SIU President's Communique (4-13-2012)

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Weekly Communiqué (April 13, 2012)

SIUC Names Student Employee of the Year
Leadership Council Honors SIUE Chancellor Vandegrift
SIUC Names Director of Undergraduate Admissions
AADR President Speaks at SIU/SDM
SIUC’s Spackman Triathlon, Boat Regatta Are April 28
‘Unity Through Diversity’ is GLBT Week Theme at SIUC
Teaching Excellence, Teaching Distinction Award Winners Named
Cultural Presentation Highlights SIUC’s Africa Week
SIUE’s Kate Eckert Receives Fulbright Award
Author of ‘Incognito’ To Deliver SIUC’s Tenney Lecture
SIU Medical School Sponsors Ethnic Heritage Day for Japanese Culture
The IERC at SIUE Releases Study on College Readiness
SIUC’s Dr. Charlotte West Nominated for Title IX Trailblazer Tribute Video Contest
SIUE to Hold Day of Activities with Art-A-Thon

1. SIUC Names Student Employee of the Year

Jacob D. Huffstutler, a senior physics major from Mt. Vernon, is this year’s Student Employee of the Year at SIUC. Finalists were Prisciliano Fabian, a graduate student from Alto Pass majoring in workforce education and development, with a specialization in family and consumer science; and Sarah Self, a senior currently of Carbondale majoring in university studies. Huffstutler is a laboratory assistant working with Richard West, a lecturer in the physics department. Part of what makes Huffstutler so capable in the lab, West said, is his ability to relate what he learns in the classroom to the laboratory activities. He is also able to take what he learns to help tutor fellow students as a supplemental instructor. SIUC employs approximately 4,400 student employees annually, with an annual payroll of at least $11 million each year.

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2. Leadership Council Honors SIUE Chancellor Vandegrift

In an evening that was devoted to honoring the career of U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello, the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois also presented SIUE Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift with a meritorious service award recently at the council’s annual awards dinner at the Four Points Sheraton in Fairview Heights. While the evening was a tribute to Costello’s lengthy and successful service to the region, he took a moment to acknowledge Vandegrift, saying: “Although my career has been recognized tonight, I want to say that it’s a privilege to share the podium with Vaughn. He deserves every accolade that comes his way for SIUE’s successes.” Among Vandegrift’s many achievements at SIUE, the following were noted during the ceremony: bringing SIUE to a place of national recognition; moving Intercollegiate Athletics to NCAA Division I in the Ohio Valley Conference; overseeing the completion of nearly $300 million in construction and infrastructure improvement; raising SIUE’s regional economic impact to $471 million per year in 2010; and steadily improving enrollment to a record 14,235 students for fall 2011.

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3. SIUC Names Director of Undergraduate Admissions

Katharine Johnson Suski is the permanent director of undergraduate admissions at SIUC. Suski, an SIU Carbondale alumna for both her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees, has been part of the University’s undergraduate admissions office since 1999 when she became an admissions coordinator. She was campus visit coordinator from 2002 to 2007, when she became associate director of undergraduate admissions. More recently, Suski has been interim director of undergraduate admissions since August 2010. Her responsibilities in that position include managing the non-salary budget, leading a staff of more than 40 people, developing long-term strategies for enrollment planning, implementing new technologies to automate the admissions process, and to play an active role in student recruitment at various open houses and collegiate expos as well as representing the University at professional gatherings.

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4. AADR President Speaks at SIU/SDM

Dr. Jeffrey L. Ebersole, president of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) and the associate dean for research at the University of Kentucky (UK), College of Dentistry, recently was the guest speaker at the 2012 SIU School of Dental Medicine (SIU/SDM) Research Day and Table Clinic Competition on the Alton campus. Ebersole’s talk was titled “Salivary Biodiagnostics in Oral and Systemic Diseases.” He also discussed “Ontogeny of the Innate Immune System in the Oral Cavity” during a morning presentation. Along with being an associate dean, Ebersole is an Alvin L. Morris Professor of Oral Health Research and director of the Center for Oral Research at UK. His laboratory focuses on the immunobiology of oral infections emphasizing in vitro and in vivo studies of host-pathogen interactions.

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5. SIUC’s Spackman Triathlon, Boat Regatta Are April 28

A wet, wild, wonderful twin tradition returns to SIUC on April 28. It’s time for the 29th Annual Doc Spackman Memorial Triathlon and the 39th Annual Great Cardboard Boat Regatta and everyone is welcome to join in the fun. There’s still plenty of time if you want to participate in either event and of course, “Splashin’ Saturday,” as it has become known, is a family friendly day for spectators of all ages. The triathlon starts at campus lake at 8 a.m. and includes a 385-yard swim, five-mile bicycle ride and two-mile run. The triathlon honors the late Robert “Doc” Spackman, a nationally known physical fitness expert who was a longtime athletics trainer at SIU Carbondale. The boat regatta kicks off at noon. Registration begins at 10 a.m. at the campus boat docks. Boats of all shapes and sizes, propelled in a variety of ways, will attempt to cross the finish line at the end of the u-shaped course as fast as possible.

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6. ‘Unity Through Diversity’ is GLBT Week Theme at SIUC

GLBT Awareness Week 2012 is a weeklong celebration of SIUC’s GLBT community and a time to unveil the new campus educational campus campaign “Educate Before You Hate.” The University’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Resource Center and the Saluki Rainbow Network, a registered student organization, are sponsoring numerous activities April 14-21 focusing on the importance of unity within the diverse GLBT community and celebrating approximately 25 years of GLBT Awareness Week activities at SIUC. The week includes special performances, videos, free STD testing, a silent demonstration, a potluck and cookout, two prom events and more. For more information about GLBT Awareness Week 2012, contact Wendy Weinhold at (618)453-6804 (email wendyw@siu.edu) or visit the GLBT Resource Center in Woody Hall, Room C327.

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7. Teaching Excellence, Teaching Distinction Award Winners Named

The SIUE Office of the Provost recently announced that Nicole Klein, Ph.D., is the recipient of this year’s Teaching Excellence Award for tenure-track faculty. Klein is an assistant professor of kinesiology and health education in the SIUE School of Education. The Teaching Excellence Award is the University’s most prestigious teaching award for a faculty member. As part of the award, Klein received a $2,000 prize. She will be recognized during the University’s May commencement ceremony and will speak at the December commencement exercise. She also will be nominated for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s (CASE) National Professor of the Year Award. Recipients of Teaching Distinction Awards for tenure-track faculty included Serdar Celik, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the School of Engineering; Jennifer Miller, assistant professor of historical studies in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Jessica DeSpain, assistant professor of English language and literature in the College of Arts and Sciences. All received $500 prizes. School of Nursing lecturer Virginia Eason received a Teaching Distinction Award for non-tenure track faculty that also carried a $500 prize.

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8. Cultural Presentation Highlights SIUC’s Africa Week

Nigerian musicians Femi Blackup and SLV, and a Rwandese dance group from Chicago are part of “The African Dream” cultural presentation that highlights this year’s Africa Week at SIUC. Margaret Mary Emefiele, president of the African Student Council, said the group expects approximately 500 people to attend The African Dream cultural and fashion event, including other African student organizations from other campuses. The event presents African culture and fashions via a dream skit that includes fashion segments and presentations of traditional Rwandese dance and Nigerian music.

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9. SIUE’s Kate Eckert Receives Fulbright Award

Kate Eckert, a senior at SIUE, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Germany. She was notified recently by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. The Belleville native has a double-major in German and historical studies and a minor in European studies. Eckert is the second SIUE student to be selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. She is one of more than 1,700 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2012-2013 academic year through the program. A firm departure date has not yet been determined. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the federal government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. For more information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, contact James A. Lawrence, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, (202)632-3241 or e-mail fulbright@state.gov

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10. Author of ‘Incognito’ To Deliver SIUC’s Tenney Lecture

It’s not enough for David Eagleman to be a neuroscientist. And a director of two research/think tank programs at Baylor College of Medicine. No, those are just some of his day jobs. By night, he writes fiction. And his recent non-fiction book about the brain is a best-seller. He’s also a sought-after speaker, and he comes to SIUC as part of the Charles D. Tenney Distinguished Lecture Series. Eagleman will discuss “Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain,” beginning at 7:30 p.m. on April 17 in Student Center Ballroom D. A reception and book signing immediately follow the lecture. “Incognito” is a New York Times bestseller, and Amazon, Goodreads, the Boston Globe and the Houston Chronicle all named it a Best Book of 2011. Critics praise the book for its readability in spite of the potential difficulties in subject matter. The Charles D. Tenney lecture series honors the former University vice president and provost, who served from 1952 to 1971.

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11. SIU Medical School Sponsors Ethnic Heritage Day for Japanese Culture

An Ethnic Heritage Day celebration featuring Japanese culture will be held Wednesday, April 18, at the SIU School of Medicine. The event will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Pearson Museum of the School’s main building at 801 N. Rutledge St., Springfield. The program includes a presentation about Japanese holidays by Dr. Shingo Chihara, assistant professor of infectious diseases at SIU. There also will be cultural displays as well as tasting of Japanese foods. Ethnic Heritage Day celebrations are held regularly to share information about various ethnic cultures. The events are organized by the SIU Diversity, Multicultural and Minority Affairs office. For more information, contact Debby Kassube at (217)545-7334 weekdays.

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12. The IERC at SIUE Releases Study on College Readiness

The Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) at SIUE recently released a report highlighting the associations between college readiness and college outcomes. Understanding how college readiness relates to college enrollment and degree completion has direct policy implications, particularly for states such as Illinois. According to the IERC, many states currently are developing definitions of and metrics for college readiness to meet requirements for a No Child Left Behind waiver. Understanding how college readiness is distributed and relates to postsecondary outcomes also could help pinpoint problem areas in the educational pipeline, said Eric Lichtenberger, associate director for research for the IERC and an assistant research professor at SIUE. The report focuses on 115,677 graduates from the Illinois high school class of 2003 and follows them through postsecondary education. It starts by describing how college readiness, as measured by the college readiness benchmarks set by the ACT, is distributed among the Class of 2003. The report also establishes the college readiness of various groups based on select demographic characteristics. Finally, the relationships among college readiness, student characteristics and college enrollment, persistence, and bachelor’s completion are analyzed. For more information, contact Lichtenberger, the author of the report, (618)650-2840 or (866)799-4372. A complete report is available at ierc.siue.edu.

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13. SIUC’s Dr. Charlotte West Nominated for Title IX Trailblazer Tribute Video Contest

Former SIUC coach and educator Dr. Charlotte West has been named one of the 25 finalists for the NACWAA Title IX Trailblazer Video Contest. The contest is in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 2012 and 25 candidates nationwide were selected to be honored through the video contest. The video with the most views from now until April 23 will win a $9,000 gift from the NACWAA Foundation Fund in support of its women's athletics programs and/or female staff professional development. The two videos receiving the most views will also be shown at the 2012 NACWAA National Convention, October 7-10 in Kansas City. West came to SIUC in 1957 as a coach and instructor in physical education. She became a full professor in 1973 and developed and directed SIU's graduate program in sports management. She coached five sports from 1957-75 at SIU including women's golf, which won a national title in 1969. From 1960 until 1986, West was director of intercollegiate athletics for women. She led the transformation of the department from its meager beginnings to a nationally recognized program with a budget of more than $1 million for 11 sports.

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14. SIUE to Hold Day of Activities with Art-A-Thon

SIUE will hold an Art-A-Thon, hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, April 20, at various locations across campus. Activities will include art exhibits and sales; graphic design open studios; children’s art opportunities; chalk drawings; a reader’s theater group; and dance, theater and music performances, as well as Salute to Shakespeare’s Birthday at 12:30 p.m. in the Morris University Quadrangle.

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