May 2004
May 27, 2004
High Schoolers' Journalism Camp Set for July 19-30 at SIUE
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) High school journalists who want to hone their skills are invited to the Journalism Summer Camp from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, July 19-30, at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
The workshop covers the basics of what a good journalist needs to know to write a story-"Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How"-as well as how to take photographs and how to design quality newspapers and yearbooks. "We also get the students into the radio and TV studios at SIUE so they can learn about electronic broadcasting," says Mike Montgomery, a veteran newspaper editor and an instructor in the SIUE Department of Mass Communications.
J-camp students will put together their own newscast in the Mass Communications television studio and will see their stories published in The Alestle, SIUE's student newspaper. Cost of the camp is $75 per student, which includes a reporter's notebook, a binder for handouts, and an awards luncheon on the final day. The camp is limited to 50 students.
For more information, call (618) 650-2660 or (618) 650-3528.
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May 27, 2004
SIUE SummerArts 2004 Concert Series To Feature Head Of Jazz Studies
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) In 1979, Brett Stamps came to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for the opportunity to build a program "from scratch." The 56-year-old director of SIUE's Jazz Studies Program says proudly, "It's been a very good place to do what I do."
And, next month he'll continue to do what he does in a June 8 concert on campus, "All That Jazz," and in a Jazz Camp during the day from June 7-11. It's all part of the SummerArts Program 2004 and the SIUE Department of Music.
The Tuesday, June 8, concert is part of the annual SummerArts Concert Series from the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences, and the department sponsors Stamps' annual Jazz Camp, with its average enrollment of 40 to 50 high school students.
Building the SIUE Jazz Studies program, Stamps says, is his greatest reward of the past 25 years. "The jazz faculty is exceptional," he says. Faculty members such as Professor Rick Haydon and Associate Professor Reginald Thomas "are both very gifted artists and teachers. Rick was the first graduate of the SIUE jazz program and Reggie earned his master's at the university," he explains.
Originally from Falls Church, Va., Stamps says he knew he wanted to teach jazz when he was a freshman at the College of William and Mary. "I liked to improvise and I loved the theory course," he recalls.
Stamps' performance experience came when he auditioned for the U.S. Army Field Band. "I was graduating and about to get drafted, so I auditioned," he said. He was chosen and played there until almost the end of his service period.
"Then the Army paid for eight of us to attend a Stan Kenton camp that was being held near where we were based," he explains. From the 1940s until his death in 1979, Kenton was a popular band leader whose arrangements took Big Band music out of the mainstream with its intricate harmonies and inventive rhythms. After his discharge, Stamps toured with the Stan Kenton Band for a year.
So how did he end up at SIUE? "I was doing a job search and recognized SIUE from a recent soccer championship and I'd heard of the Mississippi River Festival," he explained. "I came here, liked the area, and liked the school."
Stamps says he enjoys performing with students, both current and former: "There's a lot of interaction at different levels in performing," he says.
"It's most rewarding performing with former students who have emerged as teachers and artists in their own right."
To keep in touch with the real world, Stamps also performs his original compositions and arrangements at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis as part of its long-standing Notes from Home series, and this summer Stamps plans to produce a CD. When he's not teaching, composing or performing, Stamps keeps in touch with his two sons, both of whom are in jazz education.
For more information on the SummerArts Concert Series or the SIUE Jazz Camp, call (618) 650-3900.
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May 20, 2004
EHS Robotics Team Claims Midwest Championship;
Students Raising Money for Trip To National Competition
A team of Edwardsville High School students will head to the National Botball Tournament in July, in which robots built in the classroom compete for the national title; the Edwardsville team recently won the regional for the second consecutive year.
(EDWARDSVILLE) It's a lesson in problem solving, although it looks like more fun than the description may sound. At its most basic level, it's pingpong balls and a robot kit.
It's officially called Botball, a competition in which teams of high school students build and program their robots to grab the items they get points for and discard or avoid the items for which they get nothing. After winning the Midwest Regional Competition in Terre Haute, Ind., a team from Edwardsville High School will head to the nationals, being held in San Jose, Calif, July 26-29.
The team lost in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, then won eight straight times to take the title.
The competition begins with a kit the teams must assemble, applying what they've learned in a wide range of classroom settings. "We take a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching robotics," said Jerry Weinberg, associate professor of Computer Science. Weinberg uses robotics as a means of teaching Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students majoring in different aspects of engineering to communicate better with each other and improve their problem-solving skills.
The Botball collaboration with Edwardsville High School grew out of the School of Engineering's annual Robotics Competition. Weinberg and EHS Math teacher Scott Hagin will accompany their team to San Jose. They will spend the next few weeks getting their team ready and raising funds from the trip. (Contact Weinberg by phone: (618) 650-2368.)
Team members include: Kush Patel, John Meehan, Matt Schweiker, and Mike Behum
"(Robot building) allows the students to apply all they have learned in math, logic, physics, and other classes," Hagin said. "They will be better problem-solvers, because they will understand better how to think across disciplines."
Aside from teaching a cross-disciplinary approach, Weinberg said robotics brings one other advantage to the classroom. "With robotics, students can see the immediate results of their work," he said. "They design, build and program their robot. Then they put it on the obstacle course and see how it performs."
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May 20, 2004
SIUE Student From Belleville Receives Evan James Scholarship
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Anne Schomber of Belleville, a senior studying Kinesiology and Health Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is the first recipient of the Cpl. Evan T. James Memorial Scholarship, to be given annually through the SIUE School of Education.
The scholarship was created by the family of U.S. Marine Cpl. Evan James of LaHarpe, a former SIUE student who drowned in a canal during the fighting in Iraq in March 2003. James served with the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, based in Peoria. He was studying Kinesiology at SIUE when he was deployed overseas.
Schomber, who is working toward a bachelor of science in Kinesiology, is an enthusiastic participant in fitness and wellness activities, competing in several running races in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Teachers say Schomber is an articulate student, who is well prepared for classes and genuinely interested in her education.
A member of the SIUE Kinesiology Student Association, Schomber has participated in fitness testing for the Highland School District and SIUE's two annual fitness activities-Fall for Fitness Day and Valentine's Fitness Day.
During the past year, she has been employed by SIUE's Student Fitness Center as a weight room attendant. Schomber assists SIUE students, faculty, staff, and alumni Fitness Center members in developing exercise programs.
The $500 scholarship is to be given annually to an SIUE undergraduate studying Kinesiology and who possesses traits that James aspired to, including: commitment to fitness and wellness and enjoyment of outdoor adventure experiences. Nominations come from faculty in the SIUE Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, with winners determined by the department's executive committee
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May 17, 2004
Television Workshop Set For June 14-25 At SIUE
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) When students meet for the first day of the Television Production Workshop at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, they may see a familiar face. Their instructor will be Professor Riley Maynard of the SIUE Department of Mass Communications and he has nearly as much experience in front of the camera as he does behind it.
The workshop, part of SIUE's SummerArts 2004 program, is open to high school students and runs from noon to 3 p.m. June 14-25. Maynard, who has 34 years of experience producing news and corporate videos, said students in the workshop will produce newscasts and create commercials.
Even with all of his production credits, Maynard's work in front of the camera as a performer in commercials is what makes him more recognizable. With more than 200 commercials and ads to his credit, Maynard has honed his craft as a performer. His most recent commercials are one for Hardee's restaurants ("I didn't get to eat the hamburger like Mark McGwire"), and one hawking bobblehead dolls for the St. Louis Rams football team.
"I've done dog food ads and a lot of beer ads," Maynard said. "I've done just about all of the Anheuser-Busch beer products … AB commercials are always classy, high budget productions," he explains. "In the dog food ad, the dog had the speaking role. He had a better agent," Maynard says with a laugh.
Maynard's first on-camera role was in a corporate video for Anheuser-Busch Sea World. "I played a truck driver and a tour was going through the brewery. A little boy said 'who are those people?' And his mother said: 'they're actors.' And he said: 'cool.' "
But it hasn't all been "cool." Another AB commercial depicted Maynard standing in a corn field in August playing a farmer. "The light wasn't just right so they brought out these (electric) lights and they cooked me," he recalls.
Not all of his work has been in commercials. "I was the cover boy for Angelica Uniform Company. I was on the cover of the catalogue modeling a bright orange jumpsuit known as 'correctional facility apparel.' That was the funniest ad I ever did," he said.
Maynard said one of the worst assignments he's ever had was when he was asked to say: Call Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 1-800-…-…, plus a tag line, all in five seconds. "I felt like a Vegematic salesman," he recalls.
His 23-year career at SIUE began with the intent to stay a year. "I came here on a one-year contract to replace (now Emeritus) Professor Jack Shaheen when he left to go on a Fulbright Scholarship. I never left except when I went on my own Fulbright," he says.
Even though he is an educator, actor, producer, and instructor for SIUE's Television Production Workshop, Maynard isn't looking for accolades. "I'm not a renaissance man… more a victim of circumstance."
For more information about the Television Production Workshop, call (618) 650-2245. or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2774. SummerArts 2004 is part of the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences.
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May 17, 2004
Summer ShowBiz 2004 Kicks Off June 10 With Grease
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) On June 10 the Department of Theater and Dance at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will take audiences back to the time of duck tails, pony tails, and saddle shoes with the Summer ShowBiz 2004 production of Grease. The show is part of the SummerArts 2004 program.
Set in 1959, the hit Broadway musical tells the story of Danny and Sandy at Rydell High. Director Peter Cocuzza, an associate professor of theater and dance at SIUE, says the stage version of Grease is very different from the 1978 film of the same name starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. "About half the songs in the movie were not in the play and the music had more of a '60s, '70s type of sound," Cocuzza explains. "The music in the play is more 'doo-wop.' "
Grease was first produced on the SIUE stage in 1990 and the current Summer Showbiz production has turned out to be a walk down memory lane for many of the cast and crew. Professor C. Otis Sweezey, chair of the department and costume designer for the production, knew where to start his research for the designs-his days as a high school student on Long Island in Freeport, N.Y. "I got out my old yearbook, not quite '59, and there was a lot of nostalgia for me," Sweezey said.
"They were all there-the cheerleaders, the good looking kids, and the nerds." And the two main groups from the play were there, too, Sweezey said. "The greasers, the gang type guys, the pink ladies, and the rebel girls."
Those were the days when everybody wore "big hair." And the 25-member cast will be wearing it along with penny loafers, bobby socks and poodle skirts. "It's going to be a traditional production of the play," Cocuzza says, "but we're going to put our stamp on the set."
Cocuzza said the "greased lightning" car has been found and the search is on for "local connections, photos to help localize the set from the '50s in Edwardsville," he explained. "And we're going to use video projection to help out scenically."
The set designer for this production is Roger Speidel, an instructor in the department. He'll also be onstage singing one of the most memorable songs from the play, Teen Angel.
Grease will run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 10-12, and June 17-19, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 13 and 20. For more information, call (618) 650-2774, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2774. SummerArts 2004 is presented by the SIUE College of Art & Sciences.
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May 17, 2004
Second Class Of SIUE 'Dean's Dozen' Announced
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Elliott Lessen, dean of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's School of Education, has announced the second class of "Dean's Dozen" members.
Members of the second Dean's Dozen class, a select group of undergraduate students representing the five departments in the School of Education, are: Chris Brown of Shiloh, Heather Dale of Forsyth, Margaret Eccher of Mount Olive, Christopher Gentry of Bethalto, April Logan of Godfrey, Jennifer Moehrs of Waterloo, Jill Moennig of Brussels, Leslie McGuire of Farina, Lindsey Pembrook of Bunker Hill, Anne Schomber of Belleville, Andrea Streckfuss of Granite City, and Mary E. Witte of Normal.
The Dean's Dozen will serve as student representatives on behalf of the school, with on-going responsibilities that include assisting with recruitment and retention of students and faculty, representing the school at various campus functions, providing peer mentoring, and serving as ambassadors of goodwill for the School of Education.
The students were chosen from a substantial number of applicants by a selection committee comprised of undergraduate program directors from each department within the School. Associate Dean Lela DeToye said, "the entire selection process was difficult as all of the applicants showed genuine interest and a variety of strengths."
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May 17, 2004
SIUE SummerArts Workshops Continue To Serve Area Youth
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Since 1995, a total of 1,390 youngsters have attended workshops presented by the Department of Art and Design's Art Education program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The workshops are part of the SummerArts 2004 program.
Art and Design Professor Joe Weber is head of the department's art education area, which offers the "Children's Summer Arts Workshops" each year. The program actually dates back to 1975 when the "Summer Visual Art Workshops for Youth" began. That series was co-sponsored by the department and The Friends of Art.
"The purpose was to provide quality, intensive, affordable art experiences for young students in the metro area during the summer months," according to the program's history.
In the beginning, the program focused on primary and intermediate age workshops, Weber said, "because of a lack of facility space until the new Art and Design Building was completed."
Now, the summer art workshop program offers sessions for primary ages through junior and senior high. One of the offerings for older students is the Jr./Sr. High Ceramics/ Sculpture Workshop. "It is being offered again because it is very popular," according to workshop Coordinator Wanda Pitra, now in her 10th year with the program.
Other popular junior-senior high workshops include the Drawing-Painting session and the Computer Graphics session.
Each year, the workshops draw students from throughout the area including Granite City, Alton, Godfrey, Staunton, Dorsey, Mascoutah, Belleville, and Fairview Heights, as well as Collinsville, Edwardsville and Glen Carbon, Pitra said. "Each year, parents see the announcement in the paper and the phone starts ringing." Apparently, that's been going on for 29 years.
For further information about the workshops, please call the Department of Art and Design, (618) 650-3183.
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May 13, 2004
Vaughn Vandegrift Named Chancellor Of SIUE
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Vaughn Vandegrift, who has moved up through the ranks of higher education over the past 30 years, will become chancellor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville effective July 1.
Vandegrift was appointed to the position by SIU President James E. Walker and approved by the Board of Trustees today after a national search. Current SIUE Chancellor David Werner announced his retirement last October after 36 years of service to the university.
"Dr. Vandegrift has the right combination of skills and experience to guide SIUE into the future," Walker said. "I am confident that he will be the kind of leader we need at an important time in the development of SIUE."
Vandegrift said he is excited about his coming to SIUE. "The opportunity to come to SIU Edwardsville and lead this vibrant campus is exciting to me. SIUE has a vision to achieve national prominence as a premier metropolitan university. I'm looking forward to working with the university and metropolitan communities to realize that vision within the next decade."
Vandegrift's appointment comes as a result of a national search and assistance from a search advisory committee composed of students, faculty, staff, and alumni from SIUE whose job it was to review applications and make recommendations to President Walker.
"I want to thank the members of the search advisory committee, particularly professor Don Elliott who served as chair, for their hours of work and valued counsel in our effort to find a new chancellor," Walker said. "We had an excellent pool of candidates from which to choose and I thank the committee for their efforts."
The new chancellor comes to SIUE from Georgia Southern University, where he has served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs/Chief Information Officer since 2000. At GSU, a residential university with nearly 16,000 students and more than 650 full-time faculty, Vandegrift oversees six academic colleges, graduate studies, international studies, information technology services, continuing education, a wildlife center, a museum, a library, and a botanical garden.
During his time at GSU, Vandegrift led the Academic Affairs unit through state budget cuts of $5 million during a period in which enrollment grew by 1,500 students. He established a new College of Information Technology and had oversight of the program's development and the construction of its new $33 million building, which opened last year.
Vandegrift created a new School of Economic Development at GSU to address the needs of South Georgia and also established the first School of Public Health in the University System of Georgia after obtaining a gift of $2.5 million from a benefactor.
Vandegrift reorganized the recruitment and hiring process of faculty at GSU, significantly increasing the representation of minorities in the Academic Affairs unit.
Before he was provost at GSU, Vandegrift spent 12 years as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and a tenured professor of Chemistry at Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, N. J.. He also served for six years as chair of the Department of Chemistry and as a tenured professor during 12 years at Murray State University in Kentucky.
Vandegrift-who has been an assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, department chair, dean, and provost- began his higher education career as a Chemistry professor at Illinois State University in 1974.
Vandegrift, who earned a doctorate in Chemistry at Ohio University, is the author of numerous journal articles and presentations on the topics of biochemistry, chemical education and higher education. Vandegrift earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Chemistry from Montclair State University. Vandegrift is also a graduate of the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management.
Vandegrift has been a member of numerous professional organizations and civic groups including Rotary International, the American Chemical Society, American Association of Higher Education, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Board of Directors, and the Statesboro-Bulloch County (Georgia) Chamber of Commerce.
The 57-year-old Vandegrift, who hails from Saddle Brook, N.J., is married to Suzanne Bouchoux Vandegrift of Nutley, N.J., a recently retired high school chemistry teacher from Wayne (NJ) schools. They have three children: Beth Vandegrift, David Vandegrift, and Mark Vandegrift. Vandegrift's parents, Frederick and Marjorie Vandegrift, reside in Murray, Ky.
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May 13, 2004
SimmonsCooper Makes $1 Million Donation To SIUE;
Board Of Trustees Approves Name For SIUE Baseball Complex
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The proposed baseball facility expansion at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will be named the SimmonsCooper Baseball Complex in recognition of a $1 million gift to the university by SimmonsCooper Attorneys at Law in East Alton.
The naming of the proposed complex was approved today by the SIU Board of Trustees at its regular monthly meeting.
SIUE alumnus John Simmons and his law partner, Jeff Cooper, announced the donation last month. The gift is designated for the baseball program and other areas to be identified by the donor.
Intercollegiate Athletics will use the money to complete renovations of the Cougars' baseball complex at Roy E. Lee Field. "The gift will enable us to complete the SIUE baseball stadium project and explore the expansion of the site into a baseball complex," said Athletics Director Brad Hewitt.
Improvements already made in the past year to the university's baseball field include new dugouts, nets behind home plate, a warning track around the field, and a locker room facility. Hewitt said previous gifts secured from former players Fernando Aguirre, Steve Davis, and current assistant Steve Haug also were instrumental in the improvements at the field.
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May 11, 2004
SIUE License Plates Available Now
(EDWARDSVILLE) Illinois supporters of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville can show their pride with SIUE license plates, now available through the secretary of state's office.
The license plates carry the SIUE Cougar logo. The cost for a plate is $118 for the first year, and $105 for each year thereafter; $25 from each plate purchase goes to the SIUE Alumni Association Legacy scholarship fund. The typical cost of a renewal is $78.
Anyone who wants a plate can apply right away or as current plates expire; if you're purchasing a new car, your dealership can apply for you on a first-time registration. Collegiate plate numbers are assigned as applications are received. Vanity or personalized plates are not available.
For more information, contact the Secretary of State's office, special plates division at 217-785-5215, or your local Secretary of State facility.
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May 11, 2004
Curriculum Changes, Outreach Fuel SIUE Nursing School's Growth
(National Nurse's Week concludes Wednesday, May 12)
(EDWARDSVILLE) The smell of paint and the occasional knocking of hammers blends with the voices of students huddled in available conference rooms. Marcia Maurer, dean of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing, sometimes winces, sometimes smiles at the evidence of progress.
In less than a year under Maurer, the School of Nursing has begun to revamp its curriculum, remodel its offices and increase its presence in the communities it serves.
"There are exciting changes taking place in the nursing profession," Maurer said during a break from a graduate faculty retreat. "The SIUE School of Nursing is taking steps to be at the forefront of those changes in terms of the kind of education we provide to nurses entering the field, nurses looking to complete their bachelor's, and nurses needing a certificate or master's program in anticipation of entry into some of the new career opportunities that are developing for nursing professionals."
The school has begun to offer nurse management certificate programs designed to benefit nurses looking to move into management positions, and nurse managers who wish to enhance their management skills. An accelerated bachelor's program is awaiting final approval and could begin in Fall 2005. The Springfield program will expand, with four master's majors being added. The undergraduate curriculum is undergoing a change, shifting from what Maurer calls a "medical model" to a "nursing model."
"Under our new approach, there will be less lecturing and more active student participation," Maurer said. "Students will be more accountable for their own education. It will be more of a case study and discussion style of learning."
To accommodate the shift, a new staff person will be hired to coordinate patient simulator learning. The patient simulators are computerized mannequins designed to mimic illness and injury and respond to treatment by a nurse. Also, a pilot program will begin in the fall, in which nursing students will receive Palm Pilots that will be used to track assignments. And, to distinguish the school and its students, the SIUE School of Nursing has adopted new student uniforms and a new slogan, "The nursing gem of Southern Illinois."
The school also began a new recruiting campaign last year that has resulted in one of the largest spring semester (2004) enrollments in the last five years.
"Everyone knows there is a national nursing shortage," said Maurer, who served as associate dean in Nursing and director of Graduate Programs at Loyola University in Chicago before coming to SIUE. "It's not enough for schools of Nursing to simply graduate more nurses. We have to look at the future, to examine and understand what the role of the nurse in patient care is going to be."
The SIUE School of Nursing offers programs throughout the central and southern portions of the state, including the newest facility in Springfield. Maurer said she and the staff and faculty of the school are also creating new clinical partnerships in the Springfield area. "We're there for the long term," she said.
The outreach effort in Springfield is part of a comprehensive strategy to address the nursing shortage. "One of the reasons we have a shortage is that the perception of a career in nursing has changed," she said. "For a variety of reasons, nursing fell out of favor as a career. That's changing. A lot of people don't realize how rewarding nursing can be, both personally and professionally. Obviously, from a personal standpoint, helping other people has its own rewards.
"But, what is sometimes lost in the discussion is that lots of nursing jobs are available right now, where the economy has caused layoffs and stagnation in other professions. Also, several recent studies show nursing careers rank favorably on the list of salaries for new graduates."
The school works with more than 300 clinical agencies, collaborating with rural, suburban and urban health-care providers to help meet the health care needs of the region. SIUE was the first nursing school in the region-and one of the first in the country-to use human patient simulators as teaching tools.
"We like to think we're on the front line," Maurer said. "Our goal is to not only keep our curriculum and our technology current, but to continue to look for ways to be on the forefront of education…to keep our faculty and students on the leading edge of the learning curve."
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May 11, 2004
Twenty-First Annual SIUE Summer Writing Camp Set For June, July
(EDWARDSVILLE, ILL.) The 21st Annual Summer Writing Day Camp at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been set for two sessions Monday through Friday, June 14-25 and July 12-23.
Enrollment per session is limited to 50 students, ages eight through 18, according to retired Assistant Professor Eugene Violette, of the Department of English Language and Literature, who has been director of the writing camp since its inception.
The camps are open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with several hours of classroom development activity, plus recreation periods for softball, swimming, volleyball, bowling, billiards, board games, and nature exploration, among others. In addition, older students will have opportunities to explore other aspects of campus life.
Violette said writing periods have an excellent pupil-teacher ratio-about eight to one-with development of skills articulating thought in the sentence, the paragraph, and the short essay, as well as, by means of collaborative effort, in such creative forms as drama and fiction. Students from the fifth grade and higher will use computers extensively in the composition process, but participants do not need prior experience with computers to do well in the program.
He also pointed out that individual instruction in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, is provided as needed but he also said this is not the total objective of the program. Violette will be assisted at the day camp by recreational counselors, as well as area elementary and secondary teachers, or current or former university lecturers of the SIUE Department of English Language and Literature, who have had special training in the teaching of writing.
The fee for either of the day camp sessions is $190, which includes a non-refundable $15 enrollment fee upon registration. The $175 balance is due no later than June 10 for the first session or July 8 for the second session. For more information, call the SIUE Department of English Language and Literature, (618) 650-2060, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2060.
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May 11, 2004
Salut!: Meridian Society To Make Annual Award Presentations
(EDWARDSVILLE) Salut!, a celebration of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Meridian Society, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, at SIUE's Morris Center. The society is an organization of women dedicated to raising funds-through membership fees and donations-in support of the university's community-oriented programs.
Lilya Wagner will be the presenter for the formal portion of the program, which begins at 7:15. Wagner is associate director for public service at Indiana University and serves as the director of the Womens' Philanthropic Institute. She also is a faculty member at IU, where she teaches graduate courses in philanthropic studies, and also is involved in curriculum preparation and revision. She holds a doctorate in education.
SIUE's Meridian Society is at the forefront of a national trend among colleges and universities. Created as a means of university outreach and fund-raising for the university, the society will make six awards at Salut!
• Give Kids A Smile Day, SIU School of Dental Medicine: Smile Day provides dental screening and treatment for underserved children
• Physics Play, SIUE Physics Department: Physics Play is a project aimed at raising the general awareness of physics and physics careers
• Image Workshop, St. Clair County Head Start: A project to assist parents of Head Start students with their job interview techniques
• Donal Myer Arboretum Enhancement, SIUE Arboretum: Will provide for native plantings in the arboretum
• Introductory Visitors Video for Stephenson House and Gardens, SIUE Mass Communications Department: Students and faculty will produce an introductory video for the Stephenson House in Edwardsville
• Role Models of Greater St. Louis Speaker Series, SIUE East St. Louis TRIO Program: Provide role-model speakers for the purposes of enhancing confidence and ability to gain success in post-secondary education and community leadership.
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May 10, 2004
Media Advisory:
Children Explore Tankers, Tractors, And An Oversized Shopping Cart At SIUE's Vehicle Day
(EDWARDSVILLE) More than 250 children are expected to explore vehicles of all kinds-including a 1918 Ford tank truck, the Gateway Grizzlies mascot on his scooter, the giant Schnucks shopping cart, dump trucks, tractors, a police motorcycle, a fire truck with 100-foot extended ladder and more-during the Seventh Annual Vehicle Day at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Vehicle Day 2004 is scheduled for 9a.m. until noon Friday, May 14, in parking lot F at SIUE's Student Fitness Center. More than 25 organizations have volunteered vehicles for the event, which is sponsored by the Advisory Board of the SIUE Early Childhood Center.
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May 6, 2004
Native American Issues Discussed At SIUE Symposium May 13
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) A symposium focusing on the relationship between the United States government and Native Americans, historically and currently, will be presented from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, May 13, at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
"Sovereignty, Expansion, and Diplomacy: Native American Views, Past, Present, and Future" will be presented in the John C. Abbott Auditorium on the lower level of SIUE's Lovejoy Library.
Featured speakers at the symposium will include Jack Baker, president of the National Trail of Tears Association; Charles Red Corn, an Osage author who has worked in Indian affairs all his life, both in government and as a business consultant for Indian-owned businesses in Oklahoma; Fred Fausz, a professor of history at the University of Missouri-St. Louis; and Dark Rain Thom, an author who is part of the Shawnee Remnant Band.
They will focus on three areas:
• Discussion of Discovery Law and other early policies regarding Native American Removal dating back to the 1700s.
• Diplomatic relations with and federal, state and local governmental policies toward, Native Americans over the past 200 years.
• The future of federal, state and local Native American relations/polices in the 21st century.
The symposium is being presented by SIUE and the Illinois Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission and the National Park Service
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May 6, 2004
SIUE's Lovejoy Friends Announce Winners Of Writing Contest
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The winners of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's 10th Annual High School Writers' Contest have been announced. The contest, sponsored by SIUE's Friends of Lovejoy Library, was open to area high school juniors and seniors who each submitted work in one of three categories: nonfiction, fiction, or poetry.
Co-sponsors and contributors for the competition were the Pulitzer Foundation/St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Target Stores; the Belleville News-Democrat; and the Friends group, a support organization for the SIUE library.
More than 385 entries were submitted by contestants from Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, St. Clair, and Washington counties.
Nine winners, three in each category, were honored recently at an awards banquet on campus. First prize winners each received $500, while second- and third-place winners in each category received $300 and $100, respectively.
First prize in the poetry category went to Lisa Klingler, a senior at Belleville West Township High School, for her poem, "Survival in Auschwitz." Second prize was won by Casey Keeven, a junior at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo, for her poem, "Oscar," while third prize went to Jacki Varble, a junior at Carrollton High School, for "A Poem About Nothing."
In the fiction category, first prize was given to Vanity Kanise Gee, also a senior at Belleville West, for her story, "MIA Midgets in Action: The True Tale of little Red Riding Hood." Second place went to Chelsea Teisberg, a junior at Valmeyer High School, for her piece, "Primary Instinct," while third prize was given to Meredith Burkart, a junior at Edwardsville High School, for her entry, "The Rising Sun."
Tom Edwards, a junior at Belleville West, won first prize in the nonfiction category for his essay, "Wilderness Voyage." Second prize in that category went to Michael Schulte, a senior at Jersey Community High School, for his essay, "Contradicting Representations." Third prize was won by Marina Braun, a senior at Triad High School in Troy, for her essay, "The Door of Opportunity."
All award-winning entries have been published in a booklet that is available for purchase by calling (618) 650-2730.
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May 4, 2004
Maurer Joins SIUE School of Pharmacy
(EDWARDSVILLE) William Maurer has joined Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as the School of Pharmacy's first development officer.
Maurer, whose title is director of development and external affairs, has more than 25 years of fund-raising experience at educational institutions, medical facilities, and associations.
Most recently, Maurer served as director of development for Benet Academy in Lisle Illinois, where he increased the school's annual support from $250,000 to more than $1 million. He also has served as a development officer for Loyola University Medical Center, American Fund for Dental Health, the Field Museum of Chicago, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, and St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago. Maurer is a graduate of Loyola of Chicago.
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Vandegrift Named To Succeed Werner As SIUE Chancellor
Vaughn Vandegrift, who has moved up through the ranks of higher education over the past 30 years, will become chancellor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville effective July 1.
Vandegrift was appointed to the position by SIU President James E. Walker and approved by the Board of Trustees today after a national search. Current SIUE Chancellor David Werner announced his retirement last October after 36 years of service to the university.
"Dr. Vandegrift has the right combination of skills and experience to guide SIUE into the future," Walker said. "I am confident that he will be the kind of leader we need at an important time in the development of SIUE."
Vandegrift said he is excited about his coming to SIUE. "The opportunity to come to SIU Edwardsville and lead this vibrant campus is exciting to me. SIUE has a vision to achieve national prominence as a premier metropolitan university. I'm looking forward to working with the university and metropolitan communities to realize that vision within the next decade."
Vandegrift's appointment comes as a result of a national search and assistance from a search advisory committee composed of students, faculty, staff, and alumni from SIUE whose job it was to review applications and make recommendations to President Walker.
"I want to thank the members of the search advisory committee, particularly professor Don Elliott who served as chair, for their hours of work and valued counsel in our effort to find a new chancellor," Walker said. "We had an excellent pool of candidates from which to choose and I thank the committee for their efforts."
The new chancellor comes to SIUE from Georgia Southern University, where he has served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs/Chief Information Officer since 2000. At GSU, a residential university with nearly 16,000 students and more than 650 full-time faculty, Vandegrift oversees six academic colleges, graduate studies, international studies, information technology services, continuing education, a wildlife center, a museum, a library, and a botanical garden.
During his time at GSU, Vandegrift led the Academic Affairs unit through state budget cuts of $5 million during a period in which enrollment grew by 1,500 students. He established a new College of Information Technology and had oversight of the program's development and the construction of its new $33 million building, which opened last year.
Vandegrift created a new School of Economic Development at GSU to address the needs of South Georgia and also established the first School of Public Health in the University System of Georgia after obtaining a gift of $2.5 million from a benefactor.
Vandegrift reorganized the recruitment and hiring process of faculty at GSU, significantly increasing the representation of minorities in the Academic Affairs unit.
Before he was provost at GSU, Vandegrift spent 12 years as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and a tenured professor of Chemistry at Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, N. J.. He also served for six years as chair of the Department of Chemistry and as a tenured professor during 12 years at Murray State University in Kentucky.
Vandegrift-who has been an assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, department chair, dean, and provost- began his higher education career as a Chemistry professor at Illinois State University in 1974.
Vandegrift, who earned a doctorate in Chemistry at Ohio University, is the author of numerous journal articles and presentations on the topics of biochemistry, chemical education and higher education. Vandegrift earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Chemistry from Montclair State University. Vandegrift is also a graduate of the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management.
Vandegrift has been a member of numerous professional organizations and civic groups including Rotary International, the American Chemical Society, American Association of Higher Education, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Board of Directors, and the Statesboro-Bulloch County (Georgia) Chamber of Commerce.
The 57-year-old Vandegrift, who hails from Saddle Brook, N.J., is married to Suzanne Bouchoux Vandegrift of Nutley, N.J., a recently retired high school chemistry teacher from Wayne (NJ) schools. They have three children: Beth Vandegrift, David Vandegrift, and Mark Vandegrift. Vandegrift's parents, Frederick and Marjorie Vandegrift, reside in Murray, Ky.
Turtles Net A New Home Thanks To Student Savior
Cougar Lake has some new tenants, thanks to Emily Dustman, who decided to be a samaritan herpetologist.
But the SIUE freshman from East Alton didn't bargain on finding a turtle in Peck Pond the size of a small garage. And, she sure didn't realize she was going to have a Chelydra serpentina by the tail. That's a snapping turtle to all of us not moving in herpetology circles.
It all began when the university decided to begin a planned project recently to dredge three ponds on campus-Peck Pond, adjacent to Peck Hall, Founders Hall, and Alumni Hall; the pond on the north end of the Donal E. Myer Arboretum; and Stump Lake, a pond behind Bluff Hall. (Why it's not called Stump Pond is anybody's guess, but misnomers tend to die hard.)
Facilities Management Director Bob Washburn said planning began about two years ago when signs of problems were occurring. "It took us about a year to obtain all the necessary environmental permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," Washburn said. "This is part of a natural cycle of man-made ponds such as these.
"The $200,000 project has been funded through the deferred maintenance program and is designed to return the environmental balance to the ponds that have become overgrown with algae," Washburn said. "Dredging the ponds removes the excess silt and algae, and makes them deeper and less likely to become unbalanced in the future."
Unfortunately, the dredging causes a temporary disruption in the wildlife and critters have to find a new home for awhile. Although most of the species in and around Peck Pond could fly, hop, or walk out during the dredging, the small amount of fish that were left in the three ponds didn't survive, and slow moving wildlife, namely turtles, needed some help.
Enter Emily Dustman, a biological sciences major studying to become a herpetologist (someone who studies reptiles and amphibians). "Just after the dredging began, I saw one or two turtles who didn't make it across the road," she said. "I saw another that had been caught in a lawn mower tractor as it moved from Peck Pond. I also saw some turtles that were sucked through the drain to the other side of Circle Drive.
"It upset me, so I went to (Associate Biological Sciences) Professor (Paul) Brunkow and asked for his help." Dustman decided to organize a group of students to help pull the turtles from Peck Pond. They obtained permission from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration, but then called it off when they realized how deep the mud is in the pond bed.
"I had worked last summer for John Tucker, a state herpetologist, and he agreed to help," Dustman said. "So, John and my Dad joined me to begin 'muddling' (searching underwater for turtles in the mud).
"I was crawling in the mud, with just my head above water when I grabbed a large tail, although I wasn't sure what it was at the time," Dustman said. "Then it began pulling me through the mud and I realized it was a large turtle. It took my Dad and I together to get the turtle out of the water and into a cooler."
Dustman explained that snapping turtles remain docile while submerged but if you pull them out of the water to, say, put them in a cooler, well, they become disagreeable. But they managed to get the huge specimen into the cooler and relocate it to Cougar Lake. Dustman also recovered two painted turtles and a koi, an ornamental carp, and also relocated them to Cougar Lake.
Dustman feels good about the rescue. "I feel like I did a good thing."
Brunkow said he was impressed with Dustman's determination to help the turtles. "Emily was the driving force behind this recovery project; she planned it and followed through," Brunkow said. "This is a student who went out of her way to take this initiative, obtain the permissions, and organize the effort.
"And, you have to realize that Peck Pond is a pretty mucky place, smelly and nasty. But, Emily saw an opportunity do something to help, because turtles represent a species that has become depleted in suburban areas."
Once Dustman had the turtle, she showed it to Brunkow. "Dr. Brunkow nicknamed it the 'Loch Peck Monster,' " she said. "I thought that was a pretty good nickname."
Lovejoy Writers Competition Winners Announced
Winners of SIUE's 10th Annual High School Writers' Contest have been announced. The contest, sponsored by the Friends of Lovejoy Library, was open to area high school juniors and seniors who each submitted work in one of three categories: nonfiction, fiction, or poetry.
Co-sponsors and contributors for the competition were the Pulitzer Foundation/St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Target Stores; the Belleville News-Democrat; and the Friends group, a support organization for SIUE's Lovejoy library.
More than 385 entries were submitted by contestants from Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, St. Clair, and Washington counties.
Nine winners, three in each category, were honored recently at an awards banquet on campus. First prize winners each received $500, while second- and third-place winners in each category received $300 and $100, respectively.
First prize in the poetry category went to Lisa Klingler, a senior at Belleville West Township High School, for her poem, "Survival in Auschwitz." Second prize was won by Casey Keeven, a junior at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo, for her poem, "Oscar," while third prize went to Jacki Varble, a junior at Carrollton High School, for "A Poem About Nothing."
In the fiction category, first prize was given to Vanity Kanise Gee, also a senior at Belleville West, for her story, "MIA Midgets in Action: The True Tale of little Red Riding Hood." Second place went to Chelsea Teisberg, a junior at Valmeyer High School, for her piece, "Primary Instinct," while third prize was given to Meredith Burkart, a junior at Edwardsville High School, for her entry, "The Rising Sun."
Tom Edwards, a junior at Belleville West, won first prize in the nonfiction category for his essay, "Wilderness Voyage." Second prize in that category went to Michael Schulte, a senior at Jersey Community High School, for his essay, "Contradicting Representations." Third prize was won by Marina Braun, a senior at Triad High School in Troy, for her essay, "The Door of Opportunity."
All award-winning entries have been published in a booklet that is available for purchase by calling (618) 650-2730.
ROTC Standout, '95 Grad Dies In Irag Fighting
Capt. John E. Tipton, originally from Granite City and a distinguished military graduate of the SIUE Army ROTC program, died May 2 during combat in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. He was 32 and a 1995 graduate of the SIUE School of Business.
He died of wounds received from an explosion during combat as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tipton was stationed at Ft. Riley, Kan., where he was a Company Commander with the First Infantry Division.
Tipton was a 1989 graduate of Granite City High School. He enlisted in the Army in August of that year and served in Operation Desert Storm. He enrolled at SIUE in September 1991. Tipton had been stationed at Ft. Riley since August 2000 and deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom in September 2003.
A memorial service is planned at Ft. Riley on May 12. Memorials may be made to the Society of the First Infantry Division Foundation, which maintains the DePuy Scholarship program. The scholarship is awarded to children of First Infantry Division soldiers killed in combat. Donations may be mailed to:
First Infantry Division Foundation
c/o DePuy Scholarships
1933 Morris Road
Blue Bell, PA 19422-1422
Native American Issues To Be Discussed At Lovejoy May 13
A symposium focusing on the relationship between the United States government and Native Americans, historically and currently, will be presented from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, May 13, at SIUE's Lovejoy Library.
"Sovereignty, Expansion, and Diplomacy: Native American Views, Past, Present, and Future" will be presented in the John C. Abbott Auditorium on the lower level of the library.
Featured speakers at the symposium will include Jack Baker, president of the National Trail of Tears Association; Charles Red Corn, an Osage author who has worked in Indian affairs all his life, both in government and as a business consultant for Indian-owned businesses in Oklahoma; Fred Fausz, a professor of history at the University of Missouri-St. Louis; and Dark Rain Thom, an author who is part of the Shawnee Remnant Band.
They will focus on three areas:
• Discussion of Discovery Law and other early policies regarding Native American Removal dating back to the 1700s.
• Diplomatic relations with and federal, state and local governmental policies toward Native Americans over the past 200 years.
• The future of federal, state and local Native American relations/polices in the 21st century.
The symposium is being presented by SIUE and the Illinois Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission and the National Park Service.
W. Maurer Named Pharmacy Development Director
William Maurer has joined the SIUE School of Pharmacy as its first development officer.
Maurer, whose title is director of development and external affairs, has more than 25 years of fund-raising experience at educational institutions, medical facilities, and associations.
Most recently, Maurer served as director of development for Benet Academy in Lisle Illinois, where he increased the school's annual support from $250,000 to more than $1 million.
He also has served as a development officer for Loyola University Medical Center, American Fund for Dental Health, the Field Museum of Chicago, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, and St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago.
Maurer is a graduate of Loyola of Chicago.
Six Cougars Qualify for NCAA Championship Field
Six women's track athletes will represent SIUE at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships on May 27-29 in Pomona, Calif.
Freshman Tairisha Sawyer (Chicago/Queen of Peace H.S.), the Great Lakes Valley Conference Women's Athlete of the Year for outdoor track, will enter both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.
Freshman Jamie Thomas (Blue Island/Thornridge H.S.), an All-American during the indoor season, has also qualified for two events. She will participate in the 100-meter hurdles and triple jump.
Senior Breanne Steffens (Moline/Moline H.S.), who advanced to the national meet in cross country in the fall, will be entered in the 1,500-meter run. Junior Christen Carducci (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy H.S.) will compete in the 3,000-meter run. Junior Mary Witte (Normal/West H.S.), who lowered her provisional qualifying time at last weekend's GLVC Championships, is in for the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Valerie Simmons (St. Louis/Normandy H.S.) also lowered her time in the last meet of the season and is a qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles.
Men's Outdoor Track Crowned GLVC Champions
SIUE men's track and field claimed its first ever Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field title this past weekend in Indianapolis.
"It was just a great effort," Coach Darryl Frerker said. "We had numerous individuals step up and achieve personal records to gain points in areas not anticipated. They stepped up to the competition and conquered."
The Cougars had three event champions and 11 All-Conference performers. All-GLVC honors are given to the top two in each event.
Richard Skirball (Granite City) was the individual champion in the 800-meter run with a time of 1 minute, 52.59 seconds. Lee Weeden (Ferguson) was the conference champion in the shot put after a throw of 15.51 meters. Phil Freimuth (Effingham) won the javelin with a meet-record distance of 58.00 meters.
Jeff Fearday (Teutopolis) claimed All-GLVC honors in the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 48.11. Jonathan Bannister's (Plano, Texas) time of 15.26 in the 110-meter hurdles was also good for All-GLVC kudos. Ryan Boyll (Normal) ran the 3,000-meter steeplechase in an All-GLVC time of 9:19.29. Freimuth garnered All-GLVC honors in the high jump with a jump of 1.98 meters.
Taylor Reich (Newton) was tabbed All-GLVC in two separate events. His pole vault of 4.55 meters was good for All-GLVC honors, and he also scored 6,077 points in the decathlon to finish second and claim All-GLVC honors. Dustin Bilbruck (Gillespie) finished behind teammate Freimuth in the javelin to receive All-GLVC status. Marvell Seals' (Florissant) jump of 14.01 meters in the triple jump earned him All-GLVC honors.
Volleyball Lands Heimann, Helphrey
SIUE volleyball coach Todd Gober has announced the signing of two more players for the 2004 season.
Jenny Heimann (Germantown) and Tina Helphrey (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) have signed on to attend the university and play volleyball for the Cougars. Heimann, a junior college transfer, enters the program with two years of eligibility. Helphrey enters with four years of eligibility beginning in the fall.
Heimann, a 5-foot-7-inch setter and defensive specialist, was a two-time all-conference selection as a setter at John A. Logan College. She was tabbed an NJCAA second team All-American in 2003. Averaging 12.3 assists per game last fall, she set Logan's single-season assist record with 1,450 and also holds Logan's career assist mark with 2,890.
"The addition of Jenny gives us more depth and experience at the setter position," Gober said. "She has a great competitive spirit about her and is very skilled technically. She has developed nicely throughout her two years at John A. Logan."
Helphrey, a 6-foot-1-inch middle blocker/outside hitter, comes to SIUE after a successful volleyball career at Port St. Lucie High School. A three-time all-conference selection at Port St. Lucie, Helphrey also was tabbed as her team's Most Valuable Player her sophomore through senior seasons.
"Tina is a very good jumper and has a powerful armswing," Gober said. "She will compete for a starting right side position. She will mix in well with our team."
SIUE Men's Basketball Signs Jeanty
Cordell Jeanty (Toronto, Ontario), an NJCAA honorable mention All-American for John A. Logan College, has signed to play men's basketball for SIUE next season.
Jeanty, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, averaged 24.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game last season for John A. Logan. He led the Vols in scoring and rebounding for two seasons, earning All-Conference and All-Region honors in both seasons. He set a school record for points in a season with 749.
SIUE coach Marty Simmons said Jeanty provides the Cougars with a number of options. Jeanty played mostly in the paint in junior college and will expand his game to more perimeter shooting.
"Cordell has a chance to make an impact on our program right away," said Simmons. "He has an eagerness about him. He's a strong, athletic player."
Track Searches For First Outdoor Championship
SIUE track and field will vie for its first Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Championship when the meet kicks off Thursday (5/13) in Indianapolis.
Both the men's and women's squad won the GLVC indoor meet earlier in the year. "We are ready and hoping to defend our GLVC indoor titles," Coach Darryl Frerker said. "Across the board, the men will be competing with Lewis and Indianapolis. The women should be one of the favorites."
Also on the agenda at the conference meet will be the final opportunity to lower NCAA II provisional qualifying times to help assure an invitation to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Tairisha Sawyer (Chicago) hit provisional qualifying marks in both the 100 and 200-meter dash. Breanne Steffens (Moline) and Christen Carducci (Powell, Ohio) have provisionally qualified in the 1,500-meter run. Christen Carducci has done the same in the 3,000-meter run.
Jamie Thomas (Blue Island) has provisionally qualified in the triple jump, 100- meter hurdles, and the 400-meter hurdles. Valerie Simmons (St. Louis) and Jenny Jaquez (Aurora) are also provisionally qualified in the 400-meter hurdles.
Mary Witte (Normal) and Carrie Carducci (Powell, Ohio) are both on the provisional qualifying list in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Callie Glover (Bartlett) is a provisional qualifier in the shot put.
The women's 4x100-meter relay team and the 4x400-meter relay team have both provisionally qualified, as well.
On the men's side, five athletes have claimed provisional qualifying marks. Richard Skirball (Granite City) lowered his 800-meter provisional qualifying time in the 800-meter run. Cody Ellermeyer (DuQuoin) also posted a provisional qualifying time in the same event.
Brian Taghon (East Moline) has provisionally qualified in the 1,500-meter run, and Ryan Boyll has done so in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Phil Freimuth (Effingham) has also posted a provisional qualifying mark in the javelin.
Following the GLVC Championship, the Cougars will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA II Championships, which will be held May 27-29 in Pomona, Calif.
Baseball's Ohlau, Jones Tabbed All-GLVC
Junior first baseman Craig Ohlau (Chester) and junior pitcher Ron Jones (Kankakee) were honored last week by the Great Lakes Valley Conference as All-GLVC performers.
Ohlau was named to the first team after leading SIUE's offense in several categories. He led the team with a .331 batting average and posted team highs in hits (59), doubles (13) and RBI (38).
"Craig was the anchor of our lineup," Collins said. "Also, his numbers against conference teams was real impressive."
Jones was named second team All-GLVC despite joining the Cougars late because of his basketball commitment. He led the team with six wins and a 1.42 earned run average.
"Ron could have been on the first team if he threw more innings," Collins said. "He was our best pitcher down the stretch."
Softball Recognizes Three All-Region Honors
Three SIUE softball players have been named to the Great Lakes All-Region team, as announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Alicia DeShasier (Carrollton) and Jenny Esker (Steeleville) were both named to the first team. Shannon Evans (Manhattan) was named to the second team.
"We play in a tough region, so to receive this award is a real honor," Coach Sandy Montgomery said. "All three have contributed significantly in many of our wins."
DeShasier was named to the first team as a utility player. This season, she has played second base, third base, and right field. She led the Cougars with 17 doubles and hit .324 on the season.
Esker, who played left field for the Cougars, led everyday players with a .358 batting average. She led the team in hits (59), home runs (8), and RBI (36).
Evans, a catcher, hit .287 for the Cougars and drove in 31 runs on the year. She did not commit an error in 51 games behind the plate.
Melissa Lindgren was named to the All-Tournament team for her play at last weekend's Great Lakes Region Tournament in Highland Hts., Ky. Lindgren posted four hits and two RBI for the Cougars, who dropped games against West Virginia Wesleyan and Grand Valley State to end their season.
Game Ball
The game ball for the first All Star game at the SIUE Rec Plex-across from the Early Childhood Center and the SIUE tennis courts-was "floated" in by members of the SIUE Cougar Skydiving Club for the new facility's dedication recently. Shown here are Narbeth Emmanuel, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, and Sara Guarino, president of the SIUE Student Body, who are receiving the ball from Kevin Hill, president of the Cougar Skydivers. Guarino then threw the first pitch to Emmanuel and the All-Star Game was under way. It featured a "select" group of faculty, staff, and students. The Black Cats, coached by School of Education Dean Elliott Lessen, beat the Red Zone, coached by Campus Recreation Director Mick Ostrander, 8-7. It was the first game played on the new lighted field at the Rec Plex. (SIUE Photo)
EHS Robotics Team Claims Midwest Championship
It's a lesson in problem solving, although it looks like more fun than the description may sound. At its most basic level, it's pingpong balls and a robot kit.
It's officially called Botball, a competition in which teams of high school students build and program their robots to grab the items they get points for and discard or avoid the items for which they get nothing. After winning the Midwest Regional Competition in Terre Haute, Ind., a team from Edwardsville High School will head to the nationals, being held in San Jose, Calif, July 26-29.
The team lost in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, then won eight straight times to take the title.
The competition begins with a kit the teams must assemble, applying what they've learned in a wide range of classroom settings. "We take a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching robotics," said Jerry Weinberg, associate professor of Computer Science. Weinberg uses robotics as a means of teaching SIUE students majoring in different aspects of engineering to communicate better with each other and improve their problem-solving skills.
The Botball collaboration with Edwardsville High School grew out of the School of Engineering's annual Robotics Competition. Weinberg and EHS Math teacher Scott Hagin will accompany their team to San Jose. They will spend the next few weeks getting their team ready and raising funds from the trip.
Team members include: Kush Patel, John Meehan, Matt Schweiker, and Mike Behum. "(Robot building) allows the students to apply all they have learned in math, logic, physics, and other classes," Hagin said. "They will be better problem-solvers, because they will understand better how to think across disciplines."
Aside from teaching a cross-disciplinary approach, Weinberg said robotics brings one other advantage to the classroom. "With robotics, students can see the immediate results of their work," he said. "They design, build and program their robot. Then they put it on the obstacle course and see how it performs."
Second Class Of 'Dean's Dozen' Announced
Elliott Lessen, dean of the School of Education, has announced the second class of "Dean's Dozen" members.
Members of the second Dean's Dozen class, a select group of undergraduate students representing the five departments in the School of Education, are: Chris Brown of Shiloh, Heather Dale of Forsyth, Margaret Eccher of Mount Olive, Christopher Gentry of Bethalto, April Logan of Godfrey, Jennifer Moehrs of Waterloo, Jill Moennig of Brussels, Leslie McGuire of Farina, Lindsey Pembrook of Bunker Hill, Anne Schomber of Belleville, Andrea Streckfuss of Granite City, and Mary E. Witte of Normal.
The Dean's Dozen will serve as student representatives on behalf of the school, with on-going responsibilities that include assisting with recruitment and retention of students and faculty, representing the school at various campus functions, providing peer mentoring, and serving as ambassadors of goodwill for the School of Education.
The students were chosen from a substantial number of applicants by a selection committee comprised of undergraduate program directors from each department within the School. Associate Dean Lela DeToye said, "the entire selection process was difficult as all of the applicants showed genuine interest and a variety of strengths."
Remini, Baricevic Honored At May 8 SIUE Commencement
Robert Vincent Remini, a history professor emeritus at the University of Illinois-Chicago and official historian for that campus, received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during SIUE's recent commencement exercises. In addition, John Baricevic, chairman of the St. Clair County Board for the past 14 years, received a Distinguished Service Award.
Distinguished Service Awards have been given for more than 35 years at SIUE to those who have performed outstanding or unusual service to the university, the region, or the state. Honorary degrees have been awarded for more than 40 years to those who have made significant contributions to cultural, educational, scientific, economic, social, or humanitarian fields, or other worthy fields of endeavor.
Remini is regarded as America's premier historian of the Jacksonian political era and of Andrew Jackson himself. In addition to his definitive works on Jackson, Remini, an award-winning author, has written biographies of John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Martin Van Buren, and Daniel Webster. A member of the faculty at the U of I-Chicago since its inception in 1965, Remini earned a bachelor's at Fordham University and went on to receive a master's and a doctorate from Columbia University.
After earning a juris doctor from SIUC, Baricevic served as the St. Clair County state's attorney from 1980-1990 and was named county board chairman in 1990. He is retiring this year from the board. Baricevic also is in private practice specializing in family law, criminal law, and personal injury litigation.
Baricevic has been instrumental in promoting regionalism in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area, investing enormous amounts of time energy in a variety of projects to insure that the interests and welfare of Metro-East residents-one-quarter of the St. Louis region's population-will be provided for in planning decisions regarding the wider metropolitan area.
Grease Kicks Off Summer ShowBiz 2004 At Dunham
On June 10 the Department of Theater and Dance will take audiences back to the time of duck tails, pony tails, and saddle shoes with the Summer ShowBiz 2004 production of Grease. The show is part of the SummerArts 2004 program.
Set in 1959, Grease tells the story of what happens to "summer love" between Danny and Sandy at Rydell High. Originally penned as a satire on the music and morals of the 1950s, Grease has continued to be a long-time musical hit from the Broadway stage.
Director Peter Cocuzza, an associate professor of theater and dance, says the stage version of Grease is very different from the 1978 film of the same name starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. "About half the songs in the movie were not in the play and the music had more of a '60s, '70s type of sound," Cocuzza explains. "The music in the stage version is more 'doo-wop.' "
Grease was first produced on the SIUE stage in 1990 and the current Summer Showbiz production has turned out to be a walk down memory lane in more ways than one for Professor C. Otis Sweezey. As costume designer for the current production and set designer for the previous, Sweezey knew where to start his research for the designs-his days as a high school student on Long Island in Freeport, N.Y. "I got out my old yearbook, not quite '59, and there was a lot of nostalgia for me," Sweezey said.
"They were all there-the cheerleaders, the good looking kids, and the nerds." And the two main groups from the play were there, too, Sweezey said. "The greasers, the gang type guys, the pink ladies, and the rebel girls."
Those were the days when everybody wore "big hair." And the 25-member cast will be wearing it along with penny loafers, bobby socks, and poodle skirts. "It's going to be a traditional production of the play," Cocuzza says, "but we're going to put our stamp on the set."
Cocuzza said the "greased lightnin' " car has been found and the search is on for "local connections, photos to help localize the set from the '50s in Edwardsville," he explained. "And, we're going to use video projection to help out scenically."
The set designer for this production is Roger Speidel, an instructor in the department. He'll also be onstage singing one of the most memorable songs from the play, Teen Angel.
Grease will run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 10-12, and June 17-19, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 13 and 20. For more information or to order tickets, call (618) 650-2774, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2774. SummerArts 2004 is presented by the SIUE College of Art & Sciences.
SIUE Student From Belleville Receives James Scholarship
Anne Schomber of Belleville, a senior studying Kinesiology and Health Education, is the first recipient of the Cpl. Evan T. James Memorial Scholarship, to be given annually through the School of Education.
The scholarship was created by the parents of U.S. Marine Cpl. Evan James, Mike and Donna James of LaHarpe. Evan James was a former SIUE student who drowned in a canal during the fighting in Iraq in March 2003. James served with the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, based in Peoria. He was studying Kinesiology at SIUE when he was deployed overseas.
Schomber, who is working toward a bachelor of science in Kinesiology, is an enthusiastic participant in fitness and wellness activities, competing in several running races in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Teachers say Schomber is an articulate student, who is well prepared for classes and genuinely interested in her education.
A member of the SIUE Kinesiology Student Association, Schomber has participated in fitness testing for the Highland School District and SIUE's two annual fitness activities-Fall for Fitness Day and Valentine's Fitness Day.
During the past year, she has been employed by SIUE's Student Fitness Center as a weight room attendant. Schomber assists SIUE students, faculty, staff, and alumni Fitness Center members in developing exercise programs.
The $500 scholarship is to be given annually to an SIUE undergraduate studying Kinesiology and who possesses traits that James aspired to, including: commitment to fitness and wellness and enjoyment of outdoor adventure experiences. Nominations come from faculty in the SIUE Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, with winners determined by the department's executive committee.
Curriculum Changes, Outreach Fuel SIUE Nursing School's Growth
The smell of paint and the occasional knocking of hammers blends with the voices of students huddled in available conference rooms. Marcia Maurer, dean of the School of Nursing, sometimes winces, sometimes smiles at the evidence of progress.
In less than a year under Maurer, the School of Nursing has begun to revamp its curriculum, remodel its offices, and increase its presence in the communities it serves.
"There are exciting changes taking place in the nursing profession," Maurer said during a break from a graduate faculty retreat. "The SIUE School of Nursing is taking steps to be at the forefront of those changes in terms of the kind of education we provide to nurses entering the field, nurses looking to complete their bachelor's, and nurses needing a certificate or master's program in anticipation of entry into some of the new career opportunities that are developing for nursing professionals."
The school has begun to offer nurse management certificate programs designed to benefit nurses who aspire to management positions, and nurse managers who wish to enhance their management skills. An accelerated bachelor's program is awaiting final approval and could begin in Fall 2005. The Springfield program will expand, with four master's majors being added. The undergraduate curriculum is undergoing a change, shifting from what Maurer calls a "medical model" to a "nursing model."
"Under our new approach, there will be less lecturing and more active student participation," Maurer said. "Students will be more accountable for their own education. It will be more of a case study and discussion style of learning."
To accommodate the shift, a new staff person will be hired to coordinate patient simulator learning. The patient simulators are computerized mannequins designed to mimic illness and injury, and respond to treatment by a nurse. Also, a pilot program will begin in the fall, in which nursing students will receive Palm Pilots that will be used to track assignments. And, to distinguish the school and its students, the SIUE School of Nursing has adopted new student uniforms and a new slogan, "The nursing gem of Southern Illinois."
The school also began a new recruiting campaign last year that has resulted in one of the largest spring semester (2004) enrollments in the last five years. "Everyone knows there is a national nursing shortage," said Maurer, who served as associate dean in Nursing and director of Graduate Programs at Loyola University in Chicago before coming to SIUE. "It's not enough for schools of Nursing to simply graduate more nurses. We have to look at the future, to examine and understand what the role of the nurse in patient care is going to be."
The SIUE School of Nursing offers programs throughout the central and southern portions of the state, including the newest facility in Springfield. Maurer said she and the staff and faculty of the school are also creating new clinical partnerships in the Springfield area. "We're there for the long term," she said.
The outreach effort in Springfield is part of a comprehensive strategy to address the nursing shortage. "One of the reasons we have a shortage is that the perception of a career in nursing has changed," she said. "For a variety of reasons, nursing fell out of favor as a career. That's changing. A lot of people don't realize how rewarding nursing can be, both personally and professionally. Obviously, from a personal standpoint, helping other people has its own rewards.
"But, what is sometimes lost in the discussion is that lots of nursing jobs are available right now, where the economy has caused layoffs and stagnation in other professions. Also, several recent studies show nursing careers rank favorably on the list of salaries for new graduates."
The school works with more than 300 clinical agencies, collaborating with rural, suburban, and urban health-care providers to help meet the health care needs of the region. SIUE was the first nursing school in the region-and one of the first in the country-to use human patient simulators as teaching tools.
"We like to think we're on the front line," Maurer said. "Our goal is to not only keep our curriculum and our technology current, but to continue to look for ways to be on the forefront of education … to keep our faculty and students on the leading edge of the learning curve."
Pride: Illinois supporters of SIUE can show their pride with SIUE license plates, now available through the secretary of state's office. The license plates carry the SIUE Cougar logo. The cost for a plate is $118 for the first year, and $105 for each year thereafter; $25 from each plate purchase goes to the SIUE Alumni Association Legacy scholarship fund. The typical cost of a renewal is $78. Anyone who wants a plate can apply right away or as current plates expire; if you're purchasing a new car, your dealership can apply for you on a first-time registration. Collegiate plate numbers are assigned as applications are received. Vanity or personalized plates are not available. For more information, contact the Secretary of State's office, special plates division at 217-785-5215, or your local Secretary of State facility. (SIUE Photo)
Television Workshop Set For June 14-25 At SIUE
When students meet for the first day of the Television Production Workshop at SIUE, they may see a familiar face. Their instructor will be Professor Riley Maynard of the Department of Mass Communications and he has nearly as much experience in front of the camera as he does behind it.
The workshop, part of SIUE's SummerArts 2004 program, is open to high school students and runs from noon to 3 p.m. June 14-25. Maynard, who has 34 years of experience producing news and corporate videos, said students in the workshop will produce newscasts and create commercials.
Even with all of his production credits, Maynard's work in front of the camera as a performer in commercials is what makes him more recognizable. With more than 200 commercials and ads to his credit, Maynard has honed his craft as a performer. His most recent commercials are one for Hardee's restaurants ("I didn't get to eat the hamburger like Mark McGwire"), and one hawking bobblehead dolls for the St. Louis Rams football team.
"I've done dog food ads and a lot of beer ads," Maynard said. "I've done just about all of the Anheuser-Busch beer products … AB commercials are always classy, high budget productions," he explains. "In the dog food ad, the dog had the speaking role. He had a better agent," Maynard says with a laugh.
Maynard's first on-camera role was in a corporate video for Anheuser-Busch Sea World. "I played a truck driver and a tour was going through the brewery. A little boy said 'who are those people?' And his mother said: 'they're actors.' And he said: 'cool.' "
But it hasn't all been "cool." Another AB commercial depicted Maynard standing in a cornfield in August playing a farmer. "The light wasn't just right so they brought out these (electric) lights and they cooked me," he recalls.
Not all of his work has been in commercials. "I was the cover boy for Angelica Uniform Company. I was on the cover of the catalogue modeling a bright orange jumpsuit known as 'correctional facility apparel.' That was the funniest ad I ever did," he said.
Maynard said one of the worst assignments he's ever had was when he was asked to say: Call Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 1-800-…-…, plus a tag line, all in five seconds. "I felt like a Vegematic salesman," he recalls.
His 23-year career at SIUE began with the intent to stay a year. "I came here on a one-year contract to replace (now Emeritus) Professor Jack Shaheen when he left to go on a Fulbright Scholarship. I never left except when I went on my own Fulbright," he says.
Even though he is an educator, actor, producer, and instructor for SIUE's Television Production Workshop, Maynard isn't looking for accolades. "I'm not a renaissance man … more a victim of circumstance."
For more information about the Television Production Workshop, call (618) 650-2245. or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2774. SummerArts 2004 is part of the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences.