East St. Louis Center

Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and community members of varying ethnicities, ideologies, gender identification and sexual orientation took part in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Inaugural Diversity Day 2018 on Tuesday, Oct. 16 on the University’s Edwardsville, East St. Lois and Alton campuses. 

The Diversity Day theme was “From Awareness to Action, SIUE Shaping a Changing World.” The kickoff event for community stakeholders on Monday, Oct. 15 feat...

The East St. Louis Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) recognized Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center Executive Director Jesse Dixon for his educational contributions to the Metro East. 

Dixon received the branch’s education award at its 64th Annual Freedom Fund Awards Banquet on Sunday, Oct. 7 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel. Dixon was one of many honorees hailed for bringing change to the community, acc...

A steadfast humanitarian, a staunch supporter of education and a longtime children’s advocate has bestowed $3.5 million upon the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) to enhance its STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Center and STEM-related learning. 

“The donor wanted to provide resources to children in East St. Louis to give them access to technology that will strengthen their STEM skills,” said Venessa A...

Smiling brightly from the screen is a photo of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) senior Jasmine Whitley, surrounded by her host family in Karvia, Finland. 

Whitley made history as the first student from the CHS to participate in a foreign study. 

“It was my first time out of the country, and my first time on an airplane,” said Whitley, during her PowerPoint presentation at a reception held in her honor Tuesday, Sept. 11 at ...

“We are in the best business in the whole world. We are in the kid business,” said award-winning author and educator Stacey Bess to approximately 200 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Head Start/Early Head Start staff members on Thursday, Sept. 6. Bess was part of Head Start/Early Head Start’s opening session in the Multipurpose Room Theater at the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. 

The theme for the daylong session, which included guest speakers during the ...

For the past three years, Andrea Holmes-Bownes has watched the same group of high school students explore, expand and enjoy the field of science. Working with the students from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) ECM Program has been encouraging and uplifting, according to the veteran science teacher.

“I want to brag about the positive attributes of the students in this program who come from East St. Louis, Cahokia a...

With the looks of surprise, bewilderment, shyness and pleasure, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) students walked down a red carpet on their first day of school, Monday, Aug. 13, to the cheers and high fives of CHS and SIUE administrators, faculty and staff. 

“It’s an exciting day, and we wanted to begin the school year on a celebratory note,” said School of Education, Health and Human Behavior Interim Dean Paul Rose, PhD. ...

U.S. Army veteran Patricia Jackson came to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Veterans Upward Bound VetMATCH College and Career Fair on Thursday, Aug. 9, with the hopes of finishing what she started years ago.

“I came to find out about re-enrolling at SIUE to complete my bachelor’s in psychology,” said Jackson, of East St. Louis, who served from Oct. 1978-July 1985. “I also want to find out about new avenues and opportunities available for veterans. Someti...

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s Veterans Upward Bound Program will host a fair for career and training opportunities for veterans in the region. 

VetMATCH Career Fair will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9 at the SIUE East St. Louis Center (ESLC), 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., Building D in East St. Louis. 

“Veterans will be able to explore career options for higher wages, look into additional free eligible resources and lea...

For six Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center Upward Bound (UB) East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC) program alumni, their means of “paying it forward” involves cashing in on past opportunities afforded to them. 

Donating a scholarship of $500 each to Kalay Lucas and Edgar Williams were UB alumni Eric Cooper, Brandon Jackson, Donnell Johnson, Donald Roberson, Jeremy Sanders and Craig Slaughter. Cooper, Jackson, Roberson and Sanders made the presentatio...

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) for the Performing Arts Program made their audience feel as if they were at a Broadway show instead of sitting in the East St. Louis Senior High School’s Performing Arts Auditorium. 

Performing Arts concluded its summer program with “Salute to Broadway 2018” on Friday, July 27. The students, ages 6-17, danced, sang, acted and played instruments to various Broadway tunes as Disney’s The Little...

Lack of resources, negative cultural attitudes and slow physician responses can impede the healthy management of mental health conditions facing African Americans, according to Kim McClellan, National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwestern Illinois (NAMI SWI) project coordinator. 

McClellan gave three presentations at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) during July, which is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. 

“The African ...

Be careful what you share online. Work to be secure within yourself. Practice being a leader. These and other messages were illustrated through ethnodramas that dealt with bullying, and were written and performed by students from the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) Upward Bound Math and Science Cahokia Madison (CM) Program. 

“Ethnodrama was used to help students improve their writing abilities to write for change,” said Sarah Hobson, PhD, ...

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts will present its free summer concert, Salute to Broadway 2018, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 27 at East St. Louis Senior High School, 4901 State St. 

“Our students and instructors have worked hard all summer to bring a show that is in keeping with our tradition of excellence in the performing arts,” said Program Director Jack Williams. “The Broadway theme will showcase the wide talents...

With handmade, colorful masks of a brown bear, a red bird, a yellow duck and more, preschoolers from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Head Start/Early Head Start Helen Davis Center participated in an activity to observe the birthday of famous children’s designer, illustrator and writer Eric Carle. 

Carle is best known for designing, illustrating and writing The Very Hungry Caterpillar and for illustrating Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Carle has written/and or illu...