December 1999
MLK Winners Announced
Jorge Garcia of Glen Carbon has been named the winner of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship and Humanitarian Award and S. LaVernn Wilson, director of the SIUE Early Childhood Center, has been named winner of the MLK Jr. Faculty-Staff Humanitarian Award..
Both will receive the award and special recognition during the University's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration luncheon Thursday, Jan. 20, in Meridian Ballroom.
Garcia's award includes a $100 cash stipend and a scholarship that provides for tuition or fees or housing for one academic year of full-time undergraduate or graduate study at SIUE. Wilson will received a plaque honoring her contributions.
Wilson's impact in early childhood education has been felt beyond the SIUE campus. She has served as president of the National Coalition for Campus Child Care and as a board member and secretary of the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children. Her expertise has been sought as a member of several advisory boards and she has been awarded professional honors including recognition as a Danforth Associate and as an Outstanding Teacher for the Socially Maladjusted Child.
Garcia, a junior studying business, has a cumulative grade point average of 3.38. Beginning undergraduate work after serving five years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Garcia has been the recipient of the Johnetta Haley Scholarship and is a member of the Dean's List Honor Society. Among the activities he has taken part in on the SIUE campus is a term as secretary of the SIUE Latin Awareness Student Organization and participation in the Student Leadership Development Program. Garcia also has been active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois, Habitat for Humanity, and Prairie Share, a good co-op based out of Protestant Welfare in Granite City.
Donald J. Harris, a junior from Edwardsville, received an honorable mention in the competition for the Scholarship and Humanitarian Student Award.
The 11:30 a.m. luncheon will feature Madison County Circuit Judge Ellar Duff who will deliver the keynote address at 12:45 p.m. Tickets for the luncheon are $10; students, $8. Reservations are being accepted by calling (618) 650-2660.
SIU Board Appoints Eight SIUE Members To Search Committee
The SIU Board of Trustees has announced 16 members of an advisory committee composed of faculty, staff, and students-eight of whom are from the Edwardsville campus-who will assist in the search for a new SIU PresidentThe members from SIUE are:
• CAS Dean Sharon Hahs, committee chair, representing SIUE deans;
• Gloria Atkins, assistant vice chancellor for Administration, professional staff;
• Professor Sid Denny, chair of the Department of Anthropology, Faculty Senate;
• Assistant Professor Wayne Ellis of the School of Nursing, Faculty Senate;
• Gail Erb, an adviser in the Office of Student Financial Aid, civil service;
• Professor Marvin Finkelstein, Faculty Senate;
• Heather Mueller and Juan Rosa, Student Government
Members were chosen from nominations made to the Board by the constituency groups of both campuses.
The first meeting of the committee will convene Thursday, Dec. 16, at the Mt. Vernon (IL) Outland Airport, in an executive session with representatives of the Board of Trustees and David McCarthy, a nationally based recruiting consultant in the education field, to discuss the search process.
"We are interested in building a strong pool of quality candidates for President of SIU," said A.D. VanMeter Jr., Board chair."We encourage anyone with with the names of qualified candidates to submit them to us as soon as possible."
Deadline for applications is Monday, Jan. 3. The Board will review applications, conduct preliminary interviews, and determine at least three finalists for further consideration by the chancellors and the advisory committee.
Nominations may be submitted to: SIU Board of Trustees, attention Sharon Holmes, 1400 Douglas Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901-6801, or, by calling (618) 536-3357. More information is available on the web: www.siu.edu.
IBHE Approves Staff Recs On SIU FY01 Budget
The Illinois Board of Higher Education has approved its staff's recommendations for an operating budget increase of more than $14 million for Southern Illinois University during FY01.
The IBHE will send its entire spending plan for higher education to Gov. George Ryan for his consideration. The Governor will then send his budget proposal for all state government to the General Assembly in early February. A final state budget should be completed sometime in April or May.
For SIUE, the proposal includes funding increases for library materials, new academic programs in the Schools of Engineering and Education, as well as planning money for a proposed renovation and expansion of the Science Building and for infrastructure repair on the Edwardsville and Alton campuses.
In addition, the recommendations call for a 3-percent salary increase for employees, with 1 percent salary increases for retention and recruitment of critical faculty and staff. Another 1 percent would come from internal reallocations and is not part of the IBHE voting package.
Chancellor David Werner praised the staff proposed recommendations. "This is a solid set of budget recommendations for SIUE," Werner said. "The recommended funding level provides a strong base of support for our academic programs and critical capital needs.
"I am particularly pleased by the recommendations for the BS in Manufacturing Engineering, which will provide skilled employees for Southern Illinois industries and for the information technology program, which is designed to draw liberal arts graduates into the information technology field."
Major capital project recommendations for SIUE includes $1.1 million in planning for proposed renovations and expansions for the Science Building and $3.1 million to replace four chillers at the Heating and Refrigeration Plant. Also under the IBHE recommendations, SIUE would be provided $2 million in capital renewal funds for infrastructure repairs at Edwardsville and at the SDM.
In addition, SIUE would receive $173,000 in deferred maintenance funds. In addition to more than $3.1 million for salaries, the IBHE recommendations include:
• $68,000 for the increasing costs of library materials;
•$585,000 to support instructional technology programming;
•$172,000 to enhance the School of Dental Medicine;•$100,000 to establish four professional development schools; and
•$130,000 for the Illinois Education Research Council, whose mission is to provide research support for the Joint Education Commission.
Grant From "Good Hands" Helps Family Resource Center
SIUE has announced the receipt of a $10,000 grant from Allstate Insurance Company to assist in programming for University Housing's Family Resource Center.
Gary Doyle, an agent with the Edwardsville Allstate office, presented a check to university officials earlier this month. "The Family Resource Center has been a great addition to the University Housing program," said Housing Director Michael Schultz.
"We are happy that Allstate Insurance has seen the importance of the program and has invested in it to make the program even stronger."
The Family Resource Center, located in the Cougar Village apartment complex, serves the needs of the 140 student families who reside on campus. The center provides tutoring programs, adult education parenting programs, SIUE and community services information, and family-oriented clubs and organizations. Audrey Johnson, an SIUE graduate assistant working toward a master's in Public Administration and former programming coordinator for the Family Resource Center, worked with Doyle in writing and submitting the proposal to Allstate.
Funds were requested to support new programs for the center, including homework assistance for children, audio and video educational materials, reading books, and other educational supplies. "The money will allow the center to strive and create programs that will continue to serve our surrounding and SIUE communities," said Schultz.
Easter Seals Locates Discovery Site In SIUE's University Park
They came, they saw, they ... built a child care center.
Borrowing a child care concept from the Italians, and capitalizing on the advantages of University Park, Easter Seals Illinois will open a new Discovery Depot in June. This is the fourth Discovery site for Easter Seals.
The 12,000-square-foot facility in University Park will be licensed for 131 children ages six weeks to six years and will mix children with special needs with all children.
Other key components of the concept include:
• Children stay with the same teacher for three years;
• Children work in project teams, learning to work with each other and accept the abilities of each child;
• Learning takes place using multiple media.
"As the first childcare center of its kind in the region, we expect the center to be the focus of teacher learning, conferences and observation," said Brenda Sammonds, who will manage the center.
Ground-breaking for the facility began Friday, Dec. 10. It is located between the GeneraLife building and the University Park Administrative Building. The center will employ 26 people.
SIUENet To Join ICN For Speedy Internet Connection
Beginning later this month, sending and receiving e-mail, in most instances, will increase in speed ninefold. Sounds Biblical, doesn't it?In late December, SIUENet becomes part of the Illinois Century Network, an internet provider operated by the state Board of Higher Education. What this means for e-mail and web surfers on campus is a faster connection to the outside world.
According to Jay Starratt, dean of Library Information Services and associate vice chancellor for Information Technology, SIUENet had been operating since October with three T-1 connections, but next month the new DS-3 connection will equal the speed of 28 T-1 connections. "In addition to speed, joining the ICN will mean a considerable savings, especially when we move our interactive video network and video classrooms on to the system," Starratt said.
ICN was developed by upgrading and joining existing networks through the efforts of the Higher Education Technology Task Force, a committee of educators including Starratt. The task force was established by the IBHE, with support from the state's Board of Education, the Community College Board, and the Department of Central Management Services. Funding for the ICN came from the General Assembly to the tune of $25 million.
"With this new connection, e-mail correspondence or access to the web will no longer be slowed by our connection," Starratt said. "Downloading large files from off campus will be faster for the most part, and using video and audio academic sources on the web also will improve for on-campus users.
"We're constantly looking for ways to improve SIUENet by upgrading and reconfiguring it, but we're particularly pleased with this move to the ICN."
