College of Public Affairs and Education

Contact Information

Website: www.uis.cpae
Email: cpae@uis.edu
Office Phone: (217) 206-6523
Office Location: PAC 430

Ty Dooley, Interim Dean

Ann Strahle, Interim Associate Dean

At the College of Public Affairs and Education, we recognize the growing complexity of societal problems, including poverty, social and educational inequities, political polarization, misinformation and breakdowns in interpersonal communication, international conflict, and inefficiencies of government services. These problems, and others, desperately need the attention of an informed citizenry and thoughtful, dedicated, and well-trained professionals and researchers.

CPAE faculty, researchers, staff, students, and alumni are responding to the call to improve their communities, workplaces, and other surroundings. Our mission is to engage, teach, and inspire the ethically-grounded leaders of tomorrow - graduates who seek to understand society's challenges and have the skills to tackle them. We advance the public discourse and conduct policy-relevant, knowledge-generating research that is making a difference. 

Our location in Springfield, Illinois, puts our students at the center of the action and opportunities of the capital city of the nation's 5th largest state economy and the largest in the Midwest. We provide them with unprecedented access to policymakers, agency leadership, think tanks, conversations, and other opportunities to make an immediate impact. 

The College offers educational opportunities for students at all levels—undergraduate through doctoral. We offer degree and certificate programs in traditional classroom environments and through fully online and blended programs.