(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Guest speakers will be on hand during classes to discuss with students various topics focusing on global business practices during International Business Week from April 4-8, sponsored by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business.
Speakers will discuss various aspects of global business, including insights into cultural practices and ethical issues, as well as what SIUE students can do to become more appealing and useful in the global market.
The speakers include Mike McNamara, senior vice president of Consumer Sales, the Roho Group; Chris Castro, customer service, Cablofil Inc.; Stewart Dahlberg, international sales manager, JD Streett; and Zhongjie Gu, manager of design engineering, Tri-onics Inc.
“As the business environment becomes increasingly global, students require experience and education in international business,” explains Gary Giamartino, dean of the School. “International Business Week events give students the opportunity to learn more about international issues and to meet regional business leaders in the community.”
Students and faculty also will have the opportunity to discuss international business and ethics with Fernando G. Aguirre, president and CEO of Chiquita Brands International, Inc. and a 1980 graduate of the SIUE School of Business. He will be the featured speaker at the 7:30 a.m. breakfast meeting on Friday, April 8, in the SIUE Morris University Center. Aguirre earned a bachelor of science in Business Administration.
The SIUE School of Business is an active participant in international exchange programs, sending SIUE faculty and students each year to its exchange partners in France, Germany, Mexico, and China.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Friends of the Religious Center (FRC), a support group for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Religious Center, is sponsoring the Third Annual A Celebration of World Faiths from 7-9 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the domed center, located between the Morris University Center and the Art and Design Building.
Spiritual leaders and groups from Christian and non-Christian traditions will share music, scripture, prayer, and information about their faiths. The goal is an evening of learning and fellowship, and an opportunity to tell visitors more about the Friends of the Religious Center. The support group is dedicated to preserving the center as the place on campus for serving the spiritual needs of SIUE students, as well as preserving its architectural importance.
“The FRC board of directors is made up of about a dozen members of the university community and the surrounding community at-large,” said Greg Fields, an associate professor of Philosophy at the University and FRC board chair. “Also included in the group are the three ministerial directors headquartered at the center. We all share an interest in the structure for its programming available to the university community and for its architectural significance.”
Admission is free to the April 16 event, but donations will be accepted. Refreshments with ethnic themes will be served, and all are welcome.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The men’s and women’s Cougar basketball teams at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville join forces in an attempt to capture their first win in four years against the Confluence Center Coast team, a professional wheelchair basketball team, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13.
The Office of Disability Support Services at SIUE will be sponsoring the 4th Annual “Celebrating Abilities” Wheelchair Basketball Game at SIUE’s Vadalabene Center. The event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 5 p.m.
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) formed in 1948 and now has become the world’s largest and oldest disability sport organization. Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., and with 185 teams, the NWBA is the national governing body for men’s, women’s, collegiate, and youth wheelchair basketball in the United States.
The April 13 game will include free audience drawings for an X Box, restaurant gift certificates, theater tickets to the Fox Theatre, and to concerts at the UMB Bank Pavilion, among other prizes. Free soda and popcorn will be available for attendees and the SIUE cheerleaders will be performing for audience enjoyment. Before the game, the basketball players will participate in an autograph session and the Southern Stars Dancers will be dancing with junior poms from the Edwardsville area.
"Celebrating Abilities" is an event intended to raise awareness of the athletic talent of people with disabilities. For more information, contact Jim Boyle, (618) 650-2568.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Wheelchair racers, runners and walkers will be winding through the historical neighborhoods of Edwardsville as part of the 4th Annual “Celebrating Abilities” 5K Race: Roll/Run/Walk beginning at 7:55 a.m. Sunday, April 17. SIUE Disability Support Services and the track team at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will be sponsoring the race.
All proceeds from the race will benefit New Horizons, the SIUE organization for students with disabilities, and the SIUE Track and Cross Country teams.
The race will begin with the wheelchair racers; runners and walkers will start at 8 a.m. The race will begin and end at the Madison County Transit Center, North Main Street and Hillsboro Avenue, in downtown Edwardsville.
Registration is $10; SIUE students, $5, if postmarked before April 14. Late entries are $15; SIUE students, $10.
All racers will receive a T-shirt, a packet of materials, and snacks. In addition, participants will be invited to attend an awards ceremony immediately following the race. Awards are given to the overall winners; medals will be awarded to wheelchair racers and the runners in each of the 13 age divisions.
For more information or to register for the race, contact Shirley Lodes, (618) 650-3726, or visit the Web site: www.siue.edu/ DSS/upevents.html.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Music by The Bucket Boys and Trixie Delight will highlight the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville “Party in the Park,” scheduled from 6-11:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, in the Edwardsville City Park. The free event is sponsored by the SIUE Campus Activities Board.
The party is among three events the University sponsors in downtown Edwardsville. In the fall, SIUE sponsors the Welcome Back Block Party as part of Welcome Week, which takes place next to the Madison County Courthouse at the start of the school year, and, later, the International Fair, featuring ethnic food and entertainment, also in City Park.
Campus Activities Board Co-Traditions Chair Schalene Houston said she is excited about the “high energy acts” that will appear at Party in the Park. “The Bucket Boys are a hip-hop percussive duo from Chicago,” Houston said, “while Trixie Delight is a very popular cover band from the St. Louis area.” The Bucket Boys have been compared to STOMP and Trixie Delight covers hits from the ‘60s to today’s hits, Houston said.
Other activities at the party will include children’s activities, free inflatable games, food booths sponsored by SIUE student organizations, and a beer truck sponsored by the Edwardsville Jaycees.
SIUE Party in the Park is in conjunction with the SIUE campus tradition, Springfest. For a full list of Springfest events or more information on the April 15 event, contact Schalene Houston, by email: cab@siue.edu, or by telephone: (618) 650-2686. More information may also be found at the Web site: www.siue.edu/CAB.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Thomas Jordan, assistant professor of Historical Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is recipient of the 2005 SIUE Teaching Excellence Award. The award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an SIUE faculty member.
Jordan will receive a $2,000 award at SIUE’s Honors Convocation on April 17, and a plaque of recognition at the May 7 spring commencement. The committee also awarded Teaching Recognition Awards to Kathy Ketchum, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, Jo Ellen Moore, an assistant professor in Computer Management and Information Systems, and to Frederic Leveziel, an instructor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. Each will receive a $500 award at the convocation.
Nominees were considered by members of a university-wide committee which made the final selections. Committee members said they were impressed by Jordan’s ability to “formulate relationships between historical facts and world events.” In his well-structured classes, they wrote, “he employs a wide variety of media to more fully present diverse perspectives.
While his classes are rigorous, he is able to put students at ease through clear and thoughtful responses to their questions. Jordan, who joined the SIUE faculty in 2000, earned a bachelor’s at Trinity College and a master’s and a doctorate at the University of Illinois.
Ketchum, in her ninth year of teaching at SIUE, earned a bachelor of science in Nursing at the University of Illinois–Chicago, a master of science at SIUE, and a doctorate at Saint Louis University. Committee members said they were impressed with “her obvious enjoyment of teaching and her immense knowledge and skills in conveying that knowledge.” Members also noted her ability to incorporate many different types of learning activities into her courses.
Committee members said they were very impressed with the connection that Moore has with her students. Since joining the SIUE faculty in 1997, Moore has employed innovative techniques and unique projects to enhance her classes. Students “consistently praise her teaching skills and her ability to ready them for a career after graduation.” Moore earned a bachelor’s at Indiana University, a master of science at Illinois State University, and a doctorate at Millikin University
Leveziel has been a Spanish and French instructor at SIUE since 1999. He also is the director of the Foreign Language Training Center. He earned a bachelor’s at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain and a master’s at Washington University in St. Louis. He is completing a doctorate in Modern Languages at Middlebury College. Leveziel impressed committee members with his rapport with students.
While he conducts classes in Spanish, Leveziel will switch to English if a student is obviously unable to understand what is being said. He encourages students to share experiences from trips they have taken to Spanish-speaking countries and he incorporates these experiences into class teachings.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The installation of Vaughn Vandegrift as the seventh chancellor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will be held April 4-8 on campus.
The five values of SIUE—Citizenship, Excellence, Integrity, Openness, and Wisdom—have been chosen by the Chancellor as the theme for his Installation Week events. The public is invited to attend the following events:
April 4-8
Student & Faculty Art Exhibits, Art & Design Building
Monday, April 4
Forum on the University in a Changing World, the university’s role in healing an increasingly violent and divided world, 12-1:30 pm, Morris University Center
Coffee Concert, “A Musical Potpourri,” musical performances by members of the SIUE music faculty, 7:30 pm, Morris University Center. General admission, $10; seniors, $9; students, $5. Tickets are available at the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774.
Tuesday, April 5
Open House, East St. Louis Center, 10 am-2 pm. Van service will be available between the main campus and East St. Louis.
Panel Discussion on "Student Civility and Professionalism," School of Business/Student Affairs, 10-11:30 pm, Morris University Center
Public Lecture, Diane Banks, textile artist, assistant professor at University of Central Florida, Orlando, 12-1 pm, Art & Design Building Atrium
Mass Communications Symposium on The Media, Ethics, and a Democratic Society, Lee Artz, Purdue University Calumet, speaks on "Media and Power in the Iraq War," 1-3 pm, Morris University Center
Tuesday, April 5, continued
Dental Research Day: "Oral Health Clinical Research: What Is It and Who Cares?" Bruce Pihlstrom, D.D.S., M.S., 1:15-2 pm, School of Dental Medicine, Building 280. Van service will be available between the main campus and the School of Dental Medicine.
Environmental Stewardship, SIUE’s achievements and challenges, 3-4 pm, Morris University Center
Tour of National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, 4-5 pm, 400 University Park Drive, University Park
Exhibit, Kimberlie Moy, One Journey, 5-7 pm, Art & Design Building
Wednesday, April 6
College of Arts & Sciences Colloquium, “Thinking about Masculinity,” concurrent sessions, 9 am-noon; 12:30-5 pm; 7-9 pm; Morris University Center
Dialogue with Senior Citizens, SIUE Past, Present and Future, David Sill, Associate Provost, 1-3 pm, Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
Rez Art Exhibit, artists’ reception and awards, 4:30-6 pm, Bluff Hall
College of Arts & Sciences Keynote Address, Professor Don Conway-Long, Webster University, 5-6 pm, Morris University Center
Thursday, April 7
College of Arts & Sciences Colloquium, “Thinking about Masculinity,” final session, 9-11 am, Morris University Center
Authors’ Exhibit, featuring publications by SIUE faculty, 11 am-5 pm, Morris University Center
Graduate Student Research Presentations, 1:30-4 pm, Morris University Center
Friday, April 8
Presidential/Chancellor’s Scholars Symposium, 10-11:30 am, Morris University Center
The Installation Ceremony, “Celebrating Our Place, Keeping Our Compact,” 2-3:30 pm, Morris University Center
Reception and Dance Performance, East St. Louis Center for Performing Arts Company, 3:30-4:30 pm, Morris University Center
•Who: SIU School of Dental Medicine Dean Ann Boyle, SIUE Chancellor VaughnVandegrift, and SIUE Provost Sharon Hahs, as well as other local legislators and area leaders
• What: Groundbreaking for Advanced Care Wing at the SIU School of Dental Medicine Main Clinic
• When: 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 29, 2005
• Where: On the steps of the SIU/SDM Science Building (Bldg. 279), near the Main Clinic, off College Avenue in Alton
The SIUE School of Dental Medicine (SIU/SDM) will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony for its $2.6 million Advanced Care Wing of the Main Clinic on the Alton campus, 2800 College Ave., Alton. The clinic addition will add about 6,000 square feet to the clinic, providing space for 24 new clinical “operatories” and a new classroom.
The additional space will allow the SIU/SDM to consolidate teaching of general dentistry and specialty disciplines, including periodontic, endodontic, and pediatric dentistry, among others. In fact, a prominent feature of the new addition will be the pediatric dentistry bay, which will house four operatories dedicated to pediatric dentistry and separated from the Main Clinic area by an acoustically insulated, glass enclosure.
Parking is available by turning onto Annex Street, off of College, where attendants will be on hand to direct vehicles to parking.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Friends of the Religious Center (FRC) continues its Series on World Faiths with a March 30 program that features a resident imam (prayer leader) from the Islamic Society of Mobile, Ala.
The event, scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 30, at the SIUE Religious Center, will present Shaykh Ghassan al Barqawi, who will speak about “The Daily and Lifetime Commitments of a Muslim.” The event is co-sponsored by the SIUE Muslim Student Association.
The FRC’s Series on World Faiths offers free daytime and evening programs in which all are welcome to participate and learn about world beliefs and practices. The FRC is a support organization dedicated to preserving the Religious Center as an architectural treasure designed by the renowned visionary, R. Buckminster Fuller. The FRC also works to cultivate interfaith understanding and good will on campus and in surrounding communities, and to expand programming offered at the Religious Center.
For further information about the March 30 series event, contact SIUE Associate Philosophy Professor Greg Fields, by telephone, (618) 650-2461, or by e-mail: gfields@siue.edu.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Edwardsville High School Computer Team, in collaboration with the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering, will conduct a two-day Robotics Camp for middle school students from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 16 and 23, at the SIUE Engineering Building.
The robotics camp is limited to the first 24 students who return a completed application. The focus of the camp is to introduce robotics to students who will receive a hands-on experience in designing, constructing, and competing with robots. Cost for the camp is $50 per person.
Please contact Scott Hagin through e-mail: ash56@sbcglobal.net or by telephone: (618) 656-7100, Ext 20886, for further information and a registration form. The proceeds from the camp support the EHS Robotics Team’s participation in a national robotics competition called “Botball” (www.botball.org).
Additional details include:
• Campers will work with high school students to design, build, and program a robot to compete in a Mars mission task.
• The camp will be staffed by SIUE School of Engineering, EHS math teachers and EHS computer team students.
• Parents of participants will be required to provide transportation to and from the camp.
• An application form is available on line: www.ecusd7.org/ehs/ehsstaff/shagin/botball/campreg.doc
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Existentialist French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre will be the focus of the 30th Annual Fritz Marti Lecture on Thursday, March 31, at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Thomas R. Flynn, professor of Philosophy at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., will speak about “Jean-Paul Sartre: A Man of the Nineteenth Century Addressing the Twenty-First?” at 5 p.m. in the Events Room of SIUE’s B. Barnard Birger Hall. A reception is scheduled from 4-5 p.m. that day in the same location.
Flynn’s lecture will focus on how Sartre’s existentialism and Marxism are relevant to life in current society. Flynn’s focus also concerns his continuing research on an existentialist theory of history and a post-structuralist approach to history.
Author of Sartre and Marxist Existentialism: The Test Case of Collective Responsibility (Chicago 1986) and Sartre, Foucault, and Historical Reason (Vol. 1): Toward an Existentialist Theory of History (Chicago 1997), Flynn’s research centers on contemporary continental (especially French) philosophy, aesthetics, social and political philosophy, and the theory of responsibility.
Flynn, who earned a doctorate at Columbia University in 1970, has earned several fellowships and honors, incuding review editor of the international philosophical quarterly, Man and World (1978-97), ACLS Senior Research Fellow (1984-85); Mellon Fellow, National Humanities Center (1991-92); and National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study (1998-99).
The Marti lecture was established in spring 1976 to honor the memory of Philosophical Studies Emeritus Professor Fritz Marti, who taught at SIUE from 1966 to 1973.
For more information about the March 30 lecture, call the SIUE Department of Philosophy, (618) 650-2250.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Good music, dancing, and gourmet food and wine—as well as a fully-staged production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury—are some of the highlights to be offered at “A Spring Music Gala,” presented April 9 by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Music and the Friends of Music, a support organization for the department. Deadline for reservations is April 1.
The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. in Meridian Ballroom, on the first floor of SIUE’s Morris University Center. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Music Scholarship Fund.
In addition to the Gilbert and Sullivan piece, the evening also features music for listening and dancing until 11 p.m. Attire for the evening is “black tie optional.”
Jane Vest, president of the Friends group, said the Friends event is one of the largest fund-raisers the group conducts. “A Friends of Music event during spring has become a tradition in the St. Louis area,” Vest said. “The money raised through our annual event helps fund a large part of our scholarship program.
“These scholarships enable the Department of Music to recruit talented students who might otherwise not have an opportunity to attend SIUE.”
Tickets are $80 and are available in person at or by mailing a check or money order to the Office of Conferences and Institutes, Morris University Center, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1036. Credit card ticket purchases must be made through the SIUE Department of Music, (618) 650-3799.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Southern Illinois Construction Advancement Program (SICAP), a collaborative initiative conducted by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Schools of Business and Engineering, provided support for two minority contractors to attend the 2005 Construction Leadership Institute at SIUE.
The Construction Leadership Institute is a collaborative program developed by the Schools of Business and Engineering at SIUE to provide knowledge, framework and strategy that individuals need to lead in a challenging business environment in the construction industry.
The recipients are Bill Mason Jr., of Mason’s Landscaping in East St. Louis, and Pat Clark, of Clark Trucking Co., also in East St. Louis. In addition, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis provided support for several minority contractors. The recipients of the AGC support are David Spruiel, of BRK Electrical Contractors LLC in St. Louis (63108), and Lois Daniels-Ingrum, of L.D. Ingrum Gallery and Studio in St. Louis (63108).
SIUE’s SICAP initiative and the AGC have offered this assistance to promote the growth of underrepresented contractors in the St. Louis metropolitan area. SICAP was developed by an industry steering committee and include practitioners, industry experts and university faculty who can apply theory to practical problem-solving and decision-making skills.
The program focuses on managing risk factors of construction projects in order to maximize profitability and minimize costs. Participants learn key management strategies important to their futures as corporate leaders, including legal issues, human resource issues and financial issues; aligning the organization to identify new business opportunities; and anticipating and responding to future developments, including economic and workforce trends.
For information about the program, contact Mary Sumner, (618) 650-2093.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s International Trade Center (ITC) will present two seminars that will help entrepreneurs better navigate the rules and regulations governing international trade.
How To Make Exporting Easier and Profitable: Export Documentation will be offered from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in the Redbud-Oak Room on the second floor of SIUE’s Morris University Center. Changing Your Terms Of Sale Could Save You Money, an import seminar, will be offered from noon-5 p.m. the same day in the same location. The deadline for registration for either, or both, workshops is April 18.
From noon to 1 p.m., participants from each workshop are invited to attend a “networking luncheon” that is included in the seminars’ fees.
These two seminars will provide ideas for businesses to expand into the global marketplace, said Silvia Torres Bowman, ITC director for the SIUE School of Business. “These programs will provide instruction and networking on global importing and exporting,” Torres said. “We hope to uncover new resources to help businesses expand into the overseas markets.”
Ric Frantz, CEO and co-founder of LR International Inc., an international freight forwarding and consulting firm in Chicago, will conduct both seminars, which are designed to help business owners gain the basic understanding required to make better exporting decisions by exploring various methods to optimize competitiveness.
Frantz’s professional career spans several years as a banker, an export manager for a multinational corporation, and more than 25 years in logistics.
The morning export seminar will cover:
• Overview of the export process
• International trade terms (INCOTERMS)
• Export documents
• Working with freight forwarders and customs brokers
• Role of banks in international transactions
• International methods of payment
• Risk management
• Marine insurance
• Carrier liability
• Additional information
The afternoon import seminar will cover:
• Overview of the import process
• International trade terms (INCOTERMS)
• Interpreting foreign quotations
• Import documents
• Letters of credit
• Working with customs brokers
• Customs clearance
• Classification of goods
• Liquidation
• Customs Modernization Act
• Foreign trade zones (FTZs)
• Additional information
Participants are encouraged to register in advance; no registrations will be accepted at the door. Space is limited. The fee for each workshop is $70, which includes the networking lunch, parking, and a package of materials for future reference. Those attending both seminars will receive a $20 discount (total) on registration fees.
For more information, contact the ITC, (618) 650-3851, or (618) 650-2452, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 3851 or Ext. 2452, or, by e-mail: international-trade-center@siue.edu.
The Bluff Hall Multi-Function Room will be transformed into a maze of tunnels that will contain openings from which participants will be able to view other students portraying scenes and film clips, all depicting discrimination, homophobia, domestic violence, socio-economic oppression, to name a few. The tunnels produce feelings of claustrophobia to indicate how oppression can entrap humanity. The live actors are illuminated by stage lighting, lending an air of surrealism.
The same group which presented Box City on homeless awareness in November has created the "Tunnel of Oppression," The focus of the program is to display forms of oppression that happen in the college setting; however, the experience is very applicable throughout today's society.
Bluff Hall Council, the student government in the residence hall, is sponsoring the event along with University Housing and SIUE Counseling Services. This program is definitely for mature audiences only and is recommended for those 17 years of age and older.
For more information, contact Matt Crouse, Hall Director of Bluff Hall, by telephone, (618) 650-0579 or by e-mail: ccrouse@siue.edu.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Four Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Housing programs won awards at the Illinois State Resident Assistant Association (ISRAA) conference that recently took place on the SIUE campus.
The ISRAA was founded in 1984 at Northern Illinois University. It is a student-run organization dedicated to providing information, communication, recognition, and collaboration for RAs throughout the state of Illinois.
SIUE received Best Roll Call and School of the Year honors, while three SIUE resident assistants—Daniel Caveglia of Belleville and Kara White of Decatur, both from Cougar Village Apartments, and Katie Vogel of St. Louis from Bluff Hall—were recognized for being outstanding leaders.
Four SIUE programs and their coordinators also were recognized in the outstanding category—Lindsay Keppler, of Vandalia, for "Keppler's Challenge" in Prairie Hall; Kim Coomes, of Geneseo, for the Prairie Hall Coffeehouse; Brennen Stephenson, of Highland, for Rootbeer Kegger in Cougar Village; and Melissa Johnson, of Nokomis, for a "barbecue and washers" tournament at Cougar Village.
In addition, Ken Grcich, assistant director for Residence Life at Cougar Village, and Stephanie Weaver, residence director at Cougar Village, also were given Top 10 program honors for "Albatross," a program about sexism and self awareness.
Resident assistants from 13 colleges and universities throughout Illinois attended the conference at SIUE, where they took part in sessions about leadership, community building, and programming. "ISRAA is a great opportunity for resident assistants to enhance their leadership abilities as well as gain knowledge in the areas of housing and residential life," said Lisa Israel, SIUE's Prairie Hall director. "By taking part in ISRAA, the hopes are that RAs will learn new and innovative ways to build community."
The SIUE delegation included: Brian Benanti, of Springfield; Diana Gravatt, of Chatham; Carl B. Mitchell, of St. Louis; Zane Whitley, of Chatham; Alexis Laughhunn, of Gurnee; Angie Holmes, of Pawnee; Melissa Davis, of Highland; and Patrick Barud, of Decatur. They were advised by Brittania Galloway, an assistant residence director from Cougar Village.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Lois Wood, an attorney and executive director of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation Inc., will receive a Distinguished Service Award at the May 7 commencement exercises at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
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.
Wood's legal foundation, based in East St. Louis and Alton, has a strong record of advocacy for low-income residents of St. Clair and Monroe counties, as well as advocacy for elderly residents in a seven-county area. She has been successful in bringing numerous and individual class-action lawsuits about housing issues and representation of community groups in economic development matters.
As managing attorney of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Wood has helped thousands of clients with issues ranging from health care to housing. Last year, Wood received the National Legal Aid Defender Association's (NLADA) 2003 Kutak-Dodds Award, honoring her accomplishments in contributing "in a significant way to the enhancement of human dignity and quality of life."
The NLADA describes Wood as "a remarkable legal advocate to improve every aspect of her clients' lives; from health care, to housing, to education, to consumer rights, her dedication is unmistakable."
Graduation ceremonies continue at 1 p.m., at which graduate candidates from the Schools of Education and Nursing will receive their degrees, and at 5 p.m., at which candidates from the Schools of Business and Engineering will receive degrees.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees has awarded bids totaling some $1.02 million to four Metro East businesses for renovations of the SimmonsCooper Baseball Complex on the SIUE campus. The bids were awarded at the board's regular monthly meeting today at SIU Carbondale.
The current renovation project approved by the Board today is being made possible by a $1 million donation from attorney John Simmons, a member of the SIU Board of Trustees, and his law partner, Jeff Cooper. Because of the two attorneys' generosity, the SIU Board recently named the entire baseball complex in honor of their East Alton law firm. The current project will include renovation of the grandstand and press box, new field lighting, a new building for public restrooms and concessions, and a brick plaza.
Roy E. Lee Baseball Field is contained within the complex. Earlier improvements at Lee Field—including new dugouts, a locker room facility, nets behind home plate, and a warning track—were made possible by donations from Fernando Aguirre, Steve Davis, and current assistant baseball coach Steve Haug.
The bids approved today—totaling $1,016,114—were awarded to: Plocher Construction Co. Inc, Highland, for general contracting, $644,400; J.F. Electric Inc., Edwardsville, for electrical, $331,900; Bel-O Sales and Service Inc., Belleville, for plumbing, $29,250, and for ventilation, $10,564.
The overall budget also includes $50,806 in contingencies and $34,500 in architect and consultant fees, as well as $2,500 for soil and materials testing. The project is scheduled for completion by Sept. 1.
Because of the nature of this project and the source of funding, it is classified as a non-instructional capital improvement project. The Board of Trustees recommended it to the Illinois Board of Higher Education for review and approval, which was received Dec. 7.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Trusting our convictions and tolerance of others are themes of Ferdinand The Bull when A Season for the Child continues at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a staging of the family theater production at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 12, in SIUE's Katherine Dunham Hall theater.
A Season for the Child, sponsored by the SIUE Friends of Theater and Dance and TheBANK of Edwardsville, is in its 16th year of presenting family-oriented theater to Southern Illinois audiences. The series features professional theater troupes from St. Louis that stage adaptations of various children's stories, using interactive techniques that not only delight children and parents, but also provide a learning experience.
Ferdinand The Bull will be staged by the Imaginary Theatre Company, the traveling arm of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
A musical adaptation of Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand, this delightful play tells the story of a bull who would rather sniff flowers than stomp and snort. Meanwhile, the duke's son, Danilo, would rather dance than become the famous matador that his father wants him to be.
Between the manipulations of the Duke and Ferdinand's friend, Cochina the pig, they find themselves facing each other in the bullfight ring. "To your own self be true" sings out from this lively and humorous musical.
Tickets are $5 per person and may be obtained through the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774. Proceeds from the series benefit FOTAD's scholarship fund for theater and dance majors at the university.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) The 29th Annual William J. Probst Memorial Lecture will be presented by Nobel Prize-winner Robert F. Curl-the Kenneth S. Pitzer-Schlumberger Professor of Natural Sciences, University Professor, and Professor of Chemistry at Rice University-at 7 p.m. Monday, March 21, in Meridian Ballroom, on the first floor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Morris University Center.
The annual lecture is sponsored by the SIUE Department of Chemistry and the SIUE Chemistry Club. Curl will speak about "The Discovery of the Fullerenes and the New World of Carbon Chemistry," regarding the 1986 discovery of a new form of carbon, leading to an entirely new field of materials development research.
Among the proposed applications for fullerenes include pharmaceutical-related uses. "Nanotubes, which are stretched fullerenes, are incredibly strong and can be both insulators and conductors," said Assistant Professor Susan Wiediger, a member of the SIUE Chemistry faculty, coordinator of the Probst Lecture, and advisor to the SIUE Chemistry Club.
"Curl's discovery has lead to new uses for nanotubes as sensors and biomarkers," Wiediger said, "particularly in molecular detection using infrared light and providing greater tissue penetration."
As a result of his research, Curl was a recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Richard Smalley and Sir Harry Kroto. "We are excited by the prospect of our students interacting with an internationally recognized scientist," she said.
In addition to his lecture the evening of March 21, Curl will attend a student research symposium at 3:30 that afternoon, also in Meridian Ballroom. He also will speak that day to Chemistry faculty about "Trace gas monitoring with infrared lasers" at 2 p.m. in Room 1105 of SIUE's Science Building.
Born in Texas, Curl completed a bachelor's at Rice in 1954 and went on to earn a doctorate in Chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley three years later. After a year as a research fellow at Harvard, Curl joined the Chemistry faculty at Rice. He was named a University Professor in 2003, a position held previously there by only five faculty members .
Curl has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Clayton Prize from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in 1957, the Alexander Von Humboldt Senior U.S. Scientist Award in 1984, the Johannes Marcus Marci Award in Spectroscopy in 1998, and the University of Bochum Research Prize in 2004. The Nobel Prize was awarded in 1996 for discovering fullerenes in 1986 along with Smalley and Kroto.
The lecture series is funded in part by: the Sigma-Aldrich Corp., the SIUE Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences, the SIUE School of Graduate Studies and Research, and the SIUE Department of Chemistry.
The Probst Lecture was established to honor the late Professor William Probst who taught organic chemistry at SIUE for nearly 20 years before his death in 1975. The lectures and seminars are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Department of Chemistry. (618) 650-2042.
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Li-Young Lee, called one of the finest young poets alive by The American Poetry Review, will read from his poetry at 7 p.m. Monday, March 21, in the Hickory-Hackberry Room, on the second floor of the Morris University Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
The poet also will read from his memoirs and discuss memoir writing from 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Edwardsville Public Library. Lee's two-day visit is being sponsored by the SIUE Department of English Language and Literature.
Literary critics have said Lee is deeply spiritual, but very human and open to his listeners. His most recent book of poetry, Book of My Nights (BOA Editions, 2001), is his third. His earlier works are Rose (BOA, 1986), winner of the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award from New York University; The City in Which I Love You (1991), the 1990 Lamont Poetry Selection; and a memoir, The Winged Seed: A Remembrance (Simon and Schuster, 1995), which received an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.
Lee's honors include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Lannan Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, as well as grants from the Illinois Arts Council, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. In 1988, he received the Writer's Award from the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation. He lives in Chicago, with his wife, Donna, and their two sons.
Li-Young Lee was born in 1957 in Jakarta, Indonesia, of Chinese parents. Li-Young Lee's great grandfather, Yuan Shikai, was China's first republican president (1912-16) and Lee's father, Lee Kuo Yuan, a deeply religious Christian, was physician to Communist leader Mao Tse-Tung.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Lee's parents escaped to Indonesia, where his father helped found Gamaliel University. Li-Young Lee was born in 1957 in Jakarta. In 1959, his father, after spending a year as a political prisoner in President Sukarno's jails, fled Indonesia with his family to escape anti-Chinese sentiment. After a five-year trek through Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan, they settled in the United States in 1964.
