SIU President's Communique (12-2-2011)

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Weekly Communiqué (December 2, 2011)

New SIUC Center Will Focus On Inclusive Excellence
SIU Dental Student Wins NSRG Research Award
SIUC’s 15th Annual Saluki Finals Finish is Dec. 12-13
Allen Named SIUC Associate Provost for Academic Programs
SIUE among RCGA’s 2011 Top 50 Award Recipients
SIUC’s Annual Mock Disaster Will Test Students’ Skills
Carl Flowers Named Acting Director of SIUC’s Rehabilitation Institute
SIUE Chancellor Search Advisory Committee Announced
Patients with Tinnitus Sought for SIU Clinical Trial
Six SIUC Salukis Earn Academic All-Conference Honors

1. New SIUC Center Will Focus On Inclusive Excellence

Chancellor Rita Cheng has announced the creation of the Center for Inclusive Excellence at SIUC. The new center, housed in Student Life and Intercultural Relations, will focus on inclusive excellence in teaching, research and learning, campus programming, student support, and community relationships. Its creation was among the recommendations of a 15-member Task Force on Multiculturalism and Diversity appointed by Cheng last spring. Three existing campus resource centers — the Black Resource Center, Hispanic Resource Center and GLBT Resource Center — will become part of the Center for Inclusive Excellence. The task force’s review of student-run multicultural efforts revealed many minority-serving registered student organizations that are related to academics, as well as several minority-serving Greek organizations active on campus and in the community. In its executive summary, the task force noted that SIU Carbondale has traditionally welcomed students — many of them first-generation college students — from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. International students and students of color make up 23.5 percent of the University’s total enrollment.

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2. SIU Dental Student Wins NSRG Research Award

Jillian Rigert, a student at the SIU School of Dental Medicine, won this year’s prestigious National Student Research Group (NSRG) award for her research project related to pain management in dentistry and medicine. The award is given each year at the Hinman Student Research Symposium to one student based on that individual’s research project. The NSRG is part of the American Association for Dental Research. The 17th Hinman Student Research Symposium recently was held in Memphis, Tenn. and featured oral and poster presentations of research projects by dental students and graduate students from dental schools across the nation. A total of 90 students represented 41 dental schools in 24 states, the District of Columbia and four Canadian provinces. Rigert studied the time course of expression of the TRPA1 receptor, which has a role in pain perception following injury to dental pulp. The project was directed by Dr. Kevin C. Rowland, associate professor of physiology at the SIU School of Dental Medicine. The Symposium was sponsored by the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry and co-sponsored by the Hinman Dental Society, which holds one of the nation’s largest continuing dental education meetings in Atlanta each March. The Symposium is also supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the ADEAGies Foundation, the Procter & Gamble Company and the Tennessee Dental Association Foundation. The keynote speaker at the Welcoming Banquet was Dr. David Wong, associate dean of research at the UCLA School of Dentistry and immediate past president of the American Association for Dental Research.

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3. SIUC’s 15th Annual Saluki Finals Finish is Dec. 12-13

In no time at all another semester will be in the books but at SIUC, even the wrap-up party happens in great Saluki style at the Saluki Finals Finish. The 15th edition of the popular event is set for 6-11 p.m. on Dec. 12 and 13 at the Student Recreation Center. Students can grab free refreshments, get in some study time, use the facilities or just enjoy the chance to visit with faculty, staff and one another. Faculty and staff volunteers will serve up refreshments and offer moral support as students prepare for final exams. Some faculty will also offer study sessions during Saluki Finals Finish. Hundreds of students typically participate in Saluki Finals Finish, consuming massive quantities of food and beverages.

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4. Allen Named SIUC Associate Provost for Academic Programs

James S. Allen, director of Assessment and Program Review at SIUC, has been appointed associate provost for academic programs. Allen, a professor in history with a cross-appointment in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, came to SIU Carbondale in 1991. He was self-study coordinator and chair for the University’s recent institutional re-accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Allen’s other positions at the University during this time include director of University Core Curriculum, interim director of the University Honors Program, and interim director of Assessment. He also served one year as Faculty Senate president. The position focuses on the University’s academic programs and their quality and includes oversight and management for all undergraduate academic and curricular matters, including new program and degree requests, and coordination with the Graduate School dean for all graduate and curricular matters, including program expansions, new programs, and degree requests.

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5. SIUE among RCGA’s 2011 Top 50 Award Recipients

SIUE has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year among the region’s top 50 by St. Louis Commerce Magazine. As one of the 16th Annual Greater St. Louis Top 50 Award recipients, SIUE was honored at a recent dinner presentation and was recognized in the November-December issue of the magazine. Companies and organizations are selected based on their significant contributions to regional economic and civic impact. The awards are presented by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), in collaboration with Rubin Brown. Sponsors include Commerce Magazine, Ameren Corp., Edward Jones, M&I Bank, Thompson Coburn LLP, KMOX Radio, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLtoday.com. SIUE is the second largest employer in Madison and St. Clair counties, with more than 2,500 employees and a $471 million economic impact, according to the 2010 Economic Impact Study released by the SIUE School of Business. About 3,500 students live on SIUE’s campus and the majority of its more than 14,100 students live in the region. More than half of the University’s 90,000 alumni live and work in the St. Louis metropolitan area and contribute to the economy.

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6. SIUC’s Annual Mock Disaster Will Test Students’ Skills

Can anyone save them in time or will they go down to a watery grave? The plan is for SIUC student “rescuers” to respond quickly to pull the “victims” to safety and, if necessary, resuscitate them and treat their injuries. Nobody is really in danger though, as the Dec. 8 mock disaster is actually a unique, hands-on training experience as well as the final exam for Health Education 434/Advanced First Aid students in the Emergency Medical Responder health education class. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., multiple scenarios will play out in the pool at Pulliam Hall. Perhaps a canoe capsizes, slinging people into the water. Or maybe someone dives into shallow water, suffering head and spine injuries. Exactly what scenes the students will encounter are, as in real life, a surprise. In previous years, the drills have included an airplane crash, a car/train collision, a tornado, an earthquake, a car bomb and other true-to-life disasters but this is the first time it has taken place in the water.

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7. Carl Flowers Named Acting Director of SIUC’s Rehabilitation Institute

Longtime SIUC faculty member Carl R. Flowers recently became acting director of the Rehabilitation Institute. In addition to serving as acting director, Flowers is also a professor and coordinator of the Masters in Rehabilitation Administration and Services and the RA-Online programs. He teaches rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation administration program courses. Flowers is a triple alumnus of SIU Carbondale, arriving in 1972 as an undergraduate transfer student, graduating in 1975 and working as a retail manager for a time at Sears, Roebuck and Co. before returning to the University in 1982 to change careers. He earned his master’s in rehabilitation two years later and completed his doctorate at the University in 1993. He is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor.

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8. SIUE Chancellor Search Advisory Committee Announced

SIU President Glenn Poshard announced that the following individuals have agreed to serve on the SIU Edwardsville Chancellor Search Advisory Committee: Veronica Armouti, SIUE Alumni Association representative; Bette Bergeron, dean, School of Education; Rhonda Comrie, associate professor of Primary Care and Health Systems Nursing, School of Nursing; Kathleen Gardner, associate director, University Housing; Ronald Gray, community representative; Jeffry Harrison, undergraduate student; Calvin Jarrell, professor, Theater and Dance; Brian Lotz, manager, Information Technology Services; Shan Lu, graduate student; Florence Maätita, associate professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies; Lora Miles, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs; John Navin (Chair), professor and chair, Economics and Finance, School of Business; Paul Pitts, assistant chancellor, Institutional Compliance; Elio Reyes, assistant professor, SIU School of Dental Medicine; Paul Sarvela (ex-officio), vice president for Academic Affairs, and Joseph Schober, assistant professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy. The committee will begin screening applicants in January. On-campus interviews of the finalists are currently scheduled for the end of March and early April, with the naming of the new chancellor planned for the May 2012 SIU Board of Trustees meeting. The new chancellor will succeed Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift, who after seven years of distinguished service to SIUE announced his retirement this fall.

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9. Patients with Tinnitus Sought for SIU Clinical Trial

Patients suffering from tinnitus are needed to participate in a controlled clinical trial at the SIU School of Medicine’s Division of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. The clinical trial is examining the effect of hearing aids on people with bothersome tinnitus. SIU is the only site in the United States participating in this study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy on tinnitus associated with hearing loss. To be eligible for the study, patients must be between the ages of 18 and 75 and live within 60 miles of Springfield. They must have tinnitus that has been bothersome for at least one year and be willing to wear hearing aids in both ears as treatment for the tinnitus. Finally, patients must be willing to return to Springfield for treatment and evaluation over 18 months. There is no charge to the participants for the tests and treatments related to the study. This study is funded by the Tinnitus Research Consortium. If you are interested in participating in the study, call Jennifer Parrish at (217)545-8181 or tinnitus@siumed.edu.

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10. Six SIUC Salukis Earn Academic All-Conference Honors

Six Saluki football players have earned Missouri Valley Football Conference Academic All-Conference honors. Connor James, Mike McElroy and David Pickard earned first-team honors. Joe Okon and Austin Pucylowski earned second-team honors. Jason Stegman earned an honorable mention nod. Forty student-athletes, including 14 who earned first-team honors, highlight the 2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic team. Six of the 14 first-teamers also earned 2011 Capital One Academic All-District plaudits, as selected by College Sports Information Directors. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at their institutions and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.

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