SIU President's Communique (11-11-2011)

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Weekly Communiqué (November 11, 2011)

New York Times Profiles SIUC’s Recruiting Efforts
New Cougar Business Resource Center Facility Opens at SIUE
SIUC Debaters Capture Prestigious Tournament
Actor Alec Baldwin to Narrate Documentary Produced By SIUC Professor
IERC at SIUE Releases Study on Reverse Transfer Students
SIUC’s Center for Dewey Studies Marks 50th Anniversary
SIUC’s Award-Winning Up 'til Dawn Event is Nov. 19
SIUE Nursing Professor Elected INA President
SIUC’s Free ‘School Of Savings’ Workshop Set for Dec. 1
SIU Medical School’s Diabetes Program Receives Education Recognition
Football Salukis to Wrap Up Home Play, Basketball Ready for New Season

1. New York Times Profiles SIUC’s Recruiting Efforts

SIUC’s efforts to increase enrollment of female students was examined in a recently article published in the New York Times. “Closing the Girl Gap in Science” profiles a summer cheerleader camp at SIUC and looks at how recruiters use the opportunity to show off the campus and it’s academic offerings, especially in the so-called STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math. SIUC’s initiatives are compared to those at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University and Texas A & M. The story can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/education/edlife/closing-the-girl-gap-in-science.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1.

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2. New Cougar Business Resource Center Facility Opens at SIUE

The Cougar Business Resource Center (CBRC), an engaging and exciting environment where students can generate ideas, share knowledge and practice critical skills, is the latest addition to the SIUE School of Business. SIUE officials dedicated the new facility in Founder’s Hall at a reception recently for students, faculty and staff of the School of Business, celebrating the high-tech facility that will serve as a focal point for resources, programs and co-curricular activities. CBRC tours were held early this month for students, faculty and staff. The 3,700 square-foot complex is designed to support the new curricula, which will aide in the development of cross-disciplinary skills for undergraduate students and address how businesses are integrating technology and collaborative work into an increasingly globalized world. The new space is composed of online learning technologies, space for students to practice presentations, communication technology for students to interact with faculty and teammates regardless of location, and Executive-in-Residence offices. The Executive-in-Residence program will be developed as a mentoring/coaching program that will allow students and faculty to take advantage of the experience of business professionals. In addition, the CBRC will include shared office space for student organizations.

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3. SIUC Debaters Capture Prestigious Tournament

When the SIUC Debate Team accepts an invitation to an exclusive tournament, they aren’t shy about winning it. The SIU Carbondale debating duo of Ben Campbell, a junior political science major, and Mike Selck, a sophomore speech communication major, won the Pat Kennedy Round Robin tournament last weekend at the University of the Pacific. The invitational tournament includes only the top 12 university debate programs. Not only did Campbell and Selck win the tournament as a debate duo, Selck also snagged the position of top debater of the tournament — for the second year in a row. Selck is the first debater ever to reprise the role of top debater at this tournament. The SIU Carbondale Debate Team begins its next semester of competition with four tournaments over the winter break in Utah and Washington.

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4. Actor Alec Baldwin to Narrate Documentary Produced By SIUC Professor

With narration by actor Alec Baldwin, a nearly two-decade “labor of love” by an associate professor at SIUC that pays tribute to thousands of World War II veterans hits the nation’s airwaves later this month. “The Tragedy of Bataan,” a 30-minute documentary written and produced by Jan Thompson, will premiere on PBS stations beginning on Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11. The documentary will air locally at 8 p.m. on WSIU-TV Channel 8. A 30-minute WSIU InFocus segment that also features Thompson, a faculty member in the Department of Radio-Television, precedes the broadcast. The first-person documentary features accounts of more than 20 Bataan Death March survivors, archival photos, and never-before-seen Japanese propaganda film footage. Between 5,000 and 15,000 of the more than 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners did not survive the 65,000-mile forced march following the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese in the spring of 1942.

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5. IERC at SIUE Releases Study on Reverse Transfer Students

The Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) at SIUE released a report recently highlighting the reverse transfer trends of the Illinois High School Class of 2003. Reverse transferring is when students move from four-year institutions to community colleges. The practice has been depicted in recent research as one of the major forms of student mobility, according to the IERC. Since it is associated with extremely low rates of degree completion, it is critical to better understand the predictors of reverse transferring and what happens to reverse transfer students once they move to a community college, said Eric Lichtenberger, associate director of research for the IERC and an assistant research professor at SIUE. “This knowledge could help policymakers as they develop strategies to meet the state’s goal to increase the proportion of individuals with quality postsecondary degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025,” he said. The report focuses on 37,165 graduates from the Illinois public high school class of 2003 who initially enrolled at a four-year college and follows them along their path through postsecondary education. Reverse transfer students account for nearly 50 percent of four-year college dropouts, with males more likely to reverse transfer. The IERC further reported that being from the middle parental income categories and expecting to work while enrolled increased the likelihood of reverse transferring; however, having a higher high school GPA and enrolling at a more selective institution were associated with a decreased likelihood of the practice. According to Lichtenberger, “This suggests that factors related to financial aid and academic preparation were both significant in terms of predicting reverse transferring.” Also, the distance between where students come from in relation to their initial four-year institution was associated with this form of student mobility, as students who enrolled closer to home were much more likely to reverse transfer.

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6. SIUC’s Center for Dewey Studies Marks 50th Anniversary

It doesn’t look like the hub of international research. It looks like a modest house on a residential street near a university. The Center for Dewey Studies at SIUC, located at 807 S. Oakland St., celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. While some events will take place not only off campus but out-of-country, a reception at Morris Library will celebrate the half-century of scholarship and publication emanating from the little building on Oakland Street. The reception took place in the first floor rotunda of Morris Library from 4-6 p.m. on Nov. 9. But who was John Dewey and why do we have a center to study him? The thumbnail answer is that Dewey (1859-1952) was an American philosopher, educational reformer and proponent of democracy as a homegrown movement rather than an exportable one. SIUC has a center dedicated to the study of his life and works because former University President Delyte Morris acquired the majority of Dewey materials for the University, beating out such other hopefuls as Columbia University.

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7. SIUC’s Award-Winning Up 'til Dawn Event is Nov. 19

SIUC students have heartily embraced the fight against childhood cancers and diseases by raising more than $100,000 in just two years for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and it’s time for the next installment of the Up ‘til Dawn event. The University’s 2011 Up ‘til Dawn is happening Nov. 19 at the Student Recreation Center. The doors open at 8:30 p.m. Student volunteers will arrive with at least 20 addresses to which they will be mailing requests for donations to St. Jude. Teams and individuals are welcome. All students who prepare 35 or more legitimate donation request letters get entry into a drawing for a $200 Visa gift card. After sending off the prewritten letters to family and friends, participants will enjoy a full evening of activities to celebrate the anticipated success of their donation quest. Up ‘til Dawn is a national, student-led philanthropic program. The 2010 SIU Carbondale Up ‘til Dawn, with about 900 participants, won the Program of the Year Award at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 2011 Collegiate Leadership Seminar in Memphis. For more information about Up ‘til Dawn 2011, email jesstout@siu.edu or uptildawnsiu@gmail.com.

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8. SIUE Nursing Professor Elected INA President

Karen Kelly, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, of O’Fallon and associate professor of Primary Care/Heath Systems Nursing, recently was elected president of the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) at the group’s 81st Biennial Convention in East Peoria. More than 400 nurses attended the meeting, which INA jointly hosted with the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing. Nurses attended education sessions, visited with a number of the exhibitors and participated in the INA’s legislative and policy-making body, the House of Delegates. Kelly, who earned a doctorate in instructional processes and adult learning and a master’s in psychiatric nursing, as well as a BSN, all from SIUE, joined the INA in 1972 after receiving an Illinois nursing license. She has served the INA as a director-at-large, first and second vice president, and has been a member of the INA Commission on Continuing Education. She also has served as a peer reviewer for the INA continuing education program since 1982 and as a delegate to the American Nurses Association’s House of Delegates. At SIUE, Kelly teaches health policy and nursing administration, and, before coming to SIUE, she taught in several schools in the St. Louis area, spending 17 years in administrative and consulting positions. Kelly also was a staff nurse in OB-GYN and in behavioral health.

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9. SIUC’s Free ‘School Of Savings’ Workshop Set for Dec. 1

There’s been a change in name and date for an upcoming workshop at Southern Illinois University Carbondale but the intent is still the same — to give you important advice on saving a lot of money when you go shopping. School of Savings is now set for 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 1 in the Mississippi Room at the Student Center. The free workshop is open to the University community and the public. Rachel Taylor, a graduate student in Workforce Education and Development who has extensive experience as a “supersaver,” will lead the workshop. She will offer tips and techniques to help you get groceries, toiletries and other items for less, perhaps even free, by learning how to best shop sales and utilize coupons and rebates. There is no cost to attend but seating is limited so be sure and register soon. To reserve a spot, email craftshp@siu.edu or call (618)536-3636. For more information, look online at www.siucstudentcenter.org/craft-shop.

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10. SIU Medical School’s Diabetes Program Receives Education Recognition

The diabetes program at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield has been recognized by the American Diabetes Association for Quality Diabetes Self Management Education. The ADA recognizes SIU’s diabetes education services as meeting National Standards for Diabetes Self-management Education, which is the ongoing process of facilitating the knowledge, skill and ability necessary for people with diabetes to manage their health and keep their diabetes controlled. The program is part of SIU’s Division of Endocrinology, which is headed by Dr. Michael G. Jakoby IV, associate professor of internal medicine. For more information and to request an appointment, call SIU’s endocrinology division at (217)545-3821.

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11. Football Salukis to Wrap Up Home Play, Basketball Ready for New Season

The SIUC football Salukis host Eastern Illinois for the final home game of the year on Saturday, Nov 12. Kickoff for the Black Out Cancer Game is set for 2 p.m. The Primary Care Group won the top bid for the Black Out Cancer jersey and picked Mike McElroy's jersey to honor Jack Nolen. Meanwhile, the men’s Saluki basketball team opens regular season play at 7:05 p.m., Saturday Nov. 12 against Ohio Dominican.

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