College of Arts and Sciences 2022 Dean's Report
Close
Close
Tisha Brooks, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Department of English Language and Literature, was selected to serve as CAS interim associate dean. Brooks assumed the position on July 1, 2022.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the CAS interim associate dean and work alongside the rest of the CAS leadership team in furthering the mission of the College,” said Brooks. “I have greatly enjoyed serving in a leadership capacity as department chair and look forward to expanding that leadership to serve faculty, staff and students across the College.”
In July 2020, Brooks became the chair of the Department of English Language and Literature, which is large and complex, serving more than 130 undergraduate majors and approximately 30 graduate students. The department includes 24 tenured or tenure-track faculty members and 11 full-time instructors, and plays a critical role in SIUE’s general education program.
“I am extremely excited for Dr. Brooks to join the CAS administrative team,” Leonard said. “I have had the privilege to work with her since I arrived at SIUE two years ago, and I have been impressed by her performance as chair of the Department of English Language and Literature. Her record of success in working with faculty in the department has prepared her for success in working with faculty from all departments in the College. She has also been an outstanding mentor for new faculty members in the department, particularly women of color.”
Brooks’ responsibilities include coordinating the promotion and tenure process, instructor promotions, faculty annual evaluations and activity reports, sabbaticals, and faculty travel support. She holds a critical role in faculty recruitment and hiring, and provides training for department chairs and program directors. In all of these activities, Brooks will pursue the College’s strategic goal of improving recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff and students to enhance an inclusive environment. In addition, she will lead CAS’ Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.
“As interim associate dean, I aim to contribute to efforts to support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty, staff and students in the College,” Brooks said. “In particular, my goal is to ensure that equity, diversity and inclusion informs our faculty development efforts and to make sure we are providing access to the resources necessary for everyone to thrive. The bodies we inhabit profoundly shape our experience of the College and of the wider University; thus, it’s crucial that our policies, practices and procedures reflect that reality and align with our EDI mission.”
Adriana E. Martinez, PhD, associate professor in the Departments of Geography and Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) and Environmental Sciences, has taken a leading role in creating opportunities for minority students and eliminating financial barriers that hamper diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education - more specifically the geosciences.
As one of 12 nationwide members selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of a two-year fellowship by the AGU LANDInG Academy (Leadership Academy and Network for Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences), Martinez will gain new knowledge on how to create inclusive classrooms and improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in geoscience departments and research labs.
“The geosciences is one of the least diverse disciplines within STEM at the student, faculty and professional levels,” Martinez said. “Learning about new techniques and strategies to improve DEI will help us recruit new students, train faculty and create a more diverse pool of geoscientists. The people that study this planet should reflect the planet’s diversity.”
The AGU LANDInG Academy creates a community for networking and professional development among geoscience colleagues to address the need for DEI efforts within these fields. Fellows in the program will learn new strategies for creating inclusive classrooms, as well as ways to improve DEI efforts and involve underrepresented students in geoscience research.
“I hope to learn strategies I can build into a project that can enact change at all levels, including in secondary education, where I interact with students via grants; at the undergraduate and master’s levels, where I advise and teach students; at the faculty level, where I hope to create a more inclusive environment for underrepresented faculty; and at SIUE as a whole, where we can enact change to improve DEI at all levels of the university structure,” said Martinez.
Martinez is also leading a project, “At the Confluence: Supporting Critical Transitions for Graduate Students in Sustainable Watersheds Research,” which has been funded by a $1.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The program entails developing a novel model for graduate education that removes financial barriers and increases diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
The program will contribute to the national need for educated STEM professionals studying watershed science by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need.
Participating graduate students receive a tuition waiver and a $10,000 scholarship for each of the two years of their master’s program. Over the project’s six-year duration, 45 scholarships will be funded for students pursuing graduate degrees in environmental sciences, civil engineering, biology or chemistry.
“The Watershed Scholars Program will develop scholars whose research will contribute to the scientific understanding of sustainable watersheds using a variety of interdisciplinary approaches and cross-cutting skills frequently sought by local and regional employers,” said Martinez. “Graduates will be prepared to address the significant environmental challenges posed by human modifications and alterations to watersheds, including impacts resulting from climate change.”
According to Martinez, the project’s leadership team reflects a variety of subdisciplines within watershed sciences including faculty in civil engineering, climatology, geomorphology and hydrology, watershed biotic populations and communities, and geology.
Co-PIs include:
“Students will develop close relationships with our research team so that they are provided with multiple mentoring and research opportunities,” Martinez explained. “Students will study watersheds from multiple disciplinary perspectives, which will prepare them to solve complex problems related to watershed sustainability and resiliency. Involvement in faculty research has a positive impact on a student’s science identity, ultimately making them more successful in their science pursuits.”
The research team will lead professional workshops, conduct group advising of students as they progress through their programs, offer a new course in sustainable watersheds, and connect participants with internships and professional networks in watershed science.
The program enhances opportunities for students to pursue STEM disciplines regardless of their backgrounds and family circumstances.
“I am a first-generation graduate student who didn’t know how to navigate the system,” shared Martinez, “By removing financial barriers through this program, we’re also helping to eliminate some of the mental stress of graduate school. Our group advising approach increases the likelihood of success in graduate school. Plus, our program provides an academic social network for students to support each other in their time at SIUE, which helps create a sense of belonging.”
The project team aims to better understand how to support STEM students to transition successfully to graduate school. The team’s education researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of mentoring and professional development and share the findings at national conferences and in publications. By testing a new model, SIUE is contributing to improving U.S. STEM graduate education.
Students from surrounding SIUE communities had the opportunity to enjoy an enriching learning experience as they acquired theater, dance, writing, art and STEM skills through several of CAS’ summer camp programs.
In the Cougar Theater Camp hosted by the Department of Theater and Dance, children in grades K-8 learned self-confidence; critical thinking; voice, singing and acting skills; problem solving; reading and literature; and dance movement collaboration and performed The Little Mermaid, Jr. in four public weekend shows.
Presented by the Department of English Language and Literature, the Summer Writing Camp offered basic writing skill development in combination with a fun and vigorous recreational program for 3-12 grade students.
The Department of Theater and Dance, Black Theater Workshop, Black Studies Program, and Arts & Issues series presented three productions of the NU-World Contemporary Danse Theatre’s “From Jimmy, To America: An Ode to James Baldwin” in February 2022.
“The production was creatively conceived and beautifully performed. It left audiences in awe of the exquisitely talented dancers, the power of Baldwin’s words, and the timeliness of the message,” said Kathryn Bentley, associate professor in the Department of Theater and Dance and director of the Black Studies Program and the IMPACT Academy.
Devised in artistic collaboration with Jacqueline Thompson, Bashir Page-Sanders and Christopher Page-Sanders, the production was inspired by the life, words and work of James Baldwin and centered around the contemporary view of the Black Experience. Separated into three movements, the performance brought to light themes of self-identity, sexuality and racial equity in which richly complex and nuanced words became life and moving art.
Marking the first live, in-person celebration since 2019, CAS hosted its 2022 Honors Day Convocation on Sunday, April 10, honoring 303 students with 357 scholarships and awards.
SIUE’s largest single gathering outside of commencement recognizing student achievement, Honors Day celebrates the scholarships and awards of outstanding students throughout nearly two dozen departments and programs within the College.
“We are thrilled to have hosted our annual Honors Day on campus this year,” said CAS Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not been able to gather in person to celebrate the achievements of our students and the generosity of our donors and sponsors since 2019. Through all the challenges of the pandemic, our scholarship and award recipients have persevered, excelling in their classes and making a difference through their leadership and community service activities.”
Junior double major in theater design technology and philosophy and student speaker Sabria Bender was honored with the Friends of Theater and Dance (FOTAD) William Vilhauer Merit Award in Design and Technical Theater and the John Mareing Philosophy scholarship.
“My highest purpose within speaking today is to show you that what you all are doing is good,” Bender said during her Honors Day speech. “It is important work. It impacts young people’s lives. It allows each and every single student here to create who we want to be.”
She thanked several SIUE faculty members for their support and encouragement of her learning, growth and education, including James Wolfsong, associate professor in the Department of Theater and Dance, as well as Matthew Schunke, PhD, and Matthew Cashen, PhD, both associate professors in the Department of Philosophy. Also acknowledging SIUE’s ACCESS, she stated the support she and other students received gave them the necessary tools to succeed and flourish.
Bender concluded her speech by thanking scholarship and award sponsors for their generosity.
“Through these scholarships, you are directly investing in our futures, and therefore the future of humanity and what we, as a society, will become,” she shared. “These scholarships are incredibly humbling and directly affect our lives for the better.”
Visit the CAS Honors Day website at siue.edu/cas-honors-day to watch a recording of the event and to view an archive of past Honors Day events.
A passion of Michael E. Yancey, mass communications alumnus, which was to support and encourage young people, will continue. This legacy is being made possible because of his family’s contribution of $25,000 to establish the Michael E. Yancey Sphinx-man Scholarship, a diversity-focused endowment.
In memory and honor of Michael, the fund awards an annual $1,000 scholarship to a sophomore with preferences given to Black and Native American applicants, according to Khalid Yancey, Michael’s brother. The first recipient of the scholarship is sophomore and cyber-security major Damien Williams.
Michael earned his bachelor’s in mass communications in 1993 from SIUE, was a pioneer in helping launch SIUE’s Alumni Ambassador Program and was a prominent member in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., after pledging during his student days at SIUE.
“Michael left a good mark,” said Yancey. “He loved working with young people. He wanted to help mold and build character in them. His fraternity was one significant way in which he helped young men.”
The youngest of nine siblings, Michael was a born leader with natural intelligence. “He loved to organize,” explained Yancey. “He was also extremely smart. Because of high test scores while in elementary school, Michael was enrolled in Wade Elementary for the gifted and talented (in St. Louis).”
Completing his secondary education, Michael spent several years in the workforce. His interest in communications led his search for higher education, which ended at SIUE, chronicled his niece, Telia Starks. “He wanted to attend a university that had a robust communications department, catered to older students and was close to home,” she said. “Michael found all of this and more at SIUE.”
Upon graduating from SIUE, Michael worked at several jobs including Merck & Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. A job opportunity at the pharmaceutical company transferred him from St. Louis to Newark, Del. While in Delaware, Michael would go on to hold numerous leadership positions within his fraternity. He led the Gamma Theta Lambda chapter in various capacities, including chapter president and membership intake director. Additionally, he served the Mid-Atlantic Association of Alpha Chapters as Area VII director for all Delaware chapters, and served as facilitator and trainer for the Eastern Region.
“Because of Michael’s life’s work of reaching out and helping young men through his fraternity,” Yancey noted, “the family thought it fitting to set up this memorial scholarship in his name.”
The Department of Chemistry was the recipient of two sizeable gifts during fiscal year 2022 in honor of former Professor and Department Chair James Eilers, PhD, and Professor Emerita Virginia Bryan, PhD. Eilers passed away in March 2021, leaving a $50,000 gift to support the Dr. James Eilers Award in Physical Chemistry and Dr. Virginia Bryan Award in Chemical Education. Bryan also made a $25,000 gift to create the Dr. James E. Eilers Computational Chemistry Endowment.
“Their generous support provides opportunities and resources for our students to achieve their educational goals and aspirations,” said CAS Senior Director of Development Kyle Moore. “We’re grateful for the leadership and generosity they have provided.”
The Dr. James Eilers Award in Physical Chemistry and Dr. Virginia Bryan Award in Chemical Education support students who have excelled in physical chemistry and are pursuing a degree in chemical education at SIUE. This year's award recipients were 2022 graduates Bene Gray and Holly Brecht, respectively.
The Dr. James E. Eilers Computational Chemistry Endowment will be used to provide overall general support for the Computational Chemistry program within the Department of Chemistry.
Eilers served as professor and department chair at SIUE from 1994-2003. He began his teaching career at State University of New York Brockport before working for Eastman Kodak in the field of computational chemistry. When Eilers joined SIUE in his return to academia, he enjoyed working with students and helping them achieve their goals.
Le Tu, Senior Mass Communications Major | Jessica McCaskill Champion Scholarship
“Thank you to Jessica McCaskill for giving me the honor to receive this scholarship. This scholarship will help me focus on Media production and find a job in the media field in St. Louis. Thank you for this opportunity.”
To learn more about creating a scholarship for CAS students, contact Kyle Moore, senior director of development:
kymoore@siue.edu
618-615-5048
To make a gift online, visit siue.edu/give-now/cas.
MFA candidate Evan Smith received the 2022 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award for an intriguing art piece called “Guise.” Presented by the International Sculpture Center, it is the third year in a row an SIUE student has won the award.
Nominated for the award by Thad Duhigg, MFA, a professor in the sculpture program at SIUE, Smith developed “Guise” using a combination of conceptual art techniques such 3D printing and projection mapping to make a commentary about climate change.
"Evan works hard, is completely committed to his art, and pushes the parameters of what sculpture can be,” Duhigg said. “It is so nice to see his dedication rewarded by the ISC. It really says something about the quality of our students that they have been recognized for their work three years in a row.”
Erin Litteken, who earned a bachelor’s in history in fall 2003, published a heart-wrenching novel titled “The Memory Keeper of Kyiv,” uncovering the horrors of the Holodomor, a man-made terror famine instigated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, which led to the death of nearly four million Ukrainians in 1932-1933.
Featured on Fortune Magazine's “10 New Page-Turning Novels You Should Read This Summer” list alongside authors such as John Grisham and Stacey Abrams, Litteken’s book has been translated into 13 languages. The captivating historical fiction is her debut novel, inspired by the stories told by her late great-grandmother, a Ukrainian refugee.
Litteken explores the Ukrainian story through different characters to paint a portrait of strength and resilience in the face of the starvation that was inflicted on a self-determined people. For a mother of two, juggling her talent with a part-time job, this literary undertaking took 10 years to accomplish. Without the slightest expectation, it culminated during a similarly turbulent time for Ukraine.
On September 23, two remarkable CAS alumni were honored at the Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony, “A Night Among the Stars.” Through their leadership, character and hard work, these impressive alumni have made exceptional contributions in their chosen fields, in their communities and at SIUE.
Terry Ganey is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author. During a 28-year career with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he received numerous regional reporting awards and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting for his disclosures of Missouri's Second Injury Fund scandal. Ganey’s two nonfiction books have appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list, and he served as the collaborating writer with U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill on her political memoir. Ganey was a member of the first class of SIUE graduates to earn a bachelor’s in mass communications. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves shortly before graduation and was honorably discharged in 1976. In 2003, Ganey covered U.S. Army operations in Iraq and recounted the chaos that had enveloped Baghdad. He holds a master’s in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Kathleen Madigan is one of the most respected comedians of her generation. After more than three decades in the industry, Madigan continues to sell out theaters across the country and around the world with her stand-up act during which she has “all but perfected the art of crafting and delivering a perfect joke,” according to the Chicago Tribune. After earning a bachelor’s in mass communications, Madigan decided to try stand-up comedy at the St. Louis Funny Bone Comedy Club’s open mic night. Before long, she was performing at Funny Bone comedy clubs across the country. Today, Madigan is still traveling the country 250 nights a year while squeezing in appearances on late night talk shows and performing at international comedy festivals. She has released five highly-rated comedy specials, with a sixth scheduled for release in early 2023.
