Alumni

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will honor nine remarkable graduates at the 2021 SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame ceremony, A Night Among the Stars, on Thursday, Sept. 23. The impressive alumni have made exceptional contributions in their chosen fields, in their communities and at SIUE through their leadership, character and hard work.

 “Those selected for the Alumni Hall of Fame represent the best of SIUE,” said Andrew Ravanelli, PhD, SIUE Alumni Association president. &#822...

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Aeronautical Center, women aviators make up only 7% of the total pilot population. To bring awareness to women in aviation and inspire young female pilots, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumna Anni Huang participated in the 2021 Women’s Air Race Classic.

Huang, of Belleville, graduated from SIUE in 2013 with a bachelor’s in accountancy and international business administration. In 2014, she earned an MBA from...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Jessica Harris, PhD, has appointed Earleen Patterson, PhD, as associate vice chancellor for Student Opportunities, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

This position forms a critical part of a developing divisional infrastructure to facilitate the University’s capacity to nurture an inclusive environment for racially minoritized and other historically underrepresented students, as w...

SIUE’s Julie Zimmermann, PhD, professor and chair of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Anthropology, shared her archeological expertise as a featured guest of the Madison County Historical Society’s Online Speaker Series.

Zimmermann’s presentation, “In Our Own Backyard: SIUE Investigations of the Gerhing Site,” was published Sunday, June 20.

 The Edwardsville Intelligencer recapped Zimmermann’s presentation in an article posted Thurs...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus Officer John Cavanaugh is retiring from the Air National Guard on August 7. A retirement flag will be flown in his honor at Korte Stadium.

Cavanaugh earned his bachelor’s in music education in 1998. He was a band teacher for five years before joining SIUE’s Police Department. Inspired by his parent’s love for aviation and music, Cavanaugh decided to pursue a career with the Air National Guard, where he serves in a band unit. He...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus Justin Schulz has been recognized as the 2020 Officer of the Year by the Gulf Shores Police Department (GSPD) in Gulf Shores, Ala. Schulz earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice studies in 2014.

“It was an absolute honor to receive this award knowing there were several other officers in contention who hold high caliber standards,” Schulz said.

This is not the first time Schulz has been recognized by his department. Along with ...

As part of an upgrade to the studio and adjoining spaces of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound, Heil Sound Co. of Fairview Heights has donated and installed many high-quality microphones, including 14 PR-30’s. Heil Sound recently partnered with WSIE as an underwriter. 

The new hi-tech equipment will be utilized in the main studio, as well as in smaller production and voice tracking rooms. 

“This is a wonderful thing,” said WSIE ...

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Office of Military and Veteran Services is honoring the contributions of women’s service to the United States through military service this month in conjunction with Women Veteran’s Day, which is annually recognized on June 12.

“The contributions of women can often be forgotten or overlooked,” said U.S. Navy veteran and SIUE Coordinator of Military and Veteran Services Telisha Reinhardt, “even more so when it comes to m...

Entrepreneurs and new business startups are invited to compete in the 2021 Metro East Start-Up Challenge (MESC), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 8th annual regional business plan competition.

The MESC is organized by the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at SIUE. The purpose of the Challenge is to identify, encourage and support entrepreneurs and business startups across the SBDC’s service area, including Calhoun, Jersey, Madi...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has announced the creation of the Jim and Julie McPike Scholarship Endowment with an initial gift of $432,000 to support students in STEM.

The scholarship will cover one year of tuition and fees for junior or senior students, with preference given to qualifying women, majoring in math, science or engineering within the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) or the School of Engineering (SOE).

McPike, who earned a master’s in economics at SIUE in 1974...

A little-known, but enormously important American historical fact, traditionally celebrated by pockets of people across the country has now received the attention it deserves. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on Thursday, June 17, making June 19 or “Juneteenth,” which marks the ending of slavery in the U.S., a federal holiday. 

This milestone was lauded during Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Center for Student Di...

SIUE alumna Niki Allen, senior vice president of technology at Kohl’s, shared insight on technology’s role in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives during a LinkedIn Live panel discussion, entitled “The DEI Imperative: How Tech Enables Organizational Values.”

Allen earned a bachelor’s in business administration from the SIUE School of Business in 2004. “Companies like Kohl’s have an obligation to represent the communities they serve,” ...

SIUE alumna Maureen Schuette has been named co-chair of the steering committee for the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council.

Schuette earned a bachelor’s in government (now political science) from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1984.

Details on her extensive legal career and her new appointment were posted Friday, June 4 in the Alton Telegraph.

During a time of lockdown, uncertainty and fear, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Kathryn Carter returned to an early love in order to help build on the sense of community, offer encouragement and discuss preventative health measures. 

The livecast “Friday Night Live with Kat Carter” that began in May 2020 earned Carter the NAACP Edwardsville Branch’s Community Service Award, which she received during its 56^th Freedom Fund Gala on Sunday, June 6. Carter i...

The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) conferred doctor of dental medicine (DMD) degrees on 56 students comprising the Class of 2021 during its commencement ceremony held Saturday, June 5 at the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center on the Edwardsville campus.

“Doctors of the Class of 2021, I understand that this has been a most unusual time for both your education and entry into your profession,” SIU SDM Dean Bruce Rotter, DMD, MS, shared, &...

SIUE alumnus Scott Slemer is the new public works director for the Village of Glen Carbon. Slemer earned a bachelor’s of civil engineering from SIUE in 1998. 

He will be sworn in at the June 8^th trustee board meeting. Details on Slemer’s appointment and professional background are available in the Edwardsville Intelligencer.

Two Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students agree that the summer semester is a great time to pursue educational goals, thanks to their SIUE Staff Senate Summer Scholarships. 

“I’m thankful to my parents, especially my mom, for helping me obtain this scholarship and for being supportive throughout my academic journey,” said Abigail Ermer, a senior majoring in Art and Design with a concentration in textiles and psychology minor. “I am grateful for this sch...

The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) will celebrate its 46^th class of graduates during its commencement ceremony being held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 5 in the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center on the Edwardsville campus. The SIU SDM will also honor its 2020 graduates during a special hooding ceremony being held at 1 p.m.

The Class of 2021 ceremony will honor 56 students with the conferral of their doctor of dental medicine degrees. The ceremony will ...

When faced with challenging circumstances, it is not the time to falter or double down. On the contrary, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB) Dean Robin Hughes, PhD, believes it is the time to ramp up efforts. 

In light of varying economic fallout because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hughes (accompanied by the School’s associate and assistant deans) led the charge to increase the number of scholarship awards given to SEHHB stud...

After more than a year of an unprecedented pandemic, restrictions are lifting, boundaries are widening and spirits are soaring. It’s enough to make people break out in song, dance or both. 

The turn of events added to the delight of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) for the Performing Arts After School program presenting its spring concert, which was held in-person at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 20 in the Multipurpose Room at the East St. Louis Highe...

“It takes one to know one.” That expression forms the foundation of Amanda Depew’s dedication to positively impacting the lives of women veterans like herself. After dedicating much of her life to military service, she now uses her lived experiences to drive her passion for community service.

Her incredible story of perseverance and fierce commitment to veterans has resulted in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduate student being named Illinois’ 2020 Stud...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty members are teacher-scholars who strive to remain at the forefront of a fast-moving industry and translate that into theoretical and applied classroom learning. Their guidance ensures students have the skills, knowledge and versatility needed to thrive in the workforce and make industry advancements.

The SIUE School of Engineering (SOE) has created the Faculty Advancement Endowment to provide teacher-scholars in the Department of Construction wi...

The function of libraries continues to improve, steering more towards digitalization and the changing times, but the last year has seen a catapulting need and desire for online learning because of the unexpected and unwelcomed fallout from the pandemic. 

In an effort to better provide patrons with cutting edge advancements and in response to digital expectations, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Lovejoy Library hired Mitchell Haas, assistant professor in Library and Inform...

Susanne DiSalvo, PhD, assistant professor in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biological Sciences, has received the highly competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award totaling $463,557.

The award supports her research entitled, “Population and evolutionary dynamics of bacteriophage-symbiont-host interactions: Development of a multi-layered model microbiome,” the findings of which will elucidate virus-host ...

The DREAM (Dismantling Racism through Education, Advocacy and Mobilization) Collective at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s “Blacktivism in the Academy” podcast will discuss support for Black students on campus during the pandemic. “Students in the Panorama” airs Thursday, May 13 on Spotify, Apple and Stitcher.

The guest speakers will be students from the Contemporary Issues in Higher Education-Blacktivism in the Academy course, taught this past spring se...