Carbondale Calendars and Events
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East St. Louis Calendars and Events

SIUC will receive more than $85.8 million in construction funds after Gov. Pat Quinn signed a statewide capital construction plan into law on July 13.  The University will receive $56,718,800 from the capital bill for the Transportation Education Center.  The 249,016-square-foot center at the Southern Illinois Airport will house the aviation and automotive technology programs.  The University will also receive $4.255 million for planning and design of an approximately 60,000-square-foot addition to the Communications Building. The addition will provide new classroom space, along with upgrades and technology enhancements to the building originally built in 1964. The current proposal is for additions on the south, north and west sides of the building, Gatton said.  The University will receive $17,564,400 to finish construction of the sixth and seventh floors in Morris Library, move books from McLafferty Annex and purchase high-density shelving.  The University also will receive $7,312,500 for deferred maintenance projects. About 10 percent of that amount goes for work at the School of Medicine in Springfield.

After more than a decade of planning and annual presentations to the state legislature, a proposal that includes a $78.9 million package to renovate the existing Science Building and construct a new science laboratory building at SIUE was signed recently by Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn. Both houses of the Illinois General Assembly passed the statewide capital funding plan last month that includes a total of $168.1 million for SIUE and SIU Carbondale. The bill also includes a higher education allocation — as a lump sum to all state institutions — for capital renewal, as well as $4.1 million for a new laboratory at the SIU School of Dental Medicine in Alton. The total statewide package, known as the Illinois Jobs Now bill, is worth some $31 billion. The SIUE project will mean jobs for the area, state-of-the art laboratories and improved facilities for students, faculty and staff. Renovations and an expansion of the existing facility will allow the University to attract and retain students, faculty and staff, as well as ease lab space issues and provide more opportunities for research initiatives.

Attention entrepreneurs and business owners: Researchers at SIUC have created some astonishing technologies that could earn a pretty penny, and they're looking for partners.  A special event set for this fall will see the University playing matchmaker for business and academia, setting the table for economic growth in the area and beyond.  The Technology and Innovation Expo is set for 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, 150 E. Pleasant Hill Road, in Carbondale. Researchers, business people, entrepreneurs and others will be on hand, taking advantage of the networking and educational environment aimed at sparking economic development.  SIUC has a strong tradition of spinning off technologies developed by its researchers into real-world applications and economic success stories. The event, set for homecoming weekend at the University, is aimed at bringing potential partners together, motivating and educating them and raising awareness in the business community.

Jason Stacy, assistant professor of history at SIUE, recently was named historian for the Teaching American History Grants program. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the St. Clair County Educational Cooperative Board a total of $986,482 for the first three years of a tentative 5-year grant. Stacy was involved in writing the proposal. He will serve as the university's liaison with the St. Clair County School District. In his role as historian, Stacy will organize history courses for St. Clair County teachers, as well as schedule lectures by guest historians and assist with field trips to historical sites. He also will function as a historical pedagogy consultant. According to U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello's Web site, the program is designed to improve student achievement by increasing teachers' knowledge and understanding of traditional U.S. history. The Web site further explains that the St. Clair County Educational Cooperative will form partnerships with county school districts, as well as regional colleges and organizations to bring seminars, workshops and study tours to 4th-6th grade teachers.

William R. Devenport, who has spent more than 25 years as an educator at SIUC, is now the acting associate dean for the College of Applied Sciences and Arts.  Devenport fills the vacancy created when Terry A. Owens became interim dean of the college after former dean, Paul D. Sarvela, became vice president of academic affairs. The transitions this summer also bring Stephen C. Shih to Devenport's former post. Shih, an associate professor, is the new interim director of the School of Information Systems and Applied Technologies.  CASA is comprised of the schools of architecture, allied health, information systems and applied technologies and transportation, which includes the departments of automotive technology, aviation technologies and aviation management and flight.

An SIUE School of Pharmacy student recently received the Thomas L. Lemke Poster Presentation Award for having the most outstanding poster presentation at the Malto Medicinal Chemistry annual meeting. Lacey Gamblin of Granite City, who is expected to graduate from the School of Pharmacy in 2011, received the prestigious award for her paper at the organization's meeting in May at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis. The poster presentations are held as a way to allow students to present findings based on their research. A total of 113 faculty, students and postdoctoral fellows attended the meeting, representing schools and colleges of pharmacy throughout the Southern and Central United States. Gamblin, an American Foundation for Pharmacy Education Gateway to Research fellow, received the award, which included a plaque and a check for $150. Her presentation was titled "Synthesis of Thiourea Analogues as Potential Somatostatin Receptor Subtype 4 Agonists." Michael Crider, chair of the SIUE School of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, serves as Gamblin's faculty mentor.

A new initiative from Morris Library University Archives and the Office of the Associate Chancellor for Diversity means you can now easily search a computerized database for student newspaper stories and photos that chronicle SIUC's history of diversity.  The Yesteryear Daily Egyptian Diversity News Index is now online at www.lib.siu.edu/diversitycollection.  An early student newspaper began in the late 1800s at the University and lasted just a short time. The Egyptian began in 1916, more than a decade after its predecessor folded. The Egyptian and later the Daily Egyptian, along with untold other historic documents, are preserved on microfilm in the Morris Library Special Collections Research Center.  The online Yesteryear Daily Egyptian project begins with 1930 and goes through 1970, according to Leah Broaddus, University archivist for the Special Collections Research Center. She said editing work is ongoing and then archiving will continue to bring the collection up to more current issues.

The SIU Board of Trustees recently gave budget and project approval to a proposed testing facility at the SIU School of Dental Medicine in Alton. The action was taken at the Board's regular meeting held in July at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. The estimated cost of the project is $585,000 to be funded with a grant from the state of Illinois' Capital Development Board, donations, equipment use fees and local University operating funds. Award of construction contracts will require further Board approval. The proposed project will involve the renovation of 3,300 square feet in the basement of the dental school's Science Building to become a testing facility. Dental school administrators said the renovation is needed for administration of paper and computer-based examinations in a secure environment. The renovation will include removal of plumbing, existing casework, furniture and equipment, and replacement of the floor; asbestos removal, renovation of the HVAC system, and installation of system furniture and equipment. The project is expected to be completed by fall. The Board also gave planning approval for several future projects at SIUE, including expansion of the Art and Design Building and construction of an Intercollegiate Athletics office, construction of a multi-discipline laboratory at the School of Dental Medicine, expansion of the Engineering Building and construction of a Health Sciences Building.

John F. Erbes, a clinical professor with the SIU School of Law Legal Clinic, is the clinic's interim director.  Interim Dean Frank G. Houdek announced Erbes' appointment. The one-year appointment was effective Thursday, July 16. In addition to overseeing the law school's clinical program operations, Erbes will be a visiting assistant professor of law and teach the public externship course and a section of the legal profession course.  Erbes replaces associate law professor Mary C. Rudasill, who retired June 30 after more than two decades with the clinical program.

Three area college students are building critical experience in laboratory research through a new program offered by the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at the SIU School of Medicine.  This is the first summer that the internships have been offered.  The interns are Dylan Downs, Jacksonville, a student at SIU Edwardsville; Leann Murphy, Rochester, a student at Bradley University; and Christian Wichterman, Springfield, who attends Washington University in St. Louis.  The newly-created internships began June 1st and pay a $5,000 stipend for the summer.  Preference was given to college students who plan a career in medicine with the intent of working in cancer research.  The positions were awarded on a competitive basis.  The SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU is focusing the medical school's efforts in cancer research, physician and public education, and treatment for patients from across central and southern Illinois.

Assistant Professor Pamela Newland, a member of the Primary Care/Health Systems Nursing faculty in the SIUE School of Nursing, recently received the Outstanding Scholar Award from the St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center. The award recognizes outstanding professionals in the field of health care education who display a commitment to learning and scholarly activity, along with compassion and understanding of veteran issues. Nominees must possess the ability to serve as a role model and a resource; exhibit a high degree of proficiency and initiative in career patterns, and show a commitment to assisting and advising others on how to achieve potential, among other requirements. Additionally, Associate Professor Kathy Ketchum, another member of the Primary Care/Health Systems Nursing faculty, has been selected to participate in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Leadership for Academic Nursing Program. The fellowship is designed to develop and enhance leadership skills in new and emerging administrators in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs, and to better prepare participants to accept academic leadership positions of increasing responsibility, including the role of dean or director of a nursing academic unit. The program includes a 5-day seminar in August; will be held in Kansas City, Mo.; and will address multiple executive leadership topics, numerous assessment experiences, and the opportunity to utilize an experienced mentor.

Associate Professor Lisa Brooten is the new interim chair in SIUC's Department of Radio-Television.  Gary P. Kolb, dean of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, recently announced Brooten's appointment, which became effective Thursday, July 16.  Brooten joined the radio-television faculty as an assistant professor in 2002 and became an associate professor in 2008. She replaces associate professor Phylis A. Johnson, who served as interim department chair for the last year, but is returning to the faculty to work on research and book projects.  Her experience includes working as a producer, program host, engineer and program director for Philadelphia's WXPN-FM, and later as production assistant and director at WHYY-FM for "Fresh Air," a national arts and entertainment show distributed by National Public Radio. She also taught in Thailand and South Korea. Prior to coming to SIUC, she taught and was a graduate assistant at Ohio University.

Saluki linebacker Brandin Jordan has been named as a 2009 candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Sports Network announced four candidates in July, to bring the pool up to eight players.  A total of 20 candidates will be announced in alphabetical order prior to the start of the season, with four candidates being released each week. The watch list will be revised in October and again in November before the final ballot is announced.