June 26, 2001
School Of Pharmacy Given Go Ahead By SIU Board
A new School of Pharmacy will become the third health-related school-along with Dental Medicine and Nursing-at SIUE, under a proposal approved earlier this month by the SIU Board of Trustees. The proposal must be approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
The new SIUE program, expected to begin in 2004, would offer a doctor of Pharmacy degree and would seek accreditation from the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education.
The board also proposed a $4.4 million operating budget for the new School, which includes an estimated $1.7 million from tuition revenue and $2.7 million from state general revenue. The proposal also calls for construction of a 27,500 square foot building at an estimated cost of $6.3 million. A phased-in equipment budget of $1.6 million also is included in the proposal.
Under the proposal, an eventual enrollment of about 300 is expected, while about 40 faculty members will be required for the degree program. In addition, shared biomedical sciences and library faculty also would be required. The SIUE curriculum would be a four-year professional program, accepting qualified students who have completed an accredited two-year pre-professional curriculum, according to the proposal.
VOA Architects, of Chicago, will develop a rendering and a more detailed cost estimate for the project on the SIUE campus. The entire program is subject to final approval by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois General Assembly.
Summer Showbiz 2001 Production Of Godspell Opens July 12
Staging for the Summer Showbiz 2001 production of Stephen Schwartz's hit musical Godspell will be very different from the norm. Just about everyone will be onstage, including the orchestra. The musical opens July 12 in the Katherine Dunham Hall theater.
The rock opera production, part of SIUE's SummerArts 2001 program, focuses on parables from the New Testament. "The essence of each production of Godspell is determined by the unique nature of the cast members," says director Janet Strzelec. "My cast is primarily young and full of wonderful ideas and energy, so I'm trying to incorporate input from the cast whenever possible."
She explained that it's a different kind of play, more of a group effort rather than focused on any one character. "Godspell is not just about Christ, but about the strength and wonders of community," she said.
This is the first directing effort for Strzelec, who recently completed an MFA in Directing at Lindenwood University. She has been assistant director for two previous Summer Showbiz productions (Annie and Oklahoma!). It's just one more hat she has worn in numerous SIUE summer productions in the past five years, everything from starring in the The King and I to serving as choreographer and stage manager in other shows. Audiences are also familiar with her family-husband John has performed in numerous roles (he was Daddy Warbucks in Annie) as have her two sons.
In addition to being a director and performer, Strzelec is a tap and ballet teacher at Lindenwood. She also is a dance teacher and choreographer at Saint Louis University High School. She is an alumna (BS '97) of the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance.
Joining the new director in this production is James Dorethy, set designer and instructor in the department. He describes the Godspell set as another area in which the audience sees a different kind of play.
"It has been produced in parks, playgrounds and even a junkyard," he says. "We needed to find a generic setting, so we decided on an abandoned theater using scenic pieces and props lying around. The set will look like a theater under renovation, with drop cloths and scaffolding, as if a work crew has gone for the weekend," Dorethy explains.
A cast of 25 will fill a revolving stage for Godspell, with a stationary eight-foot center stage that will reduce the distance between the actors and the audience. In an effort to further reduce that distance, the orchestra is also onstage, leaving space that would have been taken up by the orchestra pit. "There will be a lot of integration with the audience," Dorethy says. Strzelec agrees: "My hope is that the audience will enjoy and feel a part of the end product."
Godspell will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, July 12-14 and 19-21, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 15 and 22. For ticket information, please call the Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774.
East St. Louis Co-Workers Join 'Race For The Cure'
Elva Ross had been checking for years for something no woman wants to find-breast cancer. She found a lump in her left breast about four years ago and for a brief time felt overwhelmed.
"I cried for two days and asked myself why this was happening to me," said the 46-year-old. "Then I stopped questioning things and realized there was something that could be done."
Today, the St. Clair County Head Start employee is a breast cancer survivor. And, to show support for others facing the disease head-on, Ross and about a dozen of her East St. Louis Center co-workers took part in the Third Annual Komen St. Louis Race For the Cure earlier this summer in downtown St. Louis. The Head Start group participated in the one-mile fun walk.
The race was a fund-raiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc., dedicated to wiping out breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.
The Head Start staff wanted to do their part in helping eradicate the disease, said Patti Bortko, staff development and violence education coordinator. Head Start participates in BJC Health System's Friend-to-Friend campaign, which involves a woman checking on another woman to remind her about doing routine self-breast exams.
Women should safeguard themselves by doing monthly exams, said Liz Neeley, center coordinator at Shiloh Head Start. Neeley had a lumpectomy operation in February 1997 and six months later the cancer returned. She had a mastectomy in October 1997.
"I'm still here, alive and kicking," said the 50-year-old Neeley. "But it's been upsetting losing a part of your body. But if I had not done routine mammograms every year and detected the cancer early, I could have had very different results."
Professor Announces Decline In Area Segregation
While acknowledging that the St. Louis metropolitan area remains one of the most segregated populations in the country, John E. Farley, professor of Sociology and a faculty researcher for the SIUE's Institute for Urban Research, states that there has been a modest decline in the level of segregation between 1990 and 2000.
The finding was part of Farley's recent study of racial housing segregation in the St. Louis region based on data from the 2000 U.S. Census. He presented the study of housing trends amongst whites and African Americans this morning at a press conference held at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis.
"According to a national study, the St. Louis metropolitan area remains the ninth most segregated of the 50 largest metropolitan areas," he said. "But in examining the 2000 census figures you find the segregation index fell about three points, from 76.9 in 1990 to 73.8 in 2000. However, this is a smaller decline than occurred between 1980 and 1990, when the index fell by six points."
The index is an indication of racial composition, ranging from zero -no segregation-to 100-complete segregation. Farley explained that an index of zero would mean that every census tract would have the same mix of whites and African Americans as the overall metropolitan area, while an index of 100 would mean that each census tract would be all white or all African American, with no members of the other race present.
"Racial housing segregation has been declining modestly in the St. Louis metropolitan area since 1970," he said. "Over the period of 30 years-between 1970 and 2000-the segregation index fell by a little less than 13 points. At the current rate of decline, the area won't reach the midpoint between segregation and no segregation for another 55 years."
Farley's study concludes that there was no significant change in racial housing segregation in the city of St. Louis between 1940 and 1980. However, since 1980, segregation in the city has declined at an accelerating rate with nearly a 10-point drop between 1990 and 2000. The decline in segregation in the city has been about 15 points in the last 20 years-a greater change in 20 years than has occurred in the overall metropolitan area in the last 30 years.
"The county areas tell a different story, however," Farley said. "While the African-American population has continued to suburbanize since 1990, some areas have become less segregated, while others have not. In the Illinois counties of Madison and St. Clair, along with the city of St. Louis, segregation declined between 1990 and 2000. However, in St. Louis County, segregation actually increased over the same period."
"I'd be engaging in speculation as to why the index is rising in St. Louis County," Farley said. "But clearly racial steering of potential homeowners is occurring."
In contrast, the decline in segregation has been particularly notable in St. Clair County where the index has fallen from 89.6 in 1980 to just 65.6 in 2000. Farley found this to be of particular significance because St. Clair County has gone from being one of the most segregated areas to one of the least.
With regard to overall segregation in the area, Farley's findings indicate improvements in one important regard: The study found that both whites and African Americans are less likely than in the past to live in areas composed almost entirely of their own racial group.
"Unfortunately," Farley pointed out, "the St. Louis Metropolitan Area continues to lag behind the national trend of declining segregation. The results of the most recent census show that the St. Louis region ranks as the 13th most segregated area among all 331 U. S. metropolitan areas."
Farley has conducted studies of racial segregation in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area based on each census since 1980. He is the author of four books, including a college textbook on race and ethnic relations, and more than 20 journal articles. He also is the immediate past president of the Midwest Sociological Society.
Hangtags On Sale; May Be Used Beginning July 1
Parking on campus just became a little easier. Parking decals will be replaced by hangtags, and the cost structure for parking lots has been simplified.
Carolyn Turner, manager of campus parking, said the Parking and Traffic Committee based the new parking approach on comments from students and employees. The hangtags are available for purchase now and may be used as early as July 1.
"With a lot of input from campus constituents-students and employees-the Parking and Traffic Committee decided simpler was better," Turner said. "It's a convenience issue. We have many people throughout the year who come in for temporary permits, or replacements. If you're driving your spouse's car on a given day, you can just move the hangtag."
And for the third consecutive year, parking rates will not be increased. Both the rate structure and types of permits have been simplified. The $110 multi-use permit has been eliminated. That change means those commuters who car pool could see a savings on their parking expense. And, instead of different colored decals for each campus housing area, there will be only one hangtag.
The hangtags, which should be displayed on the rearview mirror, are about three by five inches. They will be color-coded:
• Lots A and E will be green
• Lot F (Fitness Center lot) and the student fan lots will be red
• Residential housing lots (for the three residence halls and Cougar Village) will be yellow
• The employee fan lots (lots 1-3), the tract houses, the East St. Louis Center, and the School of Dental Medicine will be blue
• Art and Design, Birger Hall, will be orange
Motorcycle riders will continue to use decals.
Of course, nothing is as simple as it could be. Turner recognizes that people may occasionally forget to display their hanging tag.
"There's going to be a learning curve," she said. "We understand that. We plan to be lenient next year as everyone gets used to this new method."
Turner cautions that the hangtags should be displayed only when the car is parked; the State of Illinois has rules against anything obstructing a driver's view.
Never Fear, MAP Is Near
It's late. It's the middle of January and you're trying to start your car in a fan lot about 4,000 miles from the core campus. It's nice to know the emergency phone is nearby and an MAP agent can be there in minutes.
MAP, or Motorist Assistance Program, is a service provided through University Police and its Parking Service Agents, who are equipped to handle most motorist-related problems on campus.
"We've been offering this service for a couple of years but we haven't done a great job of publicizing it," says Tony Langendorf, an MAP agent and coordinator of the program. Langendorf said information about MAP is enclosed with materials for parking decals (soon to be hangtags).
According to Robert Vanzo, director of Administrative Services, the program is about to boost its image. "We have designed a new logo that will be placed on MAP vehicles and we will be erecting signs around campus with the assistance phone number (650-3324) and the new logo," Vanzo said.
"The agents will be wearing new shirts with the logo imprinted and a sticker is being produced that will be given to everyone who purchases a hang tag for the 2001-2002 academic year," he said. "We're recommending placing the sticker on the back of the hang tag."
The sticker will contain the emergency assistance number that can be called through one of 55 emergency phone stands dotting campus.
Langendorf also pointed out that as part of the new awareness campaign, program details are outlined on a Web site listing services offered, such as battery jump-starts, portable compressors to help with flat tires, de-icing equipment, and access to a tow-truck service. "These services are offered at no cost to the person needing assistance," Langendorf said, "except for the tow service."
Vanzo pointed out that MAP is another way to provide service to students and employees. "We're committed to provide the highest level of emergency assistance to faculty, staff, and students, but this also is a chance for our agents to show they're not always the bad guys who write the parking tickets."
Vanzo said the SIUE Parking and Traffic Committee has been supportive of the program. "This assistance service has been the most warmly received," he said. "It's such a relief when you're car won't start in the middle of winter and you see an MAP agent coming your way."
Georgia Librarian To Receive Two Honors Aug. 4
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus William G. Potter Jr., university librarian at the University of Georgia who spearheaded creation of a statewide electronic library system, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at SIUE's Aug. 4 commencement. The measure was passed earlier this month by the SIU Board of Trustees.
Potter, who earned a bachelor's in English in 1973 from SIUE, also will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Aug. 4 ceremony, where he will give the commencement address. The Distinguished Alumnus Award is given each year by the SIUE Alumni Association for outstanding contributions to society by an SIUE graduate.
In his current post at Georgia since 1989, Potter helped initiate a statewide electronic database, which eventually became an integrated library system for 34 university system libraries. The system, named Galileo, enables cooperative collection development, borrowing, and interlibrary loans.
In 1998, Potter received the Blackwell Scholarship Award from the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services for his article, "Recent Trends in Statewide Academic Library Consortia," which appeared in Library Trends. He also has received the Nix-Jones Award from the Georgia Library Association for his contributions to the library profession.
After graduating from SIUE, Potter went on to receive a master's in Library Science, a master's in English, and a doctorate in Library Science and Information Technology, all from the University of Illinois.
Associate Deans At Boise, NIU Named Deans At SIUE
Two associate deans, one from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and another from Boise State University in Idaho, will be joining the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville academic ranks this fall as deans.
Kent Neely, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boise since 1998, has been named dean of the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences, while Elliott Lessen, associate dean of Education at Northern since 1995, will become dean of the SIUE School of Education, both effective Aug. 1, according to SIUE Provost Sharon Hahs.
Neely, a professor of Theater Arts, was chair of that department at Boise for four years before becoming associate dean. He previously had been head of the graduate program in the Department of Theater Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota, and also managing director of the University Theatre at Minnesota and a lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.
He earned a bachelor's in Speech and Theatre at Oklahoma State University in 1971, and a master's and a doctorate, both in Theatre, at Wayne State University in 1973 and 1976, respectively.
Lessen, who has been a member of NIU's Special Education faculty since 1978, was chair of the department from 1981-84 and was named a Distinguished Teaching Professor in 1996. He also was coordinator of Northern's undergraduate education programs from 1978-81 and from 1988-90.
Before joining the NIU faculty, Lessen had been an assistant professor at the University of Northern Iowa, an administrative assistant at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Fla., and a third grade teacher for Chicago Public Schools, as well as several positions working with children with learning disabilities.
Lessen earned a bachelor of Fine Arts at Syracuse University in 1968, a master of science in Special Education at Hunter College in New York City in 1973, and a doctorate in Special Education at the University of Florida in 1976.
