Welcome everybody. My name is Rebecca Johnson. I am part of the admissions team here at the University of Illinois Springfield. Before we get started with our presentation today, I have a few housekeeping items I'd like to go over so that you are aware this webinar is being recorded. It will be made available for viewing after everything is wrapped up this week, so don't feel like you need to take frantic notes. Within your share screen you will see there is a closed captioning option.
It's at the top bar, the little C button up there, and then right next to it you have the option of making the video full screen if you would like to do that as well. If you need to resync your audio or video at any point, just refresh your browser and that should clear things up for questions. We'd love to hear your questions in the chat, so feel free to post those throughout. We're going to be looking at questions at the end of the session, so feel free. We'll put those on pause until a later point and then we'll go into those.
I know there's many people today on here, which is wonderful and we're glad you're here. So with that, I'd like to introduce you to Professor Anthony, Miss Barbara Van **** Brown and Becky Grossbaum. Thank you all for joining us today.
Thanks so much, Rebecca. So good morning and welcome. I'm Becky Grassel and I'm the online coordinator for the Legal Studies Masters degree program here at the University of Illinois, Springfield. And we're really excited to talk with you and tell you a little bit more about the program and what it can offer you professionally and academically. So we have Professor Anthony here today from our legal studies department and she is the Chair of the Legal States Department and we also have.
Barber Van **** Brown to talk to us about many of the US internships, graduate internships, and graduate assistantships that US offers graduate students so.
We'll start off this morning and take a few minutes to tell you a little bit more about the program. So a couple of things about the legal sales masters degree program is that we offer an on campus program and we offer a 100% online program. And in our online program, students can take all of their courses 100% online and never having having to even set foot on campus and they can also receive our E tuition rate with that and then so we offer.
The same instruction and the same courses and the same professors with both our online and our on campus program. So you're really getting a rigorous program that'll hands both your professional skills and and your future academic endeavors. So we'll start off and we'll get right to the point here and we'll start with Professor Anthony. And Professor Anthony, would you like to tell us a little bit more about yourself and your areas of expertise?
Sure. I have an undergraduate background in philosophy and a Masters in government from the University of Texas, and I have a law degree from Georgetown. So professionally, I practiced law in Minnesota, where I specialized in family law, domestic violence, civil rights, and public and subsidized housing law. So I teach a fairly wide.
Variety of courses, many of them connected in in some way to the areas that I formerly practiced in. But my main areas are constitutional law, philosophy of law, and public advocacy. So my research focuses on a few areas, mainly employment discrimination, law, gender and law, especially historical development of gender and law and constitutional law. And within that I focus on the 1st and the 4th amendment.
Oh, Becky can't hear you.
Thank you. Sorry about that. Thank you so much. I just think your area is expertise in your areas of practice that you've done are so interesting, especially in terms of how that aligns with our students because our students are pretty diverse in the program. So can you talk maybe a little bit about kind of the different types of students who are in the legal studies Masters degree program and some of their academic and professional backgrounds and why the legal sees Masters degree works really well for all these different types of students?
Yes. One of the exciting things about the program and one of my favorite things about it is the wide variety of students that we have in the program in terms of their background, their professional experience and their academic goals. So we have students who are coming from all over the spectrum and who are going into all sorts of different.
Areas, all of which where law is relevant in some important way. So having the foundation and the understanding of law, the ability to read and analyze and do research in law is all important in these various fields. So we have students who are working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC in a federal agency doing legislative review. We have students in law enforcement who are moving into supervisory and management positions and want to have a better handle on legal issues.
Umm. We had a student who was the head of all police training in the state of Illinois. Students work in advocacy on behalf of various groups and issues that they're passionate about. A lot of nonprofit work. Some are in state government agencies such as the EPA or the Prisoner Review Board, and others work with legislators at the state Capitol and a lot of other things. In addition to that, we have HR professionals and public administration people as well, so.
The diversity of perspective and experience is really a great advantage in the program.
Thank you so much. And I think that's what makes it such a fun program to work with too, is the different perspectives all these students offer and and why they're seeking the program. So I know a lot of our students and graduates have always really talked about how much certain classes have helped them in the program, like her LS401, our legal research and citation course, and our LS 587 public advocacy course. So could you? Maybe?
Talk a little bit about some of the courses and how it helps students from these different fields and areas to really kind of move forward and and gain the skills they need.
Yeah, sure. So one of my favorite classes to teach is public advocacy and of course that you mentioned and I I love that course because we do some really creative work in there exploring different arguments. So we're working closely with current events. We analyze the fundamentals of what's being said and argued. So students get to pull in from what they're experiencing and seeing all over the place and and we use that material in class, so.
What makes a good argument? How does logic apply? Where, where do these arguments that we're hearing and seeing falter? And so students really enjoy digging into these issues and then using those skills to construct their own solid law related arguments, policy arguments, and they have the flexibility to tailor those things towards whatever their professional background and goals are. So there's all sorts of different things happening in the class that are all centered on the the main foundation which is.
Constructing and analyzing argument.
Thank you so much. So I think that we've you everyone on the webinar who's going to watch the recording have heard a lot about how unique the program is. And Professor Anthony, you have such an interesting background with both having a JD and a master's degree. So you you really understand what the program offers in terms of what law school offers students, what a Masters degree offers students. Can you talk just a little bit more about how the legal studies, masters of Arts degree is pretty unique?
In terms of what it offers students in comparison to maybe another type of masters degree program?
Sure. I I do think it's very unique in a number of ways. So we provide students with a lot more substantive legal instructions. So some students come in saying I want, I want a lot more background in criminology or in public administration or in administrative law or things related to employment, so HR or finance, business law and so we're able to really provide that foundation.
But beyond that, what's applicable to to everyone in in various ways is the analysis, the ability to really look at legal and law related materials and break it down to understand what it is you're you're seeing and interpret it and where to find those materials and and to understand what they mean is very powerful and something that you don't get in other types of programs in the same way at all.
Thank you so much. This was great. So Barbara, so we've heard a little bit about the legal states Masters degree program now can you talk about all the internship and graduate assistantship opportunities, UIS, offers students?
Sure. Are you hearing me? OK, yeah. OK, so we have three different types of opportunities. If you're wanting to pursue a degree. We have both our graduate public service intern program, and then we have your standard graduate assistantships. With the Graduate Public Service intern program, you're actually working with state agencies. And what happens there is that you're placed with the state agency. You work 20 hours there in the fall and the spring.
And then full time during the summer.
In addition to that, the state agency picks up your tuition up to 10 credits per the fall and the spring and then 4 credits in the summer along with a 650 in a fee waiver for the fall in the spring. So there is, I mean it's I call it a sweet deal because you know you're you're basically getting most everything paid for. There's a few fees that won't be covered that you'll still be responsible for, but for the most part.
You're going to be covered for all of your tuition in most cases. And and just for instance, if you do have a situation where you know some of some of the courses are for credits and some are three credits and so we're saying 10 credits. Well how does that work? Well, you can transfer those credits around. So you do have to take a minimum of of 8 credits. But you know otherwise you can flex those credits around between the different semesters just within the contract year.
So, so it's a $1200 you know per month in the fall in the spring and then 2400 in the summer. So you know it's it's a pretty good stipend as far as the GA goes. The differences there are that yes they're both part time, you know. So you're still looking at 15 to 20 hours for your GA position and you're also getting a tuition waiver, but with the GA you get a little bit more of a tuition.
Favor and you also aren't working during the summer, so some people like having their summers off and other people you know just want to keep going with GPSI. The nice thing is that you get that full time experience in the summer. So you get a chance to really stretch your wings and see what it's like to actually be doing that job full time, which is such a great experience and such a great resume builder. And then the last the program that I have.
To talk about is the Illinois Legislative Staff Intern program. And it's a little bit different because it's more about gaining experience. And yes, there are 4 credits associated with it, but it's not a degree. We're directly related to a degree. So for instance, we do have legal studies students that participate in it, but generally it's more like a capstone or you have to take a year, you know out to do it because you are working full time.
It's a full time internship with the legislature. So for from a legislative study standpoint, it's like talk about, you know, applied study. You know, you're actually all of the things that Deborah was talking about are the things that you would actually be doing in the workplace. So you, you know, you're working on the the different committees, so the research and appropriation staff or you're working with communications and you're working with a couple of different legislators and helping.
They get their word out about the different bills that they are sponsoring. So it's all very hands on and definitely all of the research skills and those kinds of things are definitely practiced. They we also have for those that are not interested in a partisan position because of course most of our positions are with partisan staff. There are four that are research positions which are with the Commission on Government forecasting and accountability, so.
I know a lot of times legal folks are like ohh I don't wanna have to do that, I don't wanna have to pick sides, you know, I wanna stay neutral and so um that's this, that's a really good placement. They actually the research that they do there is just a great primer. We have a quite a few students that do that.
That that internship and you know kind of as they're bridge year before they go to law school. So you know again great opportunities. Great, you know.
A great way to exercise your your skill sets after you or while you're pursuing your degree, so I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you so much Barbara and I have to say you know whether it be a graduate public service internship agency or an academic department looking for a GA or the legislative internship program. People, employers in these areas love legal studies students because of the research skills they offer. And just if anyones interested we do allow students that those four credit hours they can gain through the only legislative internship program we do allow students to use those.
Um towards their non legal cities electives for the art for our masters degrees so it's a great fit for that. So I think we're at the point if anyone has any questions from our participants.
And feel free to put that in the chat and.
I just realized that I forgot to say the pay for the GA and also for Alsip and just FYI, the pay for the GA's about the same as it is for part-time GPSI, which is right around 12 hundreds. A little bit more for the 2nd year, but it's right in that same range. Right now. The pay for the Alsip is 2500, but we're looking to take a big leap next year, so I'm really excited to say that we're going to be offering.
33,300 as the stipend starting in the fall, so that will be hopefully a little bit more appealing to students as well.
That's wonderful. That's that's a great things, Barbara.
Lydia Schillinger
10:16:22 AM
I work full time, are there class opportunities in the evening? How long does it generally take to earn the masters with the in person program? Thanks.
So while people are thinking of questions, if they are, I'll just sort of conclude by saying that our online program that we have for our Masters program is very strong. It's not an afterthought, it's not something that we just came up with during COVID. We've been at the forefront of online learning for a couple of decades now. Our MBA online and legal studies began in 2006. So we are experts in delivering a high quality education in this way and our faculty, our teachers and.
We're here because we're committed to teaching and to our students and their success. Our classes are very small and we get to know our cohorts very well. So and they get to know each other very well and they develop close connections with each other as well. So this really enriches the learning experience and we don't have faculty in our department who aren't committed to to teaching and and to student success.
Thank you so much for including the Deborah. That's such a hallmark of the program. So like you said, our classes are small, you know we generally for grad programs, you know, Max of 20 students in a class, which gives you a great opportunity to really work with your colleagues and and and your faculty members. Lydia had a quick question in terms of she's saying she works full time and was wondering if there's class opportunities in the evening for our Masters program and approximately how long does it take to earn a master's?
Degree in our on campus program and Lydia, I'll answer in terms of the length of time to complete the program. The program is 36 credit hours, but if you don't have background and legal research and citation, we do include our 401 course within that as well.
For this this academic academic year, and it generally it's, it's up to the student. Many of our students who work full time decide that one or two classes a semester works best for them and they are learning and their job responsibilities and any other responsibilities they have. So generally a person working full time, they may take two classes in the fall, 2 classes in the spring, and then one maybe elective over the summer and then they can complete their degree in a 2 year cycle.
With that, so it can work really well for a working professional, but also be something that you can accomplish that goal and in a tighter time frame, you know that two year period. So you can get to your next steps and we do offer evening classes. Professor Anthony, do you want to kind of talk about maybe some of our evening class offerings?
Yes. So there's a fairly wide variety of elective options that take place in all sorts of different formats. So some are are blended and some are entirely in person in the evening and some are online only. So most of our students do have full-time careers. A lot of them also have families, so they're kind of juggling a lot. And so our our faculty are aware of that.
Lydia Schillinger
10:19:37 AM
perfect, thank you.
And when we structure things to take that into account, so it's definitely possible to to make that work from 1 semester to the next. The options just vary in terms of courses, but a lot of our students just choose to go online because they are asynchronous and so that you can structure things based on what fits within your particular schedule.
And thank you. Alright. Do you have any other questions?
OK. Professor Anthony Barbara, do you guys have anything else that you'd like to add before we kind of close out the webinar?
Bekky Grosboll
10:20:17 AM
Rebekah Grosboll rlanp01s@uis.edu
Right. OK. Well thank you so much and I am going to include my contact information here below. So if you have any questions about our application process or want to know some more details about elective offerings or how we our online classes function or anything like that, you can just feel free to reach out to me and we thank you so much for being here so.