

Voyager Scholarship

Have you demonstrated a commitment to public service? Do you plan to purse a career in public service upon graduation?  If so, the Voyager Scholarship is for you!

Eligibility
U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA recipients who are entering their junior year (will be a junior in the Fall 2024), with a 3.0+ GPA and demonstrated financial need are eligible to apply. 

The Voyager Scholarship (Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service) is awarded to students focused on public service careers. A career in public service includes a range of occupations in government, non-profits or the private sector, from community organizing to social work and from entrepreneurship to the arts—all committed to solving our biggest challenges together. It provides up to $80,000 toward your education ($25,000/yr of financial aid for junior and senior year, $10,000 for a summer experience, and $2,000 annually for 10 years for travel). 

Learn about recent Illinois Voyager Scholars.

Deadline 
The final submittal deadline is in March 2024, the date is TBA.

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

LAS Career Services Spring Programming

Call for Submissions

You are invited to submit your work to the Madison Journal of Literary Criticism for the Spring 2024 Dream Edition! This edition will encompass what it means to “dream of more,” which includes both contemplating future aspirations and reimagining in a multitude of constructed contexts. Whether it entails the past, present, future, systems, institutions, relationships, methodologies, holidays, politics, fashion, education, emotions…we live in a world of constructs. To break away from these constructs, we dream of something new, something kinder, something better. This edition focuses on how those dreams take shape and will showcase the collective desire—and manifestation—of change that transcends the limits of our current reality. This edition we hope to publish criticism: academic, poetic, in the medium of art or prose or short stories. We hope to have a loose theme as writers and creators are more than willing to interpret, define, and redefine the term however suits them best, so the submitted work does not have to explicitly tie to abolition or social justice. We welcome nuanced perspectives and multiple interpretations, so please submit! 

For samples of work previously published : View MJLC’s Past Editions

If you have any questions, please direct them to mjlc@rso.wisc.edu

Follow the department on social media!

Important Dates and Deadlines

As always, if you would like to schedule an advising appointment with Anna or Keshia, please CALL the office at 217-333-4346. We are happy to answers questions via email (englishadvising@illinois.edu) but complex matters require an appointment (in person or virtual).

Spring Creative Writing Contests

Deadline: Noon, Thursday, February 29, 2024
The English Department is pleased to announce its annual undergraduate literary competitions in Short Fiction and Poetry. Prizes range from $100 to $1500 with multiple awards in each category.

Contest rules are as follows:
Short Fiction: Submit no more than one unpublished story (7500 words, maximum length)
Poetry: Submit up to 5 unpublished poems in a single document.

To be considered for a prize, submissions must adhere to the following rules:

• All submissions must be sent via email as an attachment to: jdudek4@illinois.edu.
• The subject line of your email message must read as follows: “UNDERGRAD POETRY: Last name” or “UNDERGRAD FICTION: Last name”
• If you enter in both categories (poetry and fiction), you will need to send separate emails.
• In the body of your email, please include your:
  • name
  • address
  • phone number
  • e-mail address
  • status (grad or undergrad)
  • UIN

This year, we are also able to offer new scholarships worth $1000 in both Fiction and Poetry. These scholarships will be distributed to students based on merit, with preference given to students displaying financial need and who graduated from an Illinois high school.

If you would like to be considered for one of these scholarships, please include the following along with the information above:

• a brief note on your financial need
• the name of the Illinois high school from which you graduated

Your entry itself is to be contained in one attached .docx file. The name of this file must be the contest category followed by your last name, such as “FICTION JONES.docx” or “POETRY JONES.docx” Your name should not appear within the document itself.

Winners will be announced April 1. Please direct any questions to John Dudek, Associate Director of Creative Writing at jdudek4@illinois.edu.

ESA Upcoming Event

Spring 2024 WRC Book Clubs

Register for February sessions using the links provided:

House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, 3) by Sarah J. Maas
Discussion will take place on Friday, February 23 at 3 pm at the WRC. | Books will not be provided for this book club.  However, participants will receive book-related merch.

Research Park Career Fair

Monday, February 26, 2024
3-7 PM at Illinois Conference Center
1900 South First Street, Champaign

Career Fair Employer Registration

Handshake Student Registration 

The Research Park Career Fair is an opportunity for students at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign to connect with Research Park employers. This fair is an exclusive benefit for companies operating at the Research Park. In 2023, a record 800 students attended the Career Fair, connecting with employers on summer internships and year-round positions.

Get Help with Big Writing Projects

UI-CON is happening in March!

Don’t forget, UI-CON is being held at the Illini Union on March 2nd & 3rd, 2024!

This is Chambana’s first-ever Comic and Anime Convention, and you can register for FREE!

UI-CON aims to provide a free convention for Central Illinois residents through the efforts of various UIUC RSOs. This includes JAC (Japanese Anime Club), CDL (Cosplay Design League), Character Creation Hub (CCH), and many more. Our convention focuses on anime, comics, and WEBTOON. We aim to provide opportunities to students and local artists to sell their art and products, make new connections, and support fan culture in Central Illinois, especially for students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With the help of the UIUC English Department, this free convention is hosting a wide variety of events, such as performances, a cosplay contest, and a huge hall for artists and vendors. We are also collaborating with multiple high-scale entities such as video game developers, voice actors, and WEBTOON.

Check out all our special events and our latest news announcements here!

https://www.ui-con.org

I-Connect Experience

Invitation! ISSS Intercultural Spotlight Series

2nd 8-Week Courses (3 NRES Courses and 1 KIN course)

For students looking for second eight-week courses:

All classes are:

Taught by NRES faculty
Online, asynchronous, 3 credit hours
Approved to fulfill one or two General Education categories
Part of one or more NRES Minors or Certificates
 

NRES 100 – Fundamentals of Environmental Science

Format: online, asynchronous

General Education: Nat Sci & Tech – Phys Sciences

Description: Introduction to environmental sciences and current environment issues. Topics include population growth, world food supplies, agriculture and the environment, biodiversity, fossil fuels and “green” energy issues, endangered and threatened species, water use, conservation and pollution, global warming, acid rain, ozone depletion, waste management and reduction, recycling, toxins and health, mineral resources, and environmental policies and regulations. Course addresses the complex relationships between the human race and the natural systems that contain our air, water, energy, and biotic and food resources.

NOTE: For students who may be interested in changing majors to NRES, this course will fulfill the NRES 102 major core requirement.

Minor: Natural Resource Conservation

Certificate: Natural Resource Conservation

NRES 101 – Wildlife Conservation 21st Century

Format: online, asynchronous

General Education: Nat Sci & Tech – Life Sciences

Description: This course is an introduction to the conservation, diversity, and ecology of animals. The diversity of fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds both around the world and in Illinois will be explored. The course will have a strong conservation component where students are introduced to a variety of threats facing animals. The students will be introduced to how to manage sustainable wildlife populations. The students will be exposed to current issues in Illinois to illustrate how people and animals can co-occur and a broad overview of the management, restoration, and conservation techniques.

NRES 105 – Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Systems

Format: online, asynchronous

General Education: Nat Sci & Tech – Life Sciences and Quantitative Reasoning II

Description: Examines the response of ecological systems to climate change by drawing on multiple lines of evidence from the past and present. Topics include species range shifts, timing of biological events, ecosystem function, and feedbacks. The implications for conservation, as well as approaches to mitigating and adapting to climate change, are also explored. Computer-based exercises are used to enhance quantitative reasoning skills and build climate and ecological literacy.

Careers in Human Resources

Need Academic Support?

Support for Undergraduate Research

Summer Course Sneak Peek

Humanities in Action (HIA)

Get $1000 to learn, grow, and serve the community 

Interested in applying your humanities training to address a vital area of need in the Champaign-Urbana community? Apply to be a Fall 2024 Humanities in Action scholar. HIA Scholars receive $1000, training, and support for their participation in this semester-long service program. Complete applications are due March 8. View application details. 

Beinecke Scholarship

Looking to gain a graduate degree (PhD or MFA) in the arts, humanities, or social sciences?  If so, the Beinecke Scholarship is a merit- and need-based scholarship that can fund you! 

Eligibility
Juniors who are U.S. citizens, who have received need-based financial aid at UIUC, and who are pursuing a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences are eligible to apply. 

The Beinecke Scholarship provides $5,000 to recipients immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. 

The Beinecke seeks students with demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement, and personal promise. Students who have taken a breadth of coursework (not just artistic performance classes) and who seek a terminal degree (PhD or MFA) in the arts, humanities, and social sciences are prioritized. While eligible, applications for professional degrees such as law or business are generally not competitive. Applicants should have received need-based financial aid at Illinois and be dependent on financial assistance to attend graduate school. 

Get tips about applying from recent Illinois Beinecke Scholars.

The required campus deadline is March 4, 2024, at 12:00pm (noon).

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

Illinois Student Undergraduate Research Journal (ILSURJ)

Illinois Student Undergraduate Research Journal (ILSURJ) are looking for Copy Editors, Content Editors, Layout Specialists/Graphic Designers, and Public Relations Staff.

ILSURJ has been established for the purpose of advancing undergraduate research in all disciplines at the University of Illinois. Through the biannual publication of student research in both print and electronic format, ILSURJ showcases the dynamic nature of undergraduate inquiry on campus. Our goal is to build bridges between undergraduate and graduate students, faculty among varying disciplines, and the public. 

Through our peer-edited, faculty-reviewed electronic and print publications, we strive to develop and display the work produced by our high-achieving undergraduate researchers in all academic disciplines in the spirit of development towards professional research. We aim to inspire interest in research and individual curiosity throughout the student body, faculty, and surrounding community. To review the roles available check out the application below!

APPLY NOW!

Online Middle Grades Graduate Certificate

The Middle Grades Graduate Certificate program at the College of Education provides a pathway for non-teachers to earn their teaching license in the state of Illinois. This Graduate Certificate (CERT) program is offered with endorsement options in two areas (Literacy and Science) and culminates with licensure to teach learners in grades 5-8. Candidates who have completed a bachelor’s degree in a relevant content area are eligible for this program (NOTE: This program is most suitable for students with undergraduate degrees in English or science). Graduates of the Middle Grades Certificate program may also apply their coursework toward a master’s degree in the College of Education. The deadline to apply for the Summer 2024 cohort is March 15^th. 

Check Out Tuesday @ 7 Workshops

Each week, undergraduate Counseling Center paraprofessionals offer interactive workshops on topics relevant to other students. Please visit our website for login information and upcoming topics.

Here are our workshops for the month of February:

February 27 | Your Lucky Charm to Reduce Harm: Safe Substance Use During Unofficial | La Casa 104 

All workshops denoted with a (*) are held over Zoom. Click here to join the Zoom meeting or check out the meeting information below.

Meeting ID: 863 0232 2916
Password: T@7

New Student & Family Experiences is hiring Orientation Leaders

New Student and Family Experiences is looking for undergraduate students to serve as Orientation Leaders to help us welcome our Fall 2024 new students!  The position description and link to apply are below.

The OL position is designed to offer students the opportunity to implement orientation programming for new first year students and family members. OLs should be knowledgeable about the University of Illinois and have a desire to help new students have a successful transition. OLs attend a paid spring training session to help prepare them to be student leaders for New Student & Family Experience events. All OLs will assist at various events such as International Student Orientation, Fall Orientation/Welcome Days and various other orientation programs. Opportunities for continued fall/spring OL work will also be available. More information will be provided at training. The hourly rate for the OL position is $15.

APPLY NOW: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/438108272

Don’t forget these!

Voyager Scholarship

Have you demonstrated a commitment to public service? Do you plan to purse a career in public service upon graduation?  If so, the Voyager Scholarship is for you!

Eligibility
U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA recipients who are entering their junior year (will be a junior in the Fall 2024), with a 3.0+ GPA and demonstrated financial need are eligible to apply. 

The Voyager Scholarship (Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service) is awarded to students focused on public service careers. A career in public service includes a range of occupations in government, non-profits or the private sector, from community organizing to social work and from entrepreneurship to the arts—all committed to solving our biggest challenges together. It provides up to $80,000 toward your education ($25,000/yr of financial aid for junior and senior year, $10,000 for a summer experience, and $2,000 annually for 10 years for travel). 

Learn about recent Illinois Voyager Scholars.

Deadline 
The final submittal deadline is in March 2024, the date is TBA.

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

Gilman Scholarships

Are you a Pell grant recipient who wants to study abroad or do an international internship? If so, the Gilman Scholarship is for you!

Eligibility
Freshmen through Seniors who are U.S. citizens or nationals, Pell grant recipients, in good academic standing, and will be participating in a credit-bearing study abroad program or international internship are eligible to apply. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship provides enrolled students, who are Pell grant recipients, up to $5,000 for either study abroad or an internship abroad. If you plan to study a language critical to U.S. national security while abroad, you can apply for an additional $3,000. If you plan to conduct STEM-related research while studying abroad, you can apply for an additional $1,000.   

Get tips about applying from recent Illinois Gilman Scholars.

Deadline 
The national deadline is March 7, 2024.

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

LAS Career Services Spring Programming

Call for Submissions

You are invited to submit your work to the Madison Journal of Literary Criticism for the Spring 2024 Dream Edition! This edition will encompass what it means to “dream of more,” which includes both contemplating future aspirations and reimagining in a multitude of constructed contexts. Whether it entails the past, present, future, systems, institutions, relationships, methodologies, holidays, politics, fashion, education, emotions…we live in a world of constructs. To break away from these constructs, we dream of something new, something kinder, something better. This edition focuses on how those dreams take shape and will showcase the collective desire—and manifestation—of change that transcends the limits of our current reality. This edition we hope to publish criticism: academic, poetic, in the medium of art or prose or short stories. We hope to have a loose theme as writers and creators are more than willing to interpret, define, and redefine the term however suits them best, so the submitted work does not have to explicitly tie to abolition or social justice. We welcome nuanced perspectives and multiple interpretations, so please submit! 

For samples of work previously published : View MJLC’s Past Editions

If you have any questions, please direct them to mjlc@rso.wisc.edu

Image of Research-Undergraduate Competition

Image of Research – Undergraduate Competition
Deadline to enter: Tuesday, March 19
All undergraduate students are invited to enter the 2024 Image of Research competition. Students should submit a photo related to their research, scholarship, or creative work and a short (100-200 word) narrative to communicate the connection between the image and their research. Awards include 1st ($300), 2nd ($200), and People’s Choice ($100). All submissions will be celebrated at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.