Mellon Humanities Initiative – This initiative, supported by a $1.25 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional funds from the university, will advance the humanities at Illinois. There are four areas of special interest supported by this initiative. It will focus on interpretive methods in the humanities. It will sponsor humanistic scholarship on cultural values and collective life in a world of high mobility, deepening connections, and rapid technological and social change. It will also support period studies, across disciplines, in medieval, early-modern and modern Europe and in 19th Century America, as well as studies of histories and cultures in Eastern Europe and Russia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, ethnic identity, American cultural studies, and Jewish studies. More information is available at http://www.las.uiuc.edu/mellon/mellon.shtml.

Brown vs Board of Education Jubilee Commemoration - This is part of Exploring the Human Experience, a long-term program of investigation into the question of what it means to be a member of the human community. America was changed forever on May 17, 1954, when the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled to outlaw racial segregation in the nation's public schools. The landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision in favor of simple social justice set the country on a course of debate, dissent, and change that continues today. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is devoting its 2003-04 academic year to a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board. Lectures, seminars, arts exhibits, films, performances, and visiting scholars are underway, and key figures associated with the decision and its interpretation and implementation are appearing as honorees and discussants. The commemoration on this campus hopes to renew the spirit of social justice that resulted in the Brown court case a half-century ago. More information on the Brown vs Board of Education Jubilee Commemoration is available athttp://www.oc.uiuc.edu/brown

Strengthening Scientific and Technical Advice on International Peace and Security – The Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security (ACDIS) , with support from a $1.35 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is undertaking a three-year program of interdisciplinary research and teaching on science, technology, and security policy. The program plans to hire new faculty in the areas of chemical and biological warfare, cyber warfare and cyber security, and aerospace systems and nuclear security, transportation security, and systems analysis in the areas of science, technology, and security policy. This program is part of MacArthur Foundation’s initiative to strengthen scientific and technical advice by training a pool of experts who possess both scientific and technical knowledge and who understand international security policy issues. The ACDIS homepage is at http://www.acdis.uiuc.edu

The Worldwide Universities Network – The University of Illinois is one of five American, six British, and two Chinese universities which have established an international consortium to promote collaborative research on topics including geography, oceanography and climate, advanced materials, biomedical informatics and public policy and management. The University of Illinois and the University of Bristol in Britain are developing opportunities for research in the humanities. This summer, two Illinois professors will visit the British universities to establish research links and plan a conference in medieval studies. Two other Illinois faculty members have begun a trans-Atlantic collaboration with Bristol in garden history. Graduate fellowships support Illinois students on extended research trips to British universities, and British students have come to Illinois. More information is available at http://www.wun.ac.uk/

Institute for Genomic Biology – Initially called the Post Genomic Initiative, this institute hopes to revolutionize life sciences at Illinois. Construction is underway on a $75 million, 107,000 square foot building for the Institute, which will house interdisciplinary biological research. The university is assembling teams that will be working on microreactors, microsensors, and microimaging. Researchers will investigate genome-based enhancement of plant functional traits, mammalian developmental biology, and macromolecular assemblies and machines as determinants of cell function. More information is available at http://www.research.uiuc.edu/igb.

Partnership Illinois – Partnership Illinois, created in 1996, highlights and strengthens the university’s ties with the people of Illinois by coordinating public engagement efforts and creating new opportunities to serve the people of Illinois. It is helping children, youth, and families in low-resource neighborhoods by fostering collaboration among community groups. It seeks to enhance the capacity and performance of state, local, and municipal governments and the economic vitality of communities. It promotes the creation, understanding, and enjoyment of art and cultural practices by children, youth and families. And it works to extend the education and knowledge base necessary to produce and consume safe and healthy food, clean air, and a safe water supply. For more information, link to http://www.peir.uiuc.edu/pi/

Cultural Engagement Council – Leaders of the university’s cultural institutions have joined forces to share information and collaborate in improving their engagement with the campus and its surrounding communities. The participants include the Library, Krannert Art Museum, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Japan House, Spurlock Museum, Allerton Conference Center, WILL, and the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The chair is Dan Simeone, manager of WILL AM and FM.

The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities – This program was established in 1997 to promote interdisciplinary study in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. The IPRH grants fellowships to UIUC faculty and graduate students, and to external post-doctoral fellows, who work in yearlong symposia on thematic topics. This year’s topic is “Violence,” which shapes the experiences of millions around the world and saturates many human communities. The Program coordinates and hosts an annual conference to present research, gives financial support to reading groups for faculty and graduate students, and hosts a yearlong film series coordinated with the annual theme. It is a major co-sponsor with other university units of lectures, programs, and conferences on campus throughout the year. More information is at http://www.iprh.uiuc.edu/

The Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program – sponsors and engages in multidisciplinary, policy-oriented explorations of gender and international development issues. Current research explores the themes of gender and global human security of immigrants in rural communities, stressing issues of income, health care, and housing. Because development means more than just meeting basic needs, the program is also focusing on the theme of gender, the arts and social change. Women and Gender in Global Perspectives works with faculty and students at Illinois and networks with other specialists in the state, the nation, and the world. The program hosts a biennial symposium, seminars, and special speakers and cosponsors activities across campus. This year’s symposium, on March 17-18, 2004, will focus on “Gender, Immigration & Human Security in the Midwest.” For more information, please see: http://www.ips.uiuc.edu/wggp.