·Summer ShowBiz Continues
With Musical Based On Children’s Classic
·Changes
·SIU BOT For SIUE And University Park Seek
Court Action To Resolve Spring Green Lodge Site
·University Staff Senate Recently Awarded Scholarship
To Son Of Employee
·L. Miller Named Employee Of The Month For July
·NCERC Receives Grant For Training Displaced Skilled
Workers
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s final
offering for Summer ShowBiz 2009 is the musical, Roald Dahl’s
Willy Wonka, by the popular songwriting team of Leslie Bricusse and Anthony
Newley, who wrote the original score for the Gene Wilder film, Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory, in 1971. Fast forward to 2003 when Tim McDonald—a
talented musician who had already adapted some of Disney’s animated feature
films for the stage—approached Bricusse to do the same for Wonka. They
kept some tunes from the 1971 film and Bricusse added some new ones, while McDonald
updated the libretto.
And, that stage adaptation will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday,
July 15-18, and at 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19, all in the theater
at SIUE’s Katherine Dunham Hall. Sorry, no children under four years of
age will be admitted. The film and the stage versions are based on the book,
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Norwegian-British author Dahl who
must have loved the confection. Biographers say he was fascinated by two large
chocolate factories in England when he was young. According to Wikipedia,
the Free Dictionary, the two companies routinely tried to steal trade secrets
by sending spies into each other’s factories.
It was a combination of this secrecy and the elaborate, often gigantic, machines
in the factories that inspired Dahl to write his famous children’s book
in 1964, considered one of the most beloved stories of the 20th Century. It’s
the story of the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory
of eccentric candy maker, Willy Wonka. Charlie and four other children have
won a contest to tour the factory, guarded from view most of the time by Wonka.
What they find is a mystifying but wonderful place filled with candy delights
and also strange inhabitants. It’s a delightful show with songs that are
whimsical, while the story is appropriately dark from time to time as fairytales
ought to be. “I am excited to help bring this story to life,” said
director Kathryn Bentley, assistant professor of theater and dance at SIUE.
“It’s a story of dreams and hopes and life lessons.
“Willy Wonka’s world is one in which what you envision can actually
become reality,” Bentley said. “That's an awesome notion when you
think about it.
“As a child, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was my all time
favorite book and movie. My sister and I would watch the movie over and over
dreaming of how amazing it would be to actually drink from a chocolate river,”
Bentley said. “It's a memory that reminds us that as children, we did believe
in the possibilities of happy endings.” Bentley is hopeful the musical
will be entertaining for all ages. “This has been a magically delicious
treat for all of us to create and I think that feeling will be evident to the
audience.”
Tickets are $15; senior citizens, retirees and alumni, SIUE retirees, SIUE alumni, SIUE faculty and staff, non-SIUE students, and children under 16, are $12. Group rates are available. For tickets or more information call the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance box office, (618) 650-2774, or toll free, (888) 328-5168, ext. 2774.
Click here for a photo suitable for print. In the photo, members of the cast include (from left), Alex Kowalchik of Upland, Calif., as Grandpa Joe; Brennan Stamps of Edwardsville, in the role of Charlie Bucket; Brennan Davis, also of Edwardsville and one of the magical helpers in the candy factory known as oompa-loompas; and Willy Wonka, the master candymaker himself, portrayed by Roger Speidel, of Glen Carbon. (SIUE Photo by Bill Brinson)
Personnel
Retirements
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Following the April 2007 expiration of a ground lease agreement between the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees and WLS Properties LLC, University Park SIUE Inc. has been seeking restoration of the construction site for what was to be the home of Spring Green Lodge, a hotel and conference center.
University Park SIUE Inc. and the SIU Board of Trustees for SIUE have filed
a declaratory judgment action today in Madison County, seeking to have the court
bring legal closure to the hotel conference center project. All construction
equipment and materials will be removed from the site. Upon restoration of the
property—located on the corner of Illinois 157 and University Park Drive—it
will again be available for lease and development. “SIUE and University
Park want the court to clarify the legal responsibilities, rights and obligations
of the different parties involved,” said Jim Pennekamp, executive director
of University Park SIUE.
University Park currently has 23 tenants representing a number of business sectors including agricultural biotechnology, health sciences, design professionals and information technology. The most recent announced addition to the park is the American Red Cross Blood Processing Center and National Testing Laboratory. The American Red Cross will locate on a 15-acre site at the corner of University Park Drive and South Research Drive bringing over 500 highly-skilled jobs to the park.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville University Staff Senate recently awarded a scholarship to James Joseph (Joe) Feigl III, the son of Kathleen A. Feigl, office support associate in the School of Education.
The Senate awards scholarships annually to qualifying students who apply, who are the son, daughter, grandchild or spouse of a current SIUE employee, as specified in the application.
Click here for a photo of (from left to right) SIUE Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift, James Joseph Feigl, Jr., the student's father, Kathleen A. Feigl, the student's mother, the student, Joe Feigl, University Staff President Brian W. Lotz, Staff Senate Treasurer Jesse B. Harris, Jr. and Staff Senate Scholarship Chair Melanie Schoenborn.
Congratulations: Lynn Miller, office support specialist for the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies, is the June recipient of the Employee Recognition Award. In the photo, Miller is flanked by Trish Oberweis, an associate professor who nominated her for the award, and David Kauzlarich, chair of the department. At far left is the new College of Arts and Sciences Dean Aldemaro Romero and Sherrie Senkfor, director of the Office of Human Resources. At far right is Vice Chancellor for Administration Kenn Neher, who presented the award. In addition to the plaque she is holding, Miller was awarded a $25 gift certificate to the SIUE Bookstore and two complimentary lunch coupons to the University Restaurant or other Dining Services locations, as well as parking close to her office for the month. (SIUE Photo by Denise Macdonald)
Click here for photo suitable for print.
Close to half of the $550,000 grant awarded recently to the St. Patrick Center
in St. Louis for its Project GO! Green job training initiative will go
to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s National Corn-to-Ethanol
Research Center (NCERC) to train about 60 St. Patrick’s clients in biofuels
operations. The group of workers are skilled but displaced workers. The NCERC’s
portion of the grant is $237,000. Some $170,000 will go to another St. Patrick’s
program—The City Seeds Urban Farm—to be used to train the center’s
homeless clients for horticulture-related jobs, and the remaining will go to
the Center as facilitator of the programs. The GO! Green program also
works in conjunction with Gateway Greening, a St. Louis city initiative to beautify
neighborhoods.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors awarded the grant to St. Patrick’s, 800
N. Tucker Blvd., on the near north side of St. Louis, as one of six winners
nationally of the Green Jobs Training Initiative Grant funded by the Wal-Mart
Foundation. The mayors, including St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, met in Providence,
R.I., recently and selected six non-profit organizations to receive the grants,
totaling $3.27 million to support and expand training programs for green jobs.
NCERC Director John Caupert said the NCERC will conduct two, four-week training sessions as part of the St. Patrick’s jobs inititative—one in September and one in March 2010—to accommodate some 60 clients from St. Patrick’s. “The first week will be devoted to an overview of the biofuels industry; the second week will cover hands-on training in our pilot plant facility here at the NCERC, which will include training on our high-tech SIEMENS biofuels plant operating system; the third week will involve analysis of how the plant operations equipment applies in biofuels research; and the fourth week will be a comprehensive review with presentations and exams.” Caupert said the training will earn participants a certificate of completion and four CEU’s (continuing education units) from the University.
He also pointed out that, despite the economy, the biofuels industry is hiring
personnel. “Abengoa Bioenergy, the company that is building the new ethanol
plant in the Granite City area, just hired 35 people, only seven of which had
been trained in biofuels operations. Seven of those new hires were our previous
interns. The other 28 were then sent here and trained.” (View video clip
at left).
“St. Patrick Center deals with a challenging population in St. Louis,
one that requires special attention and effort,” said Mayor Slay. “Our
panel of judges was impressed with Project GO! Green's innovative approach
to reach out to a difficult population in our city, while initiating a green
jobs effort.”
“Things are getting even greener at St. Patrick Center!” said Center
CEO Dan Buck. “Already, our BEGIN New Venture Center is working with several
new green industry small businesses, and now we are proud to be able to offer
this new green job training opportunity to our St. Patrick Center clients and
GO! Network members."
St. Patrick Center and the city of St. Louis join five other grant winners announced by the U.S. Conference of Mayors: Greencorps Chicago; the Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CA); the Milwaukee Conservation Leadership Corps; the SF Works/City Build Academy in San Francisco; and the Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living in Providence, R.I. Funds distributed by the Wal-Mart Foundation focus on creating opportunities in education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Todd Burrell, director of admissions at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, recently was elected a delegate for the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC.)
Burrell began his 3-year term this month. Delegates represent the association and its members during the National Association for College Admission Counseling Annual Conference assembly each year.
Burrell also was selected as an IACAC 2009 President's Service Recognition Award recipient in May. The award, which was first given in 1999, recognizes members with more than five years of service who have provided strong, consistent leadership to the organization.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) For those who weren’t around during the 1950s, it
might be difficult to understand why teens went balmy when it was announced
that rock-n-roll hit Elvis Presley had been drafted into the U.S. Army. But,
really, things haven’t changed all that much since 1957—teens today
hang on everything the heartthrob of the month has to say. But Elvis seemed
like a bigger thing and he was going to serve his country, so there was a mix
of pride for his patriotism and angst that he might not come back. But, leave
it to Broadway to make fun of everything about what the kids were thinking and
doing in those days.
In 1960, the musical writing team of Lee Adams and Charles Strouse gave us
Bye Bye Birdie, inspired by Presley’s draft notice. And, it’s
the second Summer ShowBiz offering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
from June 24-28, all in the theater at SIUE’s Katherine Dunham Hall. The
show opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, and continues at the same curtain
time through Saturday, June 27. In addition, there are matinee performances
at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28.
This show is not recommended for children under eight.
The story follows teen singing idol Conrad Birdie (a takeoff on Conway Twitty,
who at the time was a rock-n-roll rival of Presley’s) who is preparing
to leave for the Army. His management staff plans to have Birdie sing a new
song, One Last Kiss, and give one lucky girl from his fan club a real
last kiss on The Ed Sullivan Show before leaving. The musical won a few
Tony Awards and went on to more than 600 performances. The original cast contained
Dick Van Dyke, as Birdie’s agent and songwriter, and Paul Lynde, as Harry
MacAfee, father to the young teenage girl who will be the recipient of Birdie’s
last kiss through a national contest.
According to Director Peter Cocuzza, in his program notes, Birdie remains “one
of the most produced plays by high schools and theaters across the country”
and that another Broadway revival is planned to open later this year. “Many
of us remember the movie with Ann-Margret, Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh,”
Cocuzza noted. “That movie propelled Ann-Margret to stardom and led her
to appear with the real Elvis in Viva Las Vegas.”
Cocuzza believes that the movie and the subsequent changes made in remakes
don’t seem to replace the charm of the original production, which is the
basis for the SIUE version. “I’ve wondered why this is so: is the
show connected deeply with fond memories of the past for so many of us—memories
of a simpler time and low-top, black sneakers,” Cocuzza wrote. “Do
many of us still pine for Elvis? Perhaps it is just a fun two hours in the theater
for the family where the old boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl and boy-gets-girl
formula still rings true? Whatever the reason, we are happy to debut our own
version of this classic musical here on the Summer Showbiz stage.”
Tickets may be purchased at SIUE’s Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774. Tickets are $15; senior citizens, SIUE affiliates, students, children under 16 years of age, $12. Call the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774, for more information or to order tickets.
Click here for a photo of some of the Bye Bye Birdie cast members: In the photo from left is Phil Leveling, of Glen Carbon, in the role of Albert; Anna Skidis, also of Glen Carbon, playing the part of Rosie; and Emily Reutebuch, of Granite City, playing Kim, who is clowning around behind the famous photo of Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate in New York City. In the background, equally clowning around behind an Elvis facade is Nick Henderson, of Edwardsville, portraying the part of teen singing idol Conrad Birdie. (SIUE Photo by Bill Brinson)
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The wait will soon be over for students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville who will benefit from the opening of the Student Success Center. The $16.6 million, 68,000-square-foot center project is the result of the vision of SIUE Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Narbeth Emmanuel, who worked closely with students and university administrators to make the construction of the building a reality.
The Student Success Center is linked to the Morris University Center and provides
students with a centralized location for services such as disability support
services, career development, tutoring, testing, honors programming, health
and counseling services, international services and more. “This truly has
been a marriage between academic and student affairs,” said Lora Flamm
Miles, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “This building provides
students with immediate access to the services they will need to help them be
successful, as well as increase our retention.”
Student support for the new building resulted in the passage of a fee for undergraduate
students by student government to pay for the building and its maintenance costs.
Students were involved in the building process throughout its entirety, working
closely with architects and administrators to approve the implementation of
various green features, including the following:
Light-colored roofing material to absorb less heat in the summer time and lose less heat in the winter months;the positioning of green roof blocks to promote seasonal climate control, as well as reduce environmental contaminants through waste water runoff; the installation of high-performance exterior walls and windows and zoned HVAC systems; connecting lighting circuits to photo sensors to increase energy efficiency and reduce waste, and the use of occupancy sensors; cradle-to-cradle lifecycle material carpet installation, which can be reused as carpet again after its initial use; and polished concrete flooring.
Through the use of regionally produced exterior materials, construction job
site waste was reduced by 50 percent. Daylight also is streamed into the building
through natural lighting fixtures, which provide superior lighting while reducing
energy reliance. The computer lab in the basement of the facility is surrounded
by translucent walls made from recycled milk jugs and recycled content is included
in all concrete and steel used in the structure.
The interior finishes used in the building have low emissions, which enhance indoor air quality. The University also purchased 95 percent recyclable furniture for offices, conference rooms, classrooms and other spaces provided in the building.
Click here for photo of green roof of the Student Success Center. Above is a video clip of Lora Flamm Miles speaking about why the Student Success Center will be important to students.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) A group of students through the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering recently spent a week improving the lives of people living in a third-world country.
Members of the SIUE Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB,) visited the community of Pimienta, Honduras, with a group of St. Louis area EWB professional members. EWB is a service organization that was established to give professional engineers the opportunity to help communities in need of infrastructure improvements and enhancements.
The team of professionals and students improved infrastructure in the Honduran community by building a more than 50-foot retaining wall, installing a composting toilet and by implementing clean facilities, and provided infrastructure for waste water and erosion control.
"They've done some really wonderful things," said Chris Gordon, the student group's faculty advisor and assistant professor in the SIUE Department of Construction. "There is a massive infrastructure deficit in the developing world.
"This gap can't be addressed simply by spending money or by imposing engineering solutions from afar. The SIUE Chapter of Engineers Without Borders is doing a wonderful job of partnering with local industry, and the community in Pimienta, to understand not just the needs of the community, but also the context of these needs and of potential engineering solutions."
The SIUE charge was led by Shane Richardson, a senior civil engineering major with a history of volunteerism. Having made several trips to volunteer in Haiti, Richardson said he wanted to use his professional skills to improve the lives of others. Starting a student chapter of EBW allowed him to do that. During their time in Honduras, the students assessed the community's water distribution needs and are planning the installation of a design in 2010.
The students have spent the school year raising money for the project. One fund raising initiative involved taking a 120-mile bike ride from Elizabethtown to Chester. The group will return to Honduras this fall, thanks to an SIUE Excellence in Undergraduate Education grant and again in the spring as part of a senior assignment project. They are actively seeking any additional funding for materials and travel, but will donate the labor.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Jiguang Zhao, a doctoral student in the Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville School of Engineering through a cooperative program
at SIU Carbondale, received first place in the Missouri Valley Section of Institute
of Transportation Engineers (ITE) student paper competition. Considered one
of the most prestigious transportation societies in the world, ITE is for those
engaged in the planning, design and operation of streets, highways and other
transportation facilities. MOVITE is the Midwest section of ITE.
The annual MOVITE student paper competition involves universities in a seven-state
Midwest region that includes Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma
and Wisconsin. Zhao will present his paper, “Safety Issues of Left Side
Off-Ramps on Freeway,” at a MOVITE meeting this fall, and will accept a
scholarship award of $1,500. His paper evaluates the effects of left-side, off-ramp
design on traffic operation and safety, which could be used to improve the design
and safety of left-side off-ramps on freeways.
Zhao is one of the first group doctoral students recruited by the Department of Civil Engineering after Engineerng Dean Hasan Sevim started the cooperative Ph.D. program through SIUC. Zhao’s major is transportation engineering.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) A team of students from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's School of Engineering recently took first place in the Parsons Brinckerhoff Environmental and Water Resource Student Design Competition.
The student team participated in the competition, which was held in conjunction with the 2009 American Society of Civil Engineering Environmental and Water Resources Institute in Kansas City, Mo. The team was chosen to compete among other national entrants as finalists in the congress.
Conference presenters included now School of Engineering graduates Stephen Linenfelser, Troy Turner, and current engineering graduate student, Trisha Youngquist, who was the team leader. Other members of the SIUE design group included Sara Andert, Amanda Dioneda, Dustin Hill and Adam Rhein. Faculty sponsors are Jianpeng Zhou and Brad Cross.
"The presentation went pretty well," said Youngquist. "We had more of an audience than I think we anticipated. It was not a very big room, but it was pretty packed. It was fun and the conference had a great deal to take advantage of. I would definitely recommend it to other environmental senior design groups."
The SIUE environmental group project detailed the environmental aspects of an SIUE Heating and Refrigeration Plant upgrade. Items related to indoor air quality, drinking water quality, hazardous materials, environmental hazards and noise levels were included in an environmental quality review. Recommendations were made based on current maintenance facility usage, as well as potential future uses for engineering lab space.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) has published
the first in a series of reports, Education Beyond High School, which provides
a descriptive summary of enrollment and completion trends among the members
of the Illinois Class of 2002 in the four years after high school. The first
report gives an overview of the entire cohort of 113,660 students in terms of
enrollment and completion at public, private, four-year, two-year, in-state
and out-of-state institutions. Four companion reports present the same information
delineated by sub-populations including college readiness, gender, parent income
and race/ethnicity.
Key findings from the first report include:
Participation in Postsecondary Education
Completion of Degrees and Certificates
Of the 33,402 awards earned between fall 2002 and summer 2006, there were:
Authors Christopher Mullin, Kathleen Sullivan Brown, and Brad White are continuing this longitudinal study with analysis of six years of enrollment and completion data. Stephen Hansen, associate provost for research and dean of the Graduate School at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where the IERC is located, said that this report represents a giant step forward in the analysis of Illinois’ education pipeline. “The longitudinal study of the high school class of 2002 is an example of a new direction in education research that allows educators, institutions of higher education and state policymakers to understand how students proceed through our system,” Hansen said.
“This report and those to come will help us better understand how to increase
educational attainment in our state.”
Illinois, like many other states, has begun to collect and examine data on
the educational progress of its students from early learning stages through
graduate and professional degrees, says IERC Executive Director Kathleen Brown.
“The Illinois Board of Education has been awarded a major federal grant
to establish a comprehensive longitudinal data system, and the Legislature recently
passed Senate Bill 1828, known as the Longitudinal Data Systems Act,” she
explained. “These efforts demonstrate the state’s desire to build
a connected system of state databases and make educational decisions based on
quality data. The IERC’s research reinforces these efforts with additional
information and analysis of the future college-educated workforce.”
The IERC was established in 2000 at SIUE to provide Illinois with education research to support P-20 education policy making and program development. According to Brown, “The IERC undertakes independent research and policy analysis, often in collaboration with other researchers, aimed at informing and strengthening Illinois’ commitment to a seamless system of educational opportunities for its citizens. Through publications, presentations, participation on committees, and an annual research symposium, the IERC brings objective and reliable evidence to the work of state policy makers and practitioners.
“It has legislated responsibility to provide and coordinate research to inform the work of the Illinois P-20 Council, which is composed of representatives from the Governor’s office and the General Assembly, designees from the three education sectors (elementary, secondary and higher education), and business, union and community leaders.”
For more information about the study or about the IERC, contact the office by telephone: (866) 799-4372. All IERC reports may be downloaded from the council’s Web site: ierc.siue.edu.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees today awarded up to $2.65 million in maximum four-year contracts with nine dental labs—five in Illinois, three in Missouri and one in Colorado—all of which will provide services for the main clinic at the SIU School of Dental Medicine in Alton. The agreements would make available up to 450 lab services from the nine companies for one year, with a three-year renewal option.
The total cost of four-year contracts with the companies would be $662,500 per year to be funded by clinic operations at the SIU/SDM. The actual cost of the contracts is dependent on the number of patients and actual patient needs at the SDM's main clinic. The companies awarded the contracts and the maximum costs of those contracts are as follows:
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Greater Tuna, where “the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies,” is a hilarious comedy about the third smallest town in the Lone Star State—Tuna, Texas. It’s a tour de force for two actors who play the eclectic band of Tuna citizens as they present this satire on life in rural America. In the photo, Greg Fenner (left), of Florissant. Mo., as Charlene Bumiller, and Rahamses Galvan, of Decatur, as her sister, Bertha, are the two actors playing every man, woman and child (and animal?) in the Greater Tuna Area. At left, Kim Bozark, an instructor of Theater and Dance and head of publicity for that department, gives his take on the comedy. (SIUE Photo by Bill Brinson; SIUE Video by the Office of Public Affairs)
Officers and members of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville chapter of the State Universities Annuitants Association today dedicated a granite bench to the University in observance of SIUE’s first 50 years. SIUE-SUAA President David Steinberg, emeritus dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, presoded over the brief ceremony.
He said the Annuitants Association, a group representing retirees of state universities, had decided to honor the University in a permanent way. “We wanted something permanent,” he told a small group at the dedication, “to mark the auspicious occasion of the University’s reaching 50 years.”
The bench is located in the Stratton Quadrangle, just south and east of SIUE’s
Katherine Dunham Hall. It is engraved with the words: “In Honor Of SIUE’s
First Fifty Years 1957-2007/Given By SIUE-SUAA Retirees, 2008. Click here
for a still photo of the ceremony participants. (SIUE Photo by Bill Brinson
and SIUE Video by the Office of Public Affairs)
(EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill.) Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Head
Start/Early Head Start Program, headquartered at the SIUE East St. Louis Center,
has won a dozen awards—on the state, regional and national level—because
of several Metro East parents and staff who know the importance of quality early
childhood education.
For example, there is the tenacious mother who overcame medical struggles and
championed equality regarding her child’s learning challenges; the single
parent who almost seemed like a fixture at her children’s preschool; the
father who works long hours to ensure quality instruction for his son and daughter
and recruits other dads to do the same; and the school administrator who has
spent the past 11 years developing strong parent and community involvement in
order to foster excellence in Head Start programs
These people helped bring new honor to the comprehensive early childhood development program that has served St. Clair County for more than 30 years. “Producing and maintaining quality early childhood education is the crux of our mission that we carry out every day,” said Hazel Mallory, Head Start program director at the center. “And I was proud and happy to learn of the array of awards we received for our hard working Head Start staff and parents.” Ms. Mallory was recently elected to the board of directors for the Illinois Head Start Association as a member at large.
On the state and regional levels, the winning tallies of awards for the SIUE program from the Head Start Association are listed below:
Meanwhile, the National Head Start Association awarded Tangelina White the
Ann Phipps Memorial Scholarship, which comes with a $1,500 prize to be applied
to an institution of higher learning, and Debrah Carnahan, second place for
“Beating the Odds,” which honors those who conquered difficulties
and persisted throughout hard times to become self sufficient. “Head Start
supported me emotionally and professionally and had faith in me,” said
Mrs. Carnahan, former Belleville Head Start parent who continues to work as
a volunteer. “Now I’m able to offer support to families who have children
with special needs.” Mrs. Carnahan and her husband, Carlton, have special
needs children of their own.
“Winning is great and was appreciated by all of the honorees,” Ms. Mallory said, “but what matters most to them are the objects of their devotion and hard work—the children.”
Laura Pawlow, an assistant professor of psychology and soon to become an associate professor in that department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, recently was named the Great Teacher of the Year for 2009 at SIUE. The award is sponsored annually by the SIUE Office of Alumni Affairs; Pawlow will be honored by Alumni Affairs at the summer term commencement in August. SIUE alumni nominate candidates for the award by mail or through the association’s Web site (www.siue.edu/alumni) and then the association’s Activities Awards Committee chooses from among the nominations.
A part of the Psychology faculty since 2003, Pawlow teaches biopsychology (the study of how the brain’s physiological makeup affects mental health), abnormal psychology and careers in psychology. At the graduate level, Pawlow teaches advanced biopsychology and cognitive behavioral therapy. She earned a bachelor of science in psychology at the University of Dayton in Ohio and a master of arts and a doctorate, both in clinical psychology, at the University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg.
“I started out studying physics in college but I soon found that wasn’t for me,” Pawlow said. “Some friends of mine had decided to major in psych, so I decided to follow them. My parents were not happy about that decision.” Pawlow said her father, retired military, now a human resources management instructor at McKendree College, and her mother were worried they might have to help support her. “They were worried until I got my doctorate,” Pawlow said with a laugh. “My father's so proud of me he’s telling everybody about me getting this award.” (SIUE Video by the Office of Public Affairs)
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Southwestern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center at Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville is looking for students who will be entering
grades 5-8 in the fall for a fun summer camp to help them foster the entrepreneurial
spirit.
Participants can take part in one of two 1-week camps, which will be held in
SIUE's Alumni Hall: from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 15-19 or June 22-26.
"Our camp fosters free thinking and promotes the importance of entrepreneurship," said Kristine Jarden, director of the Entrepreneurship Center at SIUE.
Through a variety of educational and training techniques, the camp will offer classroom instruction, interactive programs, computer lab training and field trips to area businesses. Participants also will learn how to negotiate for business materials, set goals and recognize real business opportunities.
Students will learn what skills it takes to succeed in the real business world, such as team building, leadership development, financial management, verbal communication and business etiquette. They should bring either money for lunch or a sack lunch, a book bag for belongings, a notebook and 3-ring, 2-inch binder, a pen or pencil and a jump drive.
On the last day of each of the camps, a business plan presentation and judging will take place. Parents are encouraged to attend the presentation and judging, which will begin at 1 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Scholarship opportunities are available. For information about pricing and to register, contact Jarden, (618) 650-2166, or Innovative Education Concepts, (618) 451-8600 or toll free, (877) 293-4958.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Even as a cub reporter for The Alestle during the
early 1960s, as it was becoming known as the student newspaper for Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville, Eugene B. Redmond was taking photos. Little
did he know he would hone that keen photo sense and go on to amass some 200,000
images during his storied career as journalist, activist, author, poet, educator
and friend to nearly everyone he met over the past 60-plus years.
Redmond has donated the entire collection to SIUE’s Elijah P. Lovejoy
Memorial Library, where it is being catalogued for use by researchers. Eventually,
portions of the collection will be displayed for the general public at Lovejoy.
“We will be seeking various grants, including one from the National Endowment
for the Humanities, to help with preserving and displaying the collection,”
Redmond said. The collection of photographs and other visual memorabilia depicts
arts festivals, gatherings, workshops, activist meetings, rallies, academic
conferences, receptions and parties with the some of the most incredible literary
lights of the Black Arts Movement (BAM) in the United States, Europe, Africa
and the West Indies, including publications and letters featuring these writers
and cultural figures.
“The collection originally was in four different places,” said Stephen
Hansen, associate provost for research and dean of the SIUE Graduate School.
“Many pieces were in Eugene’s home, other pieces in storage lockers
and more in his sister’s basement. We also estimate we will spend eight
hours of labor on each cubic foot of material,” he pointed out.
The collection is considered a compendium of the black literary world—and
its global, cross-cultural connections—as seen through Redmond’s ubiquitous
camera lens and in the letters, posters and flyers. Redmond, the poet laureate
of East St. Louis, is a retired professor of English language and literature
at SIUE, and also is considered a storyteller extraordinaire who came of age
through the 60s and 70s, criss-crossing the United States as he chronicled the
BAM in East St. Louis, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. “This
is an important collection for SIUE because of its regional importance, Eugene’s
long-time relationship with the University, and because of its national and
international significance,” Hansen explained. “We’re planning
a reading room set aside at Lovejoy Library to give researchers opportunities
to view this collection.
“It’s quite unique for us to have this collection,” Hansen said.
“Emory University and the Missouri Historical Society were vying for these
materials. We're happy to announce that Eugene chose Lovejoy Library."
Other venues that had sought the collection included the Amistad Research Center
in New Orleans and the Schomburg Center for Research In Black Culture at the
New York City Public Library.
Redmond himself calls the collection “a wonderful look at the people who
made a difference in the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Arts Movement”
as well as many other movements and causes that have been in the spotlight during
the 20th and 21st centuries.
And, to look at them, the images and publications tell the tale. Eugene B.
Redmond knew many of those literary lights and captured the rich, the famous,
the poor and the virtually unknown in ways many will not forget. There are Pulitzer
Prize winners Alex Haley, Rita Dove and Gwendolyn Brooks; Nobel laureates Toni
Morrison, Derek Walcott and Wole Soyinka; National Book Award-winner Charles
Johnson and Pulitzer Prize Nominee Maya Angelou. In addition, there's a young
writer, LeRoi Jones, considered to be the “father” of the BAM and
who later became known as the distinguished playwright Amiri Baraka, as he reads
from his work in his own basement in Newark, N.J.
The list goes on: blues legend B.B. King; activist-author Angela Davis; the
godfather of soul music James Brown; National Book Award-winner Ralph Ellison;
BAM leader Sonia Sanchez; prima ballerina and noted anthropologist Katherine
Dunham; mega bookseller Terry McMillan; novelist-essayist James Baldwin; Paris
Review founding editor George Plimpton; and Pulitzer Prize-winner/native American
novelist, N. Scott Momaday, to name several.
And, yes, the man also has partied with Oprah Winfrey.
Along with Rambsy and the help of a graduate assistant, Alfred Henderson II,
Redmond is sifting through his collection. “Right now we’re still
in the 1970s in our cataloging of everything,” Redmond said. “I had
a large section of it at my sister’s home and we moved that portion along
with what I had stored on my property to the SIUE East St. Louis Center, which
has graciously provided a space for us to work.”
In 1961 Redmond joined The Alestle staff while he was a student at SIU’s
“10th Street Tech,” the old East St. Louis High School. He went on
to become the first “Negro” editor at the paper in 1963 at a time
when such an appointment would have been extremely rare. “I went to the
march on Washington as an Alestle reporter and I have photos from that
in the collection,” he pointed out. During that same period, Redmond helped
establish three newspapers in East St. Louis, including the Monitor,
where he wrote editorials and a weekly column for more than six years. In 1976,
while he was teaching at California State University at Sacramento (CSUS), East
St. Louis officials named Redmond that city’s poet laureate, the first
time a U.S. city administered such a designation.
They called Redmond the multicultural studies guru at Sacramento, where he
helped establish and administer the Annual Third World Writers and Thinkers
Symposia. Before heading to CSUS, he was writer-in-residence at Oberlin (OH)
College. “Also, I was on the road for some 16 years giving workshops and
undertaking speaking engagements around the world; then back to East St. Louis
in 1985 to become assistant to the superintendent of East St. Louis Public Schools
for culture and language arts, and then to Wayne State University in Detroit
for a professorship.” While at Wayne State, Redmond came to the attention
of Earl Lazerson, a native of the Detroit area who at the time was president
of SIUE. “He contacted me and asked me if I was interested in coming home
and teaching at SIUE. I took the job.”
At the urging of poet Henry Dumas, Redmond published his books through Black
River Writers Press, with writers-poets Sherman Fowler and Jerry Herman. Redmond
went on to edit and compile Dumas’ work in tribute after the young poet
was shot to death in New York City. That labor of love led to a collaboration
and friendship with Toni Morrison, senior editor at Random House. He corresponded
with her, as well as other writers including Maya Angelou, who also became a
close friend-those letters are part of the Redmond Collection at Lovejoy Library.
“I have newspapers from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, chronicling various political
and cultural movements, plus hundreds and hundreds of tapes of concerts, lectures
and rallies,” Redmond said. “There are hundreds of literary journals,
anti-war studies, civil rights literature, BAM, everything that was going on
with various literary movements in the country...the riots...in California.
As a journalist, I felt it was important to take all of these photos to chronicle
an era of change.....I also wanted to capture my travels to bring the images
back to show my family and students so they would have a sense of what the movements
were about in other places. I had in mind the setting up of a creative center
in East St. Louis, displaying these photos, posters, flyers and correspondence
so the public will become more aware of this rich history...
“It wasn't until Howard Rambsy came on board here at SIUE and convinced
me of the need to move forward on my dream by saying: ‘Man, we need to
do something with all of this material,’” Redmond said with a laugh.
“He practically lived at my house for nearly a year looking over this stuff
because it was overwhelming to me. For example, I have nearly 450 photo albums
filled; I have taken some 200,000 photos, not to mention the correspondence,
the playbills, the handwritten notes, the letters, even the post-it notes, and,
of course, hundreds of LP recordings.
“How do you put a price on this? How do you put a price on sweat, on blood, on tears,” he asked rhetorically. “The fact that I got as much of it here after moving all over the world is amazing to me.”
Click on photo numbers at right for a portrait shot of Eugene Redmond and a collage of his publications, both collected and created. Photos 1 | 2
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Several high school seniors from Illinois and Missouri
have accepted Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor’s Scholarships
and Presidential Scholarships—part of the Meridian Scholars Program—to
enter SIUE in fall. Each year, SIUE makes available 20 Chancellor Scholarships
and 11 Presidential Scholarships, both of which cover tuition, fees, and room
and board for four years.
SIUE’s Meridian Scholars Program encompasses the Chancellor’s Scholarships,
offered to students with strong academic ability and a record of personal achievement,
leadership and service, and the Presidential Scholarships, offered to entering
freshmen interested in special academic opportunities as undergraduate students.
“We offer a wide range of scholarships and study opportunities for academically
strong students,” said Scott Belobrajdic, SIUE’s assistant vice chancellor
for Enrollment Management.
Belobrajdic said that once these high achievers enroll at SIUE, they will find
academic programs that continually challenge their academic and intellectual
abilities. “SIUE offers programs that will put these students in a position
to take charge of their education, and create a curriculum that will prepare
them to excel in the next phase of their lives.”
Since 1957, SIUE has prepared students to become leaders in their community
and professionals in their fields of study. Beautifully situated on 2,660 acres,
SIUE is a fully accredited public institution offering a broad choice of degrees
and programs ranging from liberal arts to professional studies. Undergraduate
and graduate degrees are offered in the arts and sciences, business, education,
engineering and nursing. Professional degrees also are available in dentistry
and pharmacy. Additional information about scholarship opportunities is available
on-line: www.siue.edu/financialaid/scholarships/institutional.shtml.
Meridian Scholars are listed below in alpha order by school; click on the interactive names for photos suitable for print::
Presidential Scholarships
Tiffany Edwards—Belleville
(IL) Twsp. HS East
Nicole Fry (no photo available)—Collinsville (IL) HS
Halstead Coleman-Selby—Edwardsville
(IL) Senior HS
Erinne Haberl—Gibault HS
in Waterloo, IL
Samantha Zacholski—Mahomet-Seymour
HS
Brooke Smith (no photo available)—Metro East Lutheran HS in Edwardsville
Joseph Fehrenbacher—Newton
(IL) Community HS
Sarah Borlee—Queen Of Peace
HS in Bridgeview, IL
Michael Lanier—Springfield
(IL) HS
Ali Aldabe—Universal School
in Orland Park, IL
Chancellor's Scholarship
(Illinois)
Bradley Ripley—Argenta-Oreana HS
Cassandra Sams—East Peoria
Community HS
Lauren Murphy—Glenwood Sr.
HS in Springfield
Camille Escobar—Taught at
home in Hanover Park
Jessica Thompson—Triad
HS in Troy
Chancellor's Scholarship
(Missouri)
Michael Menzel—Westminster
Christian Academy in Manchester
Allison Ryan—Francis Howell
HS in St. Charles
Kyla Nieder—Washington HS
Thomas Packman—Washington
HS
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Dean Patrick J. Ferrillo Jr. of the University of the
Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, who was acting dean and then dean
of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Alton for 16
years, will be the guest speaker at the SIU dental school’s commencement
at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 6. Forty-four students, 13 with honors, will receive
a doctorate of dental medicine at the event that Saturday in Meridian Ballroom,
on the first floor of SIU Edwardsville’s Morris University Center. A reception
for students, faculty and family members will follow the ceremony.
Dr. Ferrillo, who joined the SIU/SDM faculty in 1978, earned a bachelor of
science in biology at Georgetown University, and a doctor of dental science
and a certificate in endodontics at Baylor College of Dentistry. He also has
taught at Baylor and at Saint Louis University. Ferrillo is a fellow of the
American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists and the
Pierre Fauchard Academy.
In 2002, Dr. Ferrillo was named founding dean of the School of Dental Medicine
at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and took the University of the Pacific
position in 2006.
An active member of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), Dr. Ferrillo
served in various positions including ADEA president in 1999, as well as chair
of the ADEA Council of Deans in 1994. In 2000, he chaired the ADEA President’s
Task Force on the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health. He also has
been engaged in numerous international activities, serving as the ADEA representative
on the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Dental Education
Association (IFDEA) and currently serving a two-year term as president of IFDEA.
In addition, Ferrillo was an active participant in the European project, DentEd,
DentEd II and DentEdvolved. He continues to be active in international dental
education.
Active in the American Dental Association, Dr. Ferrillo has served on the Commission on Dental Accreditation/Council on Dental Education and the Council on Dental Therapeutics. In addition, Dr. Ferrillo has served on numerous foundations including the National Foundation for Dentistry for the Handicapped, as well as Oral Health America/America’s Fund for Dental Health. He also served as chairman of the board of Oral Health America from 2003 to 2005.
Click here for photo suitable for print.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Northbound traffic along South University Drive from Stadium Drive to the intersection of P1, will be detoured starting Tuesday, May 26, during the rebuilding of the road on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Vehicles will be routed to two-way traffic in the section of southbound University Drive during the work. Right-hand turns off northbound University Drive to Supporting Services Road and University Park Drive will not be allowed during this time.
"Weather permitting, all work will be completed before classes start in August," said Bob Washburn, director of SIUE Facilities Management. Drivers are encouraged to take alternative routes.
