Carbondale Calendars and Events
Edwardsville Calendars and Events
East St. Louis Calendars and Events

An all-majors job fair at SIUC on Sept. 30 will offer students, alumni and interested community members an opportunity to connect with potential employers locally and around the country.  The event, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms, will feature representatives from more than 50 employers. Internships and permanent employment possibilities will be available.  Registration is not necessary and admission is free. Job seekers should bring multiple copies of their resumes and any other pertinent credentials, and should dress professionally and appropriately.  A list of job fair participants is updated daily as employers register and is available at http://careerservices.siuc.edu/events/fairschedule_fall09.htm.

The SIU Board of Trustees this month awarded $258,800 in contracts to three Illinois companies for renovation of unused space into a student examination facility at the SIU School of Dental Medicine in Alton.  The renovation — to be funded through a $500,000 grant from the Illinois Capital Development Board and SIUE Operating Funds — will create a new area for students to take examinations within a 3,300-square-foot space in the basement of the School’s Science Building. The board approved the project at its July meeting.

Hino Motor Sales, USA, a Toyota Group Company, is helping students in SIUC's Department of Automotive Technology continue their career preparations with advanced technology.  Hino, Toyota’s medium duty diesel truck division delivered a 2005 electronic diesel fuel injection cab and chassis to the nationally recognized program on Sept. 15.  The 2005 MY 338 T Class 7 series truck will provide students in the senior-level alternative fuels class a first-hand look at some of the newest technology available.  The donation is valued at about $70,000.  In 2005, the program earned the Automotive Industry Planning Council’s Award of Excellence -- marking a third time as the nation’s top automotive program. The program also earned top honors in 1991 and 1999.

SIUE has reached the largest overall enrollment in the history of the school at 13,940, breaking the previous high of 13,700 recorded in 1970. The record enrollment numbers were released on the heels of U.S. News & World Report ranking SIUE as one of the “Top Up-And-Coming Schools” in the nation, fifth among Midwest master’s granting institutions and among 77 schools from all degree categories throughout the country. In the “Top Up-And-Coming Schools” category, SIUE was cited in U.S. News by its peers and reported as an “up and coming school firmly focused on improving the job they’re doing today.” All the rankings are in the magazine’s Best Colleges of 2010 issue that hit newsstands last month. SIUE Provost Paul Ferguson released the fall numbers, which include undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. The new freshman class of 1,940 is up from 1,922, representing the largest group of new freshmen ever. The figures represent the fifth consecutive year of growth in new freshmen enrolled at SIUE.

People living in several deep Southern Illinois counties now have an affordable way to get from home to school, work, doctor appointments or other places in the Carbondale area.  Shawnee Mass Transit District, known as S.M.A.R.T., has established two bus routes running each weekday that connect Massac, Johnson, Union, Alexander and Pulaski counties with SIUC.  Research indicates that more than 300 current SIUC students and employees could benefit from the opportunity to utilize public transportation from the five Southern Illinois counties to SIUC, according to officials from S.M.A.R.T. and SIUC. The availability of public transportation could boost enrollment and employee counts from the area as well, officials say.

Students at SIUC donated nearly $750,000 worth of time and effort to help others during the last academic year.  That’s the estimated value of more than 38,000 hours given to a wide variety of community service projects and organizations according to Independent Sector, a coalition of foundations and private voluntary organizations.  Between August 2008 and July 2009, more than 6,000 SIUC students contributed in excess of 38,230 hours of service through Saluki Volunteer Corps, the campus’ civic engagement program.  In addition, 13 SIUC students selected to participate in the Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps contributed more than 10,000 hours tutoring and mentoring children.  To participate in Saluki Volunteer Corps, stop by the Student Development office on the third floor of the Student Center or call (618)453-5714.

SIUE’s International Trade Center (ITC) will present two sessions — at SIUE and then at SIU Carbondale — of a seminar that will help area businesses and lenders take full advantage of export lending and credit protection programs from the U.S. Government. “Illinois Export Finance” will be presented on the SIUE campus from noon-6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Hickory-Hackberry Room, on the second floor of the Morris University Center, and on the SIUC campus from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, in the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center. Registration begins 30 minutes before each session. Representatives from Associated Bank, the Small Business Administration and the Export-Import Bank will make presentations. All speakers will be available for one-on-one meetings during the program. Appointments will be arranged on a first-come-first-served basis.

The SIU Alumni Association will honor five prominent graduates as Distinguished Alumni during the University’s homecoming activities Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9 and 10.  The association will honor the recipients of the SIU Distinguished Alumni Award at 2:30 p.m., Oct. 9, at a public induction ceremony and reception in the Student Recreation Center’s Alumni Lounge. Their framed photos will become part of the University’s Distinguished Alumni wall in the Student Recreation Center.  The 2009 SIU Distinguished Alumni are as follows:

• David Lloyd Briscoe, is a full professor of sociology and Distinguished Teaching Fellow in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock;
• Benjamin “Benny” Dunn, was the first SIU team baseball captain in 1947;
• Richard “Dick” Gregory has demonstrated his many talents as an author, activist, philosopher, comedian, actor, recording artist, nutritionist and anti-drug crusader;
• John S. Heakin is a major contributor to the strides made in the marketing research world;
• Col. Joe E. Johnson is a recipient of the Legion of Merit, one of the military’s highest honors.

G.I. Jobs, a publication from Victory Media, recently named SIUE to its 2010 list of Military Friendly Schools. According to a news release sent out by the publisher, the list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America's veterans as students. Based in Pittsburgh, the company publishes other military-based magazines, including The Guide to Military Friendly Schools, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur magazines. The company also annually announces national ratings in the following categories: Military Friendly Employers, Military Spouse Friendly Employers and Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses. The full list of institutions included as military friendly schools for 2010 is available at: militaryfriendlyschools.com/mfspr.

A research scientist at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a one-year national grant to study colon cancer recurrence from the American Cancer Society - Illinois Division.  The total budget for the grant is $80,000.  Dr. Guangming Liu, assistant professor of internal medicine and member of the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute, is the principal investigator for the project.  Colon cancer has a high rate of recurrence because current treatments usually do not completely destroy all the cancer cells.  A small portion of the cells are resistant to anti-cancer drugs because they are lacking an important protein named calcium sensing receptor or CaSR cells.  This research will look at ways to induce the CaSR cells so the cancer treatment is more effective.  This is the first national grant awarded to Liu, who joined the SIU faculty in 2007.

After a bye weekend early in the 2009 season, the eighth-ranked SIUC Salukis (0-1) entertain the Southwest Baptist Bearcats (0-3), Saturday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. CDT in the home opener of the final season at McAndrew Stadium.   Saturday's game marks the "Final Ride" at McAndrew Stadium with the sixth annual Hawgs and Dawgs event.  SIUC has won its last seven home openers, with six of those seven coming in blowout fashion as the Salukis won those seven games by a staggering average of 49 points.