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Important Information for our Graduating Seniors!
If you are graduating in May or August you are invited to participate in the English & Creative Writing Convocation in May. Please read on to ensure that you know all about when, where, and how you can register for our ceremony and order regalia.
Note: if you already participated in a graduation ceremony (in either May or December of 2024), you may disregard this message, but accept our congratulations and please keep in touch!
In addition to our departmental celebration, there is also the universitywide Commencement ceremony. You are welcome to participate in either ceremony or both as you wish (graduation ceremonies are optional and have nothing to do with the technical certification of your degree). If you plan to attend both, you must register for each one separately. The English department’s ceremony is a ticketed event; each graduate may request tickets for up to five guests when they register, with the possibility of extras once we know how many are participating. Further instructions about this process will be forthcoming via email.
For more details and to access registration forms please consult the following sites:
English & Creative Writing Convocation: Saturday, May 17, 5 pm, Smith Memorial Hall
Universitywide Commencement: Saturday, May 17, 9:30 am, Memorial Stadium
Please note that you must have regalia (aka “cap and gown”) to participate in any ceremony. Information about how to rent your cap and gown can be found here. The deadline to order academic attire for the early order discounted rate is April 14. Order by this date to get the best price and to have your regalia shipped to the US address of your choice.
Questions about the English department ceremony should be sent to englishadvising@illinois.edu. Questions about the universitywide ceremony, or about regalia, should be sent to commencement@illinois.edu.
Spring Writing Contests
Deadline: Noon, Friday, February 28, 2025
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Short Fiction: Submit no more than one unpublished story (7500 words, maximum length)
Poetry: Submit up to 5 unpublished poems in a single document.
Only University of Illinois undergraduate students are eligible. 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, email, status (undergraduate), and 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 also include a brief note on your financial need and 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 Early April. Please direct any questions to John Dudek at jdudek4@illinois.edu.
First Gen Series: TODAY (FEB 14)
Upcoming Counseling Center workshops in the Library
LAS Career Event
- Career Lab: Internships. February 18 at 12:30-2:30 in 105 Greg. Prepare to find and apply for summer internships at this interactive workshop. Get help clarifying your search, finding opportunities that fit your interests, and preparing effective application materials. Learn how the Illini Career and Internship Fair (Feb. 27!) can help you find opportunities and get your resume reviewed. Bring your laptop! We will provide a light lunch for those who attend. Register in Handshake.
Samvid Scholarship Information Session
Food For Thought | John Levi Barnard and Lindsay Rose Russell
Submit to Montage (NEW DEADLINE Feb 28)
Montage publishes work by undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is now accepting submissions through February 28, 2025.
See this page for more details or email montagejournal@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
Undergraduate Research Opportunity–Deadline to apply March 1
Certificate in Intercultural Competence
The Certificate in Intercultural Competence offers undergraduate students the chance to show future employers and potential graduate programs that they have the global and intercultural skills needed to succeed in and out of the classroom. Courses on the approved list for the Certificate include an introduction to the concept of intercultural competence, as well as elective courses that cover a wide variety of topics, from the study of ancient traditions to contemporary culture, the study of myths and fairy tales to modern literature, and more. Although the certificate will not appear on a student’s transcript, students completing the certificate should include this credential on a resume or application for advanced study.
To learn more, check out https://slcl.illinois.edu/graduate/intercultural-competence.
Job Opportunities (one with upcoming deadline!)
Orientation Leaders
New Student and Family Experiences is looking for undergraduate students to serve as Orientation Leaders to help us welcome our Fall 2025 new students! The position description and LINK TO APPLY: here on our website.
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Career Services Paraprofessionals
Looking for a part time job? Interested in developing your skills in resume and cover letter writing? Look no further than here! The Career Center is hiring UNDERGRADUATE students for Fall 2025 (Deadline is Sun, Feb 16)
- Flexible work with 6-8 hours per week both in person and online
- $15/ hour
- MUST be a full-time undergraduate student
Apply Here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1182848651
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Peer Advisors
The Division of General Studies (soon to be Exploratory Studies) is hiring Summer Peer Advisors! This is a great opportunity for undergraduate students looking to develop their leadership, communication, and mentorship skills while supporting incoming students during New Student Registration (NSR).
Applicants must be in good academic standing and available for training in May after final exams and to work during NSR in June–early July.
Students do not have to be former DGS students to apply, but an understanding of the ICT process is beneficial. More details, including the application link, can be found here: Summer Peer Advisor Information.
Applications are due Friday, March 7 at 5pm.
Networking Opportunity
This annual program, formerly known as Imprint, now know as Networking and Personal Brand Development-Featuring Illinois Alumni Coaches, is returning for 2025. We have invited back approximately 20 Illinois Alumni ranging from nearly every academic college background and a diverse set of graduating classes ranging from the 70’s to 2017!
Purpose
This event is designed for students to meet alumni who are established in their careers and share valuable insights into networking and creating opportunities to land students their first internships or post-graduation positions. Students will be given deliberate free time throughout the program to meet and network with any specific alumni they would like to.
When is it?
The event runs from 10 am to 4 pm on March 1st and will be held in the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF), room 035. Sign up here: https://cglink.me/2sM/r381413
A New Way to Share Good News
Do you have good news to share? Have you published something? Won an award? Taken on a new role or had an adventure? If so, please let us feature you and your news on the department’s website and/or social media. Just send a message to engl-news@illinois.edu with whatever information you’d like to share. This is a great way for other students to learn about opportunities so please don’t be shy!
Call for Submissions
The Madison Journal of Literary Criticism, an undergraduate-run literary magazine based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is now accepting submissions for the MJLC’s Spring 2025 edition Care.
The deadline for written submissions is March 3rd at 11:59pm and for artwork it’s March 7th at 11:59pm. More information on the theme and submissions process can be found below and on our website. Any questions can be directed to the MJLC staff at mjlc@rso.wisc.edu.
Don’t Forget These!
Preview of Spring 2025 Creative Writing Events
We’ll advertise these individually as they approach (with location info) but now would be a great time to get them all in your calendar.
Kaplan Family Writer in Residence: Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Thursday, March 6, 2025 | 4:30
Carr Visiting Author Series: Dante Micheaux
Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 4:30
Poetry Reading by Janice Harrington and Angie Estes
Thursday, April 17, 2025 | 6:00
Yard Show: Black Life, Prairies, and Place Making In the Midwest.
Reading and performance featuring Janice N. Harrington and Chip McNeill
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 | 4:30
MFA Public Reading
Saturday, May 3, 2025 | 1:00
Gilman Scholarship
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.
The national deadline is March 6, 2025.
For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu
Voyager Scholarship
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).
Deadline
The priority campus deadline is February 27, 2025, at 12:00pm (noon).
The final submittal deadline is in March 2025 (exact date TBA).
For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu
Research Workshops
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) announces its Spring 2025 workshop calendar. We are offering a variety of workshops to support you regardless of where you are in your research journey. Information for each workshop, including how you can register, can be found on our website . For all workshops, participation is by advanced registration only; there are a limited number of spots available for each workshop, so please sign up as soon as possible. Workshops will be added throughout the term based on demand.
Undergraduate Research Symposium
The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 20 – 26), which brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as the public, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world. Throughout the day, students will present their oral and poster presentations, creative performances, and interactive exhibits to members of the campus and local community.
- When: Thursday, April 24, 2025
- Where: Illini Union (A, B, C, South Lounge, and the 2nd Floor)
- Application Deadline: Friday, March 7, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Visit the URS webpage for more information, including answers to frequently asked questions.
Applications are currently being accepted. The deadline for applying to the URS is Friday, March 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm and no late submissions will be accepted. Please note, your presentation is not expected to be complete by the application deadline. On the application, you will only be asked to provide a tentative title that can be revised until March 19 and an abstract which will be used internally by OUR to create and organize thematic sessions. Your abstract will not be published or viewed by anyone other than OUR.
Tuesday @7 Workshops with the Counseling Center
Confidential Advising Resources
The Women’s Resources Center (WRC) is the designated confidential campus resource related to sexual assault/rape, sexual harassment, stalking and abuse within a relationship (sometimes called dating or domestic violence). That means when we talk with students, staff, and faculty who have experienced harm, we make sure you get what you need and on your terms! There are several Confidential Advisors at the WRC who can provide you – or someone looking to support you – with support and advocacy services.
