Sara Colvin is the new Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Interim Vice Chancellor for University Advancement and CEO of the SIUE Foundation. Colvin replaces Seth Walker, former vice chancellor for advancement and CEO of the SIUE Foundation, who recently stepped down to accept a new role in his home state of Georgia. Colvin, who previously worked on major gift campaigns for both the School of Business and John Martinson Honors Program, plans “to ensure continuity and positive mo...
SIUE Alumni News
The official publication of the Alumni Association, the eConnection provides in-depth coverage of our alumni, campus news and alumni events. In addition to an annual print magazine, the Alumni Association sends an electronic version of the eConnection two times per year.
"SIUE-Alumni" News
Third-Generation SIUE Alum Sara Colvin Leads University Fundraising Efforts in New Role
5 December 2023, 12:45 PM
Cougar State of Mind: SIUE Homecoming and Family Weekend
18 September 2023, 8:40 AM

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is thrilled to announce the fusion of two beloved traditions, Homecoming and Family Weekend, that promises to captivate alumni, families and community members alike. Under the theme "Cougar State of Mind," this year's celebration will take place Wednesday-Sunday, Oct. 11-15.
“The traditions surrounding Homecoming at SIUE are continuing to grow,” said Maggie Krumwiede, PharmD, board president of the SIUE Alumni Association. “This year, ...
Empowering Women in STEM: SIUE Alumna Chanté Summers
14 September 2023, 9:45 AM

Grey Matter Marketing, a woman-owned category design firm that partners with life science companies, runs a monthly Woman In Science campaign on their social media channels. One of their summer spotlights was on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumna Chanté Summers, a synthetic medicinal chemist at Pfizer’s Oncology Unit of Medicine Design.
Summers earned her bachelor’s and master’s in chemistry at SIUE in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Her exposure as an ambassa...
SIUE Welcomes the Class of 2027 with Spirited Start to the Fall Semester
18 August 2023, 7:15 PM
Filled with Cougar pride, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus exudes vibrancy, with anticipation growing for the start of the fall 2023 semester. The Class of 2027 kicked off SIUE’s Welcome Weekend celebrations with the University’s traditional greeting and new student convocation.
“Every new student comes to SIUE expecting to succeed,” said Miriam Roccia, interim vice chancellor for student affairs. “This weekend will start them on that pa...
Excitement Radiates Throughout SIUE for First-Year Move-In
16 August 2023, 3:00 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville celebrated the arrival of first-year students as they moved into their residence halls on Wednesday, Aug. 16. Move-in marks the beginning of their journey pursuing higher education at SIUE.
"We are thrilled that these students have chosen to come here and that we get to be part of the beginning of their journey as they work toward graduation,” said University Housing Director Mallory Sidarous. “It is a joy to be a welcoming face to our stu...
SIUE Foundation Raises over 11.1M Setting University Fundraising Record
6 July 2023, 9:30 AM
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Foundation has announced great success raising over $11.1M, the most ever raised by private philanthropy in the University’s history.
“Under the leadership of Chancellor Minor, the entire university sees that philanthropy can greatly support our dynamic programs, world class faculty, and provide more resources to students,” said Seth Walker, vice chancellor for University Advancement and CEO of the SIUE Foundation. “We apprec...
School of Business Alumna Embraces Entrepreneurial Mindset
14 June 2023, 8:45 AM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business alumna Rachel Clothier chose SIUE for her undergraduate and graduate studies. What sold Clothier on SIUE was not only the value of the degrees she earned, but also the value the University provided. Today she finds herself immersed in the city of Edwardsville’s business scene, continuing to call the community her home.
“Ever since I graduated, I never really wanted to be anywhere except Edwardsville and this community,&#...
SIU School of Dental Medicine Confers Degrees Upon 56 Graduates
5 June 2023, 3:00 PM

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, conferred doctor of dental medicine (DMD) degrees upon 56 graduates of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) during their commencement ceremony held Saturday, June 3 at the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center on the Edwardsville campus.
“We are so impressed with what you have accomplished and how you have persevered during these challenging years,” said Saulius Dru...
Popular Construction Leadership Institute 2023 Registration Opens
10 October 2022, 4:30 PM
Success in the highly competitive building industry requires exceptional leadership, management and communication skills. The innovative Construction Leadership Institute (CLI) has packaged those skills into a convenient, accelerated, nine-week program. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is now accepting registrations for the 2023 session of the highly popular program.
Over the course of its 19-year history, CLI has seen many of its more than 400 graduates advance to prominent posi...
SIUE Adds Digital Media Literacy Post-Baccalaureate Certificate to Support Illinois’ New Media Literacy Bill
18 April 2022, 2:55 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s College of Arts and Sciences has announced a new Digital Media Literacy Post-Baccalaureate Certificate within the Department of Mass Communications, which can be completed online in one summer.
The program is designed for educators, librarians and media professionals who want to address questions about the impact of media in their work or curriculum. Interested students should apply by May 17. Summer classes begin May 31.
“As people...
SIUE Construction Leadership Institute Announces 2022 Graduates
8 March 2022, 3:48 PM
The Construction Leadership Institute (CLI) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville celebrated 34 graduates of its program Friday, March 4 as a part of the CLI Graduation celebration. Jim Mundy, chief operating officer (COO) of Contegra Construction, Co., received the Alumni Leadership Award.
Developed by the SIUE Schools of Business and Engineering, the CLI provides the knowledge, skills and strategies that individuals and companies need in today’s challenging construction industry....
Creative Representations of Research Impact Awarded by SIUE Graduate School
18 November 2021, 7:50 AM
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Graduate School has announced the winners of the 2021 Visualizing Research Impacts (VRI) competition, which encourages SIUE scholars to share the impacts of their research through images.
This year’s recipients are Emily Petruccelli, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and Jocelyn DeGroot, PhD, professor and assistant chair in the Department of Applied Communication Studies. Their works were selected from ...
EXPORT NOW Inaugural Series Reflects on Successful Launch
15 September 2021, 4:30 PM
The southern Illinois region has long needed a customized, action-oriented export training initiative to put local businesses on the international map. Now, five regional businesses have benefited from such an opportunity, EXPORT NOW.
Presented by the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in partnership with the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council, LR International and the Illinois District Export Council, with financial support...
SIUE’s DiSalvo Awarded Prestigious NSF CAREER Grant
13 May 2021, 9:45 AM
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 ...
ITC at SIUE Roundtable Series: Gaining Sales Channel Partners for Exporting
22 April 2021, 9:00 AM
Choosing the right distribution channels can be difficult for businesses, whether a small-scale custom t-shirt design company or a giant producer of goods. A virtual conversation with Southern Illinois Businesses will offer expert advice on Gaining Sales Channel Partners for Exporting.
The free webinar is part of an ongoing virtual roundtable series hosted by the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and t...
New EXPORT NOW Series Offers Practical Training, Stimulates Growth
12 March 2021, 1:05 PM
Small businesses in southern Illinois are invited to take a strategic look at the world and create a plan to expand their business internationally with guidance from industry leaders during the new, virtual, action-oriented series EXPORT NOW.
EXPORT NOW is presented by the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in partnership with the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council, LR International and the Illinois District Export Council.
...IL SBDC International Trade Center and SWITIC Host Virtual Roundtable
17 February 2021, 4:02 PM
The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is partnering with the Southwestern Illinois Trade and Investment Council (SWITIC) to host a virtual roundtable conversation on “Selecting the Right Logistics Partner and INCOTERMS 2020.”
Southern Illinois businesses are encouraged to participate in the free discussion being held via Zoom from 10:30 a.m.-Noon Thursday, Feb. 25. Register via email at i...
SIUE’s Speno Awarded Vaughnie Lindsay New Investigator Award for Study on Tween TV Programming
17 February 2021, 11:01 AM

Researchers, parents and practitioners may soon be privy to interesting and revealing data related to tween television programming, specifically its portrayals of gender and race.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Ashton Speno, PhD, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Department of Mass Communications, has earned the SIUE Graduate School’s 2021-22 Vaughnie Lindsay New Investigator Award in support of her research on this understudied topic.
The...
SIUE Honors Zhi-Qing Lin with Distinguished Research Professor Rank
21 April 2020, 2:22 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Zhi-Qing (Z.Q.) Lin, PhD, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) Departments of Biological Sciences and Environmental Sciences, has achieved the University’s highest academic rank of Distinguished Research Professor.
Lin is an environmental ecologist with special research interest in phytoremediation, a biotechnical process that utilizes plants for the cleanup of trace element contamination. His research lab at SIUE con...
SIUE Alumnus Maguire Appointed to Illinois Arts Council
20 April 2020, 12:05 PM
Governor J.B. Pritzker has appointed SIUE alumnus Robert Maguire to serve a four-year term on the Illinois Arts Council.
Maguire earned a bachelor’s in art and design from the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences in 1971. Details on his appointment were posted Friday, April 17 in The Telegraph.
SIUE Friends of Art Annual Auction March 20
5 February 2020, 9:00 AM
The Friends of Art and the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Art and Design will hold their 43rd annual art auction at 7 p.m. Friday, March 20. The auction will be held in the Art West Gallery located in the Art and Design West building on the SIUE campus.
Since l977, the Friends of Art, a non-profit, self-supporting organization, has assisted the SIUE Department of Art and Design with this event. The 2019 auction allowed the department to invite 17 local, national, and in...
Exploratory Learning Application in Development at SIUE
19 September 2019, 2:10 PM
Personal curiosity inspired Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Dave Jennings, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, to create an interactive learning application that connects science and art.
Sparked by the beauty of The Gardens at SIUE back in 2016, Jennings was curious to learn more, and also discover other areas and landmarks around campus.
“What if wherever you were on campus, you could figure out what’s going on in the here and now?...
SIUE Alumna Norton Named President of New Jersey American Water
15 March 2019, 10:40 AM
American Water has named SIUE alumna Cheryl Norton as president of New Jersey American Water and senior vice president of its Eastern Division effective March 25. Norton replaces Deborah Degillio, who has been named chief customer officer of American Water.
Norton earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in environmental studies from SIUE’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Norton has been president of Missouri American Water, the company’s thir...