SIU President's Communique (2-17-2012)

Carbondale Calendars and Events Edwardsville Calendars and Events East St. Louis Calendars and Events

Weekly Communiqué (February 17, 2012)

SIUC’s Big Muddy Film Festival Features Local, International Films
SIUE Nursing Faculty Awarded Fellowship for Teaching
Participants Sought for SIUC’s Annual Research Showcase
SIUC’s Spring Career Fair Set for Feb. 22
SIUE MLK Awards Luncheon Welcomes Crowd, Honors Leaders
Autism Expert to Speak at SIUC Feb. 24
Meditation Workshop Series Set at SIUC’s Simmons Cancer Institute
SIUE Chancellor Search Advisory Committee Seeks Community Feedback
SIUC’s Campus Lake Plunge Will Benefit Special Olympics
Civility Is Focus of Film Screening, Discussion to Be Held at SIUC
SIUE Music Faculty Featured through HEC-TV’s I Love Jazz
Saluki Baseball Set to Open Season at North Florida

1. SIUC’s Big Muddy Film Festival Features Local, International Films

The annual Big Muddy Film Festival at SIUC will once again provide audiences with a foreign perspective, with some local flavor mixed in. The festival will feature the works of filmmakers from countries including Bangladesh, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and the Netherlands. This year’s festival runs Tuesday, Feb. 21, through Sunday, Feb. 26, at various venues on campus and in Carbondale, and includes two days of pre-festival events that start Sunday, Feb. 19. Started in 1979, the film festival remains one of the oldest film festivals affiliated with a university in the nation. The festival features juried films in four categories: animation, documentary, experimental, and narrative. The festival receives some of its funding through a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. The complete lineup, along with information on jurors, juried films, special events, festival history and other topics is available at bigmuddyfilm.com/. The festival also features a Facebook page at “Big Muddy Film Festival.”

[ Return to Index ]

2. SIUE Nursing Faculty Awarded Fellowship for Teaching

Amelia Perez, assistant professor of Primary Care and Health Systems Nursing through the SIUE School of Nursing, was among 18 nursing faculty at Illinois colleges and universities who were recipients of $10,000 fellowships awarded by the Illinois Board of Higher Education at its December meeting. The fellowships may be used as salary supplements or to fund professional development activities. The state of Illinois faces a shortage of well-trained nurses, along with a shortage of highly qualified nursing faculty to educate new nurses. The Illinois Nurse Educator Fellowship Program rewards well-qualified faculty for remaining in the classroom rather than relocating to better paying private sector positions. Perez will use her fellowship to attend continuing education conferences and workshops to learn best practices for incorporating diversity, culture competence and health care, specific to the Hispanic population, into SIUE’s nursing curriculum, and to develop her skills as a teacher-scholar. The knowledge and skills gained as a result of this fellowship will help to ensure that the SIUE School of Nursing is continuing to meet the learning needs of SIUE students. Fellows are nominated by Illinois institutions of higher learning with a nursing program approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission.

[ Return to Index ]

3. Participants Sought for SIUC’s Annual Research Showcase

An annual event showcasing top research at SIUC is set for this spring and officials are encouraging faculty, students and organizations to sign up to participate. The ninth annual Research Town Meeting and Fair will take place Tuesday, April 17, in the Student Center ballrooms. It will feature presentations on scholarly and creative activities conducted by members of the University community. The event features display posters, exhibits and performances while giving their creators the opportunity to answer questions regarding their work. It also gives students, faculty and staff members the opportunity to network and enrich their work and experiences, and allows faculty and students across campus to learn how colleagues outside their units are conducting research while looking for opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration. Deadline for registration is March 29.

[ Return to Index ]

4. SIUC’s Spring Career Fair Set for Feb. 22

Being prepared can make the difference between landing a career and settling for just any old job. The Spring Career Fair at SIUC is designed to help students do the former. The career fair runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the Student Center Ballrooms. There is no admission and no need to pre-register. However, career seekers should come prepared. That means: dressed in professional or business casual attire; multiple copies of a current, proof-read résumé in hand along with references; and with steady enough nerves to present themselves well in on-the-spot interviews. This career fair is not just for graduating seniors, however. Internship opportunities are part of the draw. Students looking to explore career paths by interning in their chosen fields may find opportunities at the career fair.

[ Return to Index ]

5. SIUE MLK Awards Luncheon Welcomes Crowd, Honors Leaders

A crowd of more than 250 people gathered during a luncheon Tuesday to celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s annual MLK Humanitarian and Scholarship Awards. The presentation, A Monumental Year: It’s Our Time to Act — A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., featured the performance, Stand, by the Black Theater Workshop Touring Company and the SIUE East St. Louis Center Performing Arts Company. This year’s guest speaker was East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. Award winners included: Deontay “Sean” Crawford of Springfield, a junior majoring in biological sciences with a concentration in dentistry through the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences. Crawford was the recipient of the MLK Scholarship and Humanitarian Award. Cheryl Heard, assistant director of the SIUE Kimmel Leadership Center, who has worked for positive social change for 16 years through St. Louis area grass roots organization, Racial Harmony, was the Faculty/Staff Humanitarian Award recipient. The Rev. Dorris Davis, founder of the Dorris Davis Helping Hands Shelter for homeless men in East St. Louis and dedicated community volunteer, was chosen as the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service award. Winners of the MLK high school competition awards included Jacob Till-Meidinger of Belleville, a senior at Belleville West High School — visual art award; Berit Ericson of Columbia, a senior at Waterloo High School — poetry award; and Richard Roberts of Alton, a sophomore at Alton High School — essay award. As part of the event, members of the SIUE Gospel Choir performed during a reception in the Goshen Lounge.

[ Return to Index ]

6. Autism Expert to Speak at SIUC Feb. 24

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about one in 110 children in America have an autism spectrum disorder, so many people will find two Feb. 24 presentations by Sophia Colamarino at SIUC quite relevant. Colamarino will present the interactive session “How to Understand Basic Biology Research in Autism” on Feb. 24 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The presentation and reception that follows will be in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium and rotunda. Colamarino will also speak at 2 p.m. that day in the auditorium on the topic “The Importance of Public Access to Non-Profit Advocacy Organizations.” Both sessions are free and open to the public. Organizers ask that those planning to attend the morning session RSVP by Monday, Feb. 20, by contacting Sherell Sparks at (618)453-7130 or (618)453-7123. No RSVP is necessary for the afternoon presentation.

[ Return to Index ]

7. Meditation Workshop Series Set at SIUC’s Simmons Cancer Institute

Registration is open for a three-week series of meditation workshops at Simmons Cancer Institute at the SIU School of Medicine. The classes are free and open to cancer patients, their families and caregivers and will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21, 28 and March 6. Classes will be held at SCI, 315 W. Carpenter St. in Springfield. Reducing stress in both mind and body is an important tool for cancer patients, according to the American Cancer Society. In a controlled study of 90 cancer patients who did mindfulness meditation for seven weeks, 31 percent had fewer symptoms of stress and 65 percent had few episodes of mood disturbance than those who did not meditate. For more information, call (217)545-0798 weekdays. Registration is available online or by calling (217)545-0798.

[ Return to Index ]

8. SIUE Chancellor Search Advisory Committee Seeks Community Feedback

Last November, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Search Advisory Committee was formed to assist in efforts to find the replacement for Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift, who, after eight years of distinguished service, plans to retire at the conclusion of Academic Year 2011-12. The committee is seeking participation and feedback from the SIUE, Edwardsville and Glen Carbon communities, which will be vital in the new Chancellor selection process. A form to submit comments or items that are considered important in the search process to the committee has been added to the Chancellor Search site. 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..

[ Return to Index ]

9. SIUC’s Campus Lake Plunge Will Benefit Special Olympics

Those who “take the plunge” at SIUC may get a chill from their icy dip in Campus Lake, but their heart-warming feat will benefit a good cause. The American Marketing Association, a campus registered student organization, along with Chi Sigma Chi and Recreational Sports and Services, are teaming with Special Olympics Illinois for the 2012 Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge on Feb. 25. That day, hundreds of people will “plunge” into Campus Lake at noon to raise money for Special Olympics. All funds directly benefit people with intellectual disabilities residing in a 10-county region of Southern Illinois. The event is one of 20 statewide that comprise the largest fundraising effort for Special Olympics Illinois. And, it is the only plunge that takes place on a University campus. For more information, contact Linda Wunder at (618)654-6680 (or by emailing lwunder@soill.org) or Jo Dodd at (618)457-2969.

[ Return to Index ]

10. Civility Is Focus of Film Screening, Discussion to Be Held at SIUC

Civility will be the focus of a film screening and discussion at SIUC’s Morris Library on Feb. 21. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the John C. Guyon Auditorium with Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing.” After the film, there will be a discussion of civility and the relevance of Lee’s film to society today and to the SIU Carbondale campus. Speakers from the University include Beverly Love, assistant professor of radio-television; Roudy Hildreth, political science assistant professor; Joseph A. Brown, chair of Africana Studies; and Patsy Manfredi, director of University Core Curriculum. They will entertain questions and comments from the audience in an interactive discussion. The event is free and everyone is welcome. A reception will follow the film screening and discussion.

[ Return to Index ]

11. SIUE Music Faculty Featured through HEC-TV’s I Love Jazz

Higher Education Channel Television (HEC-TV) has SIUE in the spotlight this month, featuring the University’s jazz programs. Musical guest SIUE Professor of Music Rick Haydon, who manages the recording studio and is the director of Jazz Studies at SIUE, talks about jazz during the segment and performs with a quartet. In the channel’s education segment this month, Building Blocks of Jazz, Haydon joins HEC-TV’s Phil Dunlap to discuss rhythm guitar in jazz music. From the station’s Don Wolff’s archives, Jazz Gem features 7-string guitarist, Bucky Pizzarelli. According to the station, audiences will meet the “Rising Stars of Jazz,” who are students from the SIUE Jazz program. As St. Louis’ leading producer of education, arts and cultural television programming, HEC-TV is the only television station in the metro area with the mission statement “to strengthen and promote the education, arts and cultural communities in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.” Major funding for the station comes from the St. Louis County Commission for Educational Media. It is programmed by the Higher Education Consortium, which is a compilation of the 12 colleges and universities and 62 cooperating school districts in greater St. Louis. The HEC-TV Board of Directors is comprised of the presidents, chancellors and leaders of member colleges and universities. Haydon, who is one of the first SIUE jazz program graduates, said he has been pleased with its evolution since its inception in 1982. According to HEC-TV’s website, its programming reaches 630,000 subscribers each minute of each day. Programming is available for general viewing, as well as to teachers for use with appropriate curriculum and classroom materials. The site continues, “Winner of the prestigious Station of Excellence from the Mid America Emmy association in 2010 and 2011, HEC-TV is committed to producing and presenting programming that engages the audience, illuminates subjects, and challenges viewers.” For show times click on the “TV Schedule” tab..

[ Return to Index ]

12. Saluki Baseball Set to Open Season at North Florida

The SIUC baseball team begins its 66th season in program history with its first ever meeting with the University of North Florida Ospreys, Feb. 17-19, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll ranked SIUC sixth in the eight-team league. In 2011 the Salukis were picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll and finished the regular season in fifth place. The Salukis lost only four players from last year’s team and has 22 letter winners returning. The Dawgs have also added nine newcomers. This series will be Ken Henderson’s first as head coach of the Saluki program since the interim tag was removed from his title following the 2011 season. Henderson is entering his 22nd season as a member of the SIU coaching staff.

[ Return to Index ]

If you do not want to receive this mailing in the future, simply send a message to webadmin@siu.edu and include a request to remove your e-mail address from the President's mailing list.