College of Arts and Sciences News
SIUE’s Howard Rambsy II, PhD, Releases New Book, “Writing Black Panther: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Representation Struggles”
12 May 2026, 1:00 AM
When best-selling author and cultural commentator Ta-Nehisi Coates was closing his run on the comic book “Black Panther” in May 2021, Howard Rambsy II, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of English Language and Literature, was already thinking about the larger...
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SIUE’s Carole Collier Frick, PhD, Honored with 2026 OVC Outstanding Faculty Award
30 April 2026, 4:21 PM
Carole Collier Frick, PhD, has been named a recipient of the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Outstanding Faculty Award for Commitment to Student Success.
The awards were established in 2023 by the Provosts from each OVC member institution to recognize outstanding faculty at each OVC member...
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Ruth Slenczynska, 1925-2026; Professor Emerita and World-Renowned Pianist
23 April 2026, 5:12 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville music professor emerita and world-renowned pianist, Ruth Slenczynska, died on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. She was 101. Slenczynska was the last surviving pupil of composer-pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Slenczynska began her SIUE career 61 years ago in...
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SIUE Students Turn Ideas into Impact at The Other 40 Pitch Competition and Business Fair
23 April 2026, 12:23 PM
Students from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville stepped beyond the classroom this April to test ideas, take risks and build ventures with real potential. Through The Other 40 Business Fair on April 2 and The Other 40 Pitch Competition on April 9, the SIUE School of...
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As Seen on Socials: Spring Career Fairs Connect SIUE Students with Employers
9 April 2026, 12:20 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosted its spring career fair series, connecting students and alumni with employers across multiple industries.
Hosted by the SIUE Career Development Center, the events are held at the Morris University Center and are designed to support students in their job...
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Scenes from SIUE Theater and Dance: The Glass Menagerie
18 March 2026, 2:39 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Theater and Dance premiered their production of Tennessee Williams’ classic play “The Glass Menagerie,” directed by Tress Kurzym, MFA, on Wednesday, March 18. The production brings audiences into the fragile, bittersweet...
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SIUE Department of Mass Communications Hosts “Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Age of AI” during Mass Comm Week 2026
18 March 2026, 12:57 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Mass Communications hosts its annual Mass Comm Week, March 23 to March 26. Media professionals visiting the Edwardsville campus will focus on the integration of artificial intelligence in...
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In the News: SIUE Expertise, Music, and Community Impact Featured Across Regional and National Media
26 February 2026, 2:40 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty, students and programs continue to gain regional and national media coverage for their expertise, innovation and community engagement. Recent coverage highlights faculty thought leadership, alumni achievement, student opportunity and the University’s growing role as a civic and...
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SIUE Joins Gov. Pritzker at Teklab’s New Collinsville Laboratory Facility
20 February 2026, 3:25 PM
On Feb.19, members of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty joined Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for the ribbon-cutting of Teklab’s newly expanded laboratory facility in Collinsville. Teklab is a veteran-owned...
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SIU System Bestows McNeese ADEI Lifetime Achievement Award to SIUC’s Dr. Marc Morris and SIUE’s Dr. Howard Rambsy
9 February 2026, 11:18 AM
Two distinguished faculty members have been honored by the Southern Illinois University System for their longtime efforts to advance antiracism, diversity, equity and inclusion (ADEI).
Marc E. Morris, PhD, JD, and Howard Rambsy II, PhD, each received the prestigious Dr. Wesley G. Robinson-McNeese ADEI Lifetime Achievement Award during the SIU...
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SIUE Jazz Alumni Concert Highlights Legacy, Remembrance and Reunion
6 February 2026, 11:00 AM
Tremolos flared brilliantly at the Annual Jazz Alumni Concert performance in Dunham Hall Theater, Feb. 4. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Concert Jazz Band welcomed back star alumni bassist Carlos Henderson (’96), and trombonist Chris Leach (’96), to fill the theater with lively performances of reworked...
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Chamber Project Saint Louis Presents “DANCE BREAK: Fancy Footwork” at SIUE
30 January 2026, 10:30 AM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s presentation of “DANCE BREAK: Fancy Footwork” on Wednesday, Jan. 28, was a collaboration between University Dance Company and Chamber Project Saint Louis. The vibrant stage...
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SIUE’s “Timeless Reflections” Brings Memory, Movement and the Next Generation of Dance to Life
14 November 2025, 5:15 PM
A signature event of SIUE’s 50th Anniversary Golden Season, the concert showcases the department’s legacy of innovation in dance.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Theater and Dance continues its 50th Anniversary Golden Season with “Timeless Reflections: Performances in...
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SIUE College of Arts and Sciences Launches Hansen Humanities Network
28 October 2025, 6:13 PM
On Tuesday, August 26th, more than 60 students, faculty, staff, and administrators gathered in Lovejoy Library to celebrate the launch of the Hansen Humanities Network established by a generous endowed gift from Julia Y. and Stephen L. Hansen to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Highlighting the Hansen’s many contributions to...
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Illinois Film and TV Workforce Training Program Launched at SIUE
27 October 2025, 2:46 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Mass Communications is lighting up new opportunities in the state’s growing film and television industry. With a supporting grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Department of Mass Communications is launching a Film and TV...
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A Look Back: SIUE Mass Comm Week 2025 and the Changing Media Landscape
2 July 2025, 1:15 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Mass Communications wrapped up another successful Mass Comm Week this spring, with a full schedule of speakers and sessions focused on the changing media landscape.
“The twentieth annual Mass Comm Week continues to connect the classroom with the communications...
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Student Dispatch: Mass Communications Major Oliver Brammeier Shares His SIUE Commencement Story
25 April 2025, 7:55 AM
Tells of a College Journey that was Informative, Interesting and Inspiring
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville mass communications major Oliver Brammeier is receiving his bachelor’s degree during SIUE’s spring commencement exercises. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Brammeier now lives in Edwardsville. As he is interested...
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SIUE Opera Theater Presents The Pirates of Penzance with Live Orchestra
27 March 2025, 9:11 AM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Opera Theatre presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operetta The Pirates of Penzance for their spring production. Producers promise "a night of swashbuckling fun and delightful mischief” in a lively evening of family entertainment. Performances will be held on Friday, March 28...
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SIUE Theater and Dance Presents "Dance in Concert"
14 November 2024, 11:00 AM
Explore the Spectrum of Dance: A Celebration of Choreographic Expression
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Theater and Dance is thrilled to announce its upcoming production, "Dance in Concert," under the artistic direction of Kristin Best Kinscherff, associate professor and head of dance. Performances will take place in...
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Adrianna Jones Makes Debut in The Black Rep Production and as SIUE’s Newest Professor in the Department of Theater and Dance
13 September 2024, 2:39 PM
In her first semester as faculty, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s newest assistant professor in the Department of Theater and Dance, Adrianna Jones, MM, is also making another debut: starring in the latest production of The Saint Louis Black Repertory Theatre titled “Blues In The Night.” The show marks her...
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This Year’s SIUE Xfest Presents “A Festival of Alternative Theater”
4 September 2024, 9:15 AM
A dazzling, unique display of theatrical performances are lined up for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 13th Xfest from Monday -Thursday, Sept. 9-12.
Xfest is a five-day festival in September featuring alternative theatre and dance that brings to campus an array of performing artists, who are nationally and...
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A Recap of SIUE’s Summer Stage 2024
5 August 2024, 5:02 PM
University Communications Intern Ashlyn Cross Went Behind the Cougar Theater Camp Curtain
"Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook,” Disney's “The Lion King JR.,” and “Alice in Wonderland" were the exciting summer musicals on stage for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougar Theater Camp. The...
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SIUE’s Geovonday Jones Takes on Role in The Black Rep’s “King Hedley II”
24 June 2024, 11:44 AM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Geovonday Jones, assistant professor of performance in the Department of Theater and Dance, stars in The Black Rep’s theatre production of August Wilson’s “King Hedley II.” This play is the ninth installment in playwright Wilson’s renowned...
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First Alert 4 Interviews SIUE’s Geovonday Jones about Wedding Band
2 April 2024, 12:00 PM
During a recent segment on “Great Day St. Louis” broadcast on First Alert 4, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Geovonday Jones, assistant professor of performance in the Department of Theater and Dance, appeared with Ron Himes, founder and producing director of the Saint Louis Black Repertory Company. Jones...
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Dr. Juhanna Rogers Brings “Shattering,” Celebrated One-Woman Show, to SIUE’s Metcalf Theater
27 March 2024, 3:10 PM
A dynamic one-woman performance that takes audiences on the poignant and powerful journey of a young girl’s self-discovery will unfold at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Metcalf Theater.
Dr. Juhanna Rogers will present “Shattering,” an acclaimed, poetic...
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SIUE’s Arts and Issues Presents “Chaos Theory & Other Miracles” as Xfest Returns to Campus
13 September 2022, 10:30 AM
As part of a packed week of thrilling performances, workshops, seminars and masterclasses to mark the return of Xfest to the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus, Arts and Issues will present “Chaos Theory & Other Miracles,” a show by Leggy Bones Physical Theater Company, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 in the...
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SIUE Presents “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
8 July 2022, 2:30 PM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Theater and Dance will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in the Dunham Hall Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, July 15-16 and 22-23, and 2 p.m. Sundays, July 17 and 24.Told entirely through song with the help of a main character...
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A Message from the Dean: Juneteenth National Independence Day
17 June 2022, 10:00 AM [CAS News Story]
Sunday, June 19 is Juneteenth National Independence Day. As you probably know, this holiday marks the day—June 19, 1865—when people who had been enslaved in Texas learned that they were free. Celebrations of this day began in Texas in 1866 and became common in African American communities in the South in the twentieth...
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SIUE's Robb Launches New Book, “Group Art Therapy: Practice and Research”
2 May 2022, 8:00 AM [CAS News Story]
Megan Robb is a professor in the Department of Art and Design and the program director of the art therapy counseling graduate program at SIUE. She received her master's degree in art therapy from The George Washington University as well as training in relational cultural theory, motivational interviewing, and is constantly working towards...
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SIUE’s FOTAD Presents Annual Dinner Theater, “Rent” on April 19
4 April 2022, 11:30 AM
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Friends of Theater and Dance (FOTAD) will present its annual Dinner Theater fundraiser on Tuesday, April 19.
Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by an exclusive preview of “Rent” produced by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Departments of Theater and Dance and Music....
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SIUE Black Theater Workshop’s “From Jimmy, To America: An Ode to James Baldwin”
28 February 2022, 4:15 PM
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Theater and Dance, Black Theater Workshop (BTW), Black Studies Program, and Arts & Issues series presented three productions of the NU-World Contemporary Danse Theatre’s “From Jimmy, To America:...
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Jones Discusses Career and Upcoming Show “Life Sucks” on Segue
28 January 2022, 8:45 AM [CAS News Story]
On this week’s episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD, interviews Geovonday Jones, assistant professor in the Department of Theater and Dance. In this episode,...
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Opera Edwardsville’s Hopkins Visits Segue Ahead of Holiday Concert with SIUE’s Arts & Issues
3 December 2021, 8:45 AM [CAS News Story]
On this week’s episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD, interviews Chase Hopkins, founding artistic director of Opera Edwardsville and general director of Chicago’s Haymarket Opera Company.
This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. Listeners can tune into WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie.
Hop...
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SEGUE: SIUE’s Kooiman Discusses Anthropology Career and New Book
18 November 2021, 8:45 AM [CAS News Story]
On this week’s episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD, interviews Susan Kooiman, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology.
This episode of...
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