The advantages UIS students have by being in the capital city

On April 13, UIS students took to the streets and marched at the Illinois State Capitol for the funding of MAP grants. This, in fact, was not the first time students took to the capitol to demand their MAP grants, and as a result the students of UIS became the face of addressing this concern.

But what made this possible was the fact that the capitol building is literally a 10-minute drive from campus.

Though students can conveniently address their concerns to representatives at the capitol building, there are many unique other opportunities UIS students have by just being in the capital city.

Many of the BA programs with the College of Public Affairs and Administration, such as legal studies and political science, require internship experience in order to graduate. What better way to complement academic experience than to work with political affairs at and around the capital?

UIS has a locational advantage in that the real distinction of the state capital location is that it enables students to expand their academic curriculum and interests to include some of the experiential learning that comes from working with politics directly. Students can get involved in the policy process with the convenience of just driving downtown.

Richard Gilman-Opalsky, chair and professor of political science, said students have the opportunity to work directly with elected officials, their staff, and their constituents.

“The political science department works with the Internships and Prior Learning office to find really good placements in the state capital,” Gilman-Opalsky said. “A lot of our students work as legislative staff assistants, they work on campaigns, and they work on lobbyist groups that attend and speak at legislative sessions.”

Starting in fall of 2016, the Department of Political Science will offer a new BA degree program in public policy. Part of the reason the program was developed is because of the connections to the state capital.

In addition to the strong connection to state and local politics, students are also having increased opportunities to expand focus to more of a global perspective as well.

The opportunities UIS has to offer because of its proximity to the capital are not just exclusive to political science majors. Students with an interest in politics can experience these unique opportunities in many different ways regardless of their major.

Given that politics encompasses quite a spectrum of things, students of all majors can enhance their academic experience and interests through a short ride into the heart of downtown Springfield.