Friday, Dec. 2, 2016

This semester, SIUE’s International Training Program in Pedagogy is hosting 12 visiting scholars 
from Northwest Normal University (NWNU) and Sichuan University of Science and Engineering (SUSE) in China.

The scholar's will discuss what they learned during their semester at SIUE during their third presentation, being held:

10:15-11:45 a.m.
Today
Alumni Hall, room 3402

At 9 a.m. this Sunday on WSIE-FM 88.7, Greg Budzban, PhD, dean of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville College of Arts and Sciences, hosts Sarah VanSlette, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Applied Communication Studies, on Segue to discuss the budding relationship between SIUE and the St. Louis area through the St. Louis small business incubator scene.

VanSlette has been involved with the St. Louis small business incubator community for some time, citing that she feels great passion for its success, because she is a native St. Louisan. Budzban admires how vibrant the St. Louis metropolitan community has become in terms of business incubation, while also mentioning the growing connection between the education and business communities. Both Budzban and VanSlette see these opportunities for faculty and students as complementary extensions to the education offered at SIUE.

Tune in to WSIE-FM 88.7 every Sunday at 9 a.m. as weekly guests discuss issues on SIUE’s campus.

We live in a world surrounded by technology. Whatever career field high school students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works. But not all students have a chance to learn how technology works. Fewer than half of high schools teach computer science.

That’s why SIUE's Computer Science Department created "WeCode" - a free tutorial workshop for high school students to try programming. 

Saturday, Dec. 3
10:30 a.m. - Registration opens
11 a.m. - Programming tutorial
Noon - Begin projects (lunch provided)
6 p.m. Raffle prize (dinner is provided)
7 p.m. Event ends

WeCode is sponsored by Centene, Enterprise Holdings, SIUE Computer Science Department and SIUE Information Technology Services. 

For more information, visit wecode.cs.siue.edu.

2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 4
Vadalabene Center
Wrestling vs. North Dakota State/Indiana

7 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 7
Jon Davis Center, Edwardsville High School
Wrestling vs. Illinois

8 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 7
Vadalabene Center
Men’s Basketball vs Stetson

2 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10
Vadalabene Center
Men’s Basketball vs Missouri Western

2 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 11
Vadalabene Center
Women’s Basketball vs UM-St. Louis

5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 18
Vadalabene Center
Wrestling vs Appalachian State*

7 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 19
Vadalabene Center
Wrestling vs Purdue

1 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 23
Vadalabene Center
Women’s Basketball vs Illinois State

7 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 28
Vadalabene Center
Men’s Basketball vs Missouri S&T

Noon
Saturday, Dec. 31
Vadalabene Center
Women’s Basketball vs Tennessee Tech*

2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 31
Vadalabene Center
Men’s Basketball vs Tennessee Tech*

* Conference event

SIUE faculty, staff, departments and student organizations, now is the time to start planning for your holiday party.

Cougar Lanes is the ideal on-campus location to host your event from Monday, Dec. 5-Friday, Dec. 23.

Your party can reserve space for up to two hours in our facility, which has bowling, pool and table tennis.

Group rates:
Under 25 people -- $50
25-50 people -- $75
More than 50 people -- $100

Holiday packages are designed for organized groups such as Girl Scouts, Boy Souts, a school, church or other clubs.

For more information, contact Steve or Matt at 650-5263.

The American Red Cross will host a blood drive on campus from 11 a.m.– 3 p.m. on the following days:

• Tuesday, Dec. 6
Morris University Center Mississippi/Illinois Room

•Wednesday, Dec. 7
Blood Mobile, Quad

To schedule an appointment, and for more information about blood donation eligibility, please visit RedCross and enter “SIUE” as the sponsor code.

Walk-ins are welcome.

The SIUE Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the SIUE Intercollegiate Athletic Department will once again hold their annual Kids’ Night Out event:

6-10 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 9
Vadalabene Center Gymnasium

The cost for the event is $15 for the first child and $5 for each additional child in the same family. Ages four and up are welcome to attend, and the event is open to all. 

Enjoy a night to yourself, while your children enjoy a fun-filled evening with the SIUE student-athletes.

Activities for children will include: board games, basketball, volleyball, movies, snacks, tag, kickball and more! 

Please RSVP to Taylor Phelps, taphelp@siue.edu or 650-5257. Please include the number of children, their names and ages.

We look forward to seeing you!

High quality early childhood education is vital for students to achieve later success in school, but finding qualified teachers has been a constant struggle for early education centers and pre-kindergarten classrooms throughout the nation. A report released Monday, Nov. 28 from the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) at SIUE describes how Illinois colleges are working together to overcome this challenge.

Their efforts are part of the Educator Preparation Program Innovation (EPPI) grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education and one of a wide array of projects funded through the state’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge award. The IERC report details the innovations resulting from this grant and lessons learned from the colleges’ experiences.

“This in-depth look at partnerships for early childhood teacher preparation is the latest in our series of studies of Illinois’ education workforce and provides insights into the strategies used by these partnerships and the broader implications of their efforts,” says IERC Executive Director Janet Holt.

The EPPI grants partnered 20 four-year universities from throughout the state with one or more nearby community college campuses to design new models for early childhood educator preparation and develop innovative solutions for common challenges. A partnership between SIUE and Kaskaskia College, Lewis and Clark Community College, and Southwestern Illinois College was among the seventeen groups participating in the IERC study.

The IERC study describes how the partnerships used the grant funds to create more seamless pathways for attaining teaching credentials and to improve the quality of early childhood teacher preparation. The innovations detailed in the report include:
● New articulation initiatives to ensure that students’ credits hours can transfer across postsecondary institutions;
● Systems for aligning assessments so students can demonstrate progress toward key competencies;
● Strategies for advising and supporting transfer students, both academically and financially;
● Promising practices for improving the field experiences for teachers in training; and
● Approaches to improve instruction skills for early childhood math, bilingual students, and infants and toddlers.

According to, Bradford R. White, the lead author of the report, the EPPI grants were successful in producing substantial progress with a relatively small investment and over a short amount of time— $50,000 or less over approximately ten months. However, he notes, it will be important to collect follow-up data on the academic and social-emotional success of Illinois’ youngest students to determine the ultimate impact of these efforts.

The complete report, along with other reports in the series, is available at ierc.education. For more information, call the IERC at (618) 650-2840 or (866) 799-4372.

Tickets still are available for A Gnome for Christmas, a holiday play to be performed by the Imaginary Theatre Company, the traveling arm of the St. Louis Repertory Theatre:

4 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10
Dunham Hall Theater

The play is presented by A Season for the Child (SfC), the family-oriented live theater program sponsored by the SIUE Friends of Theater and Dance (FOTAD). The show continues SfC’s 27th season.

General admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets are available through the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774. 

FOTAD’s holiday offering presents the story of Lulu, as well as her quirky father, who fails to sell yet another of his odd inventions. They fall on hard times and are forced to live in a rundown farmhouse. Lulu is sad but when mysterious and magical things start happening, she sees that the farmhouse might be home to more than meets the eye.

This warm-hearted musical reminds us of the importance of helping others and the happiness found in friends.

SfC, which premiered in 1990, features adaptations of various children’s stories using interactive techniques that not only delight children and parents, but also provide a thorough learning experience. FOTAD, a support group for the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance, uses SfC proceeds to help fund merit awards for talented SIUE theater and dance students.

SIUE is participating as a collection site for the United Way’s 27th annual Community Christmas donation drive.

The program, presented by United Way, is collecting items through Wednesday, Dec. 14 for local people in need this holiday season. A donation box is located in the Lobby of Rendleman Hall, and your generosity is greatly appreciated.

This year, the top needs in the community are:

• New blankets
• Towels
• Household items
• Diapers

Other items requested include:

• Non-perishable food items
• New and unwrapped toys for kids of all ages
• New clothes, coats and winter essentials such as socks, hats, gloves and scarves
• Baby formula
• Personal care items

All of the items collected will go to 15 local agencies, who’ve estimated needs this holiday season for more than 8,000 people in the Riverbend community. The participating community agencies are listed on the donation box.

In addition to collecting items, monetary donations are also accepted and will be used to purchase items on the donation list that are in short supply or not collected.

Donations may be made online at helpingpeople.org/christmas2016 or sent to United Way, 707 Berkshire Blvd., Suite 270, East Alton, IL 62024, marked Attn: Community Christmas.

For more information, contact Phyleccia Cole at pcole@siue.edu or visit the United Way’s website at the link above.

Registration is now open for the We Are One: Strategies and Solutions Summit

7:30 a.m. coffee and refreshments begin
8-11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017

The We Are One Summit will be a working meeting, utilizing the draft Strategic Diversity Plan.

This is an opportunity for the entire University community to have an input in developing the new three-year plan. We have discussed issues in the Black Lives Matter Conferences. We have conducted campus climate surveys for faculty, staff and students, and now it is time to dialogue and put into action strategies and solutions.

We hope you can make the event. 

Please register early, as space is limited. Click here to register.

We also invite you to attend SIUE’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Luncheon after the We Are One Summit. This annual event provides the University the opportunity to recognize high school students, SIUE students, community members and SIUE employees for their commitment to excellence, service and citizenship as demonstrated by Dr. King.

The awards luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Morris University Center Meridian Ballroom.

Tickets can be purchased at siue.edu/mlk or by calling 650.3208.

The Emeriti Faculty Association is pleased to request proposals from SIUE tenure and tenure-track faculty for projects that strengthen the academic quality of programs and that enhance the reputation of the University.

The deadline for proposals is March 6, 2017. Application guidelines are available at siue.edu/emeriti/.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
• Departmental colloquia that involve recognized outside experts
• Curricular development (disciplinary or interdisciplinary)
• Faculty exchanges, including international exchanges
• Scholar-in-residence programs

Ineligible activities include those supported elsewhere in the University, such as research, development of teaching skills and individual professional development.

For more information, please contact Jim Weingartner at jweinga@siue.edu or Richard Brugam at rbrugam@siue.edu.