Dear Colleagues,

Autumn has returned to Edwardsville. As always, hours of daylight have decreased, and temperatures have dropped. Leaves are turning yellow, orange, and red and dropping from the trees on the SIUE campus. This fall term, however, is remarkably different from previous ones. No classrooms are filled to capacity. The hallways of campus buildings are uncrowded. There are no large events on campus, such as musical or theatrical performances.

Our efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 have been largely successful. Unlike many other campuses, which have recorded hundreds of infections, fewer than 100 SIUE students and only a dozen faculty or staff members have reported positive test results since the beginning of the semester. Students, faculty and staff members continue to abide by rules requiring the wearing of face coverings and social distancing.

Read Dean Leonard's full letter.

The SIUE Graduate School has presented its Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards to Lindani Memani at the master’s level and Huan Van Phan at the doctoral level. Memani and Van Phan will be recognized at the virtual Graduate School Awards Reception this fall and each receive a $500 award.

The Outstanding Teaching Assistant (TA) Award is designed to recognize and reward graduate students for outstanding performance in teaching and instruction.

Memani is a student in the Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English Language and Literature. She has been teaching English Composition courses in the first-year writing program since fall 2019.

Read the article.

The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education held its 2020 Public Summit virtually Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 19-20. SIUE’s Carol Colaninno, PhD, research assistant professor in the STEM Center and adjunct professor in the Department of Anthropology, was among the national event’s speakers.

The Collaborative comprises more than 60 colleges, universities and research institutions, and is “dedicated to working toward targeted, collective action on addressing and preventing sexual harassment across all disciplines and among all people in higher education.”

Read the article.

SIUE today announced that Congressman John Shimkus (R-15^th District-Collinsville) will join its College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Political Science for the spring 2021 semester following the completion of his 24-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Three generations of Shimkus family members have taken advantage of the affordable, quality education offered by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville,” Shimkus said. “I’m excited to join the SIUE faculty, and give back to the University and the community that has been so good to me and my family.” 

Read the article.

International attendance and engagement highlighted the 20th annual Global Fusion Conference co-hosted by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Mass Communications and SIU Carbondale’s College of Mass Communication and Media Arts.

“We were able to cover registration fees for all international participants and moderators, as well as provide a monetary award for the Best Graduate Student Paper,” said Musonda Kapatamoyo, PhD, chair and professor in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Mass Communications. 

The recipient of the Best Graduate Student Paper was Gabrielle Ferreira. Ferreira is studying communication and culture at the Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba, Brazil, and is slated to graduate in spring 2021.

Read the article.

SIUE Criminal Justice Professor Dennis Mares, PhD, shared his expertise on technology in policing and reducing violent crime during a presentation for the Bureau of Justice Assistance on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Mares, and co-presenter Emily Blackburn, with the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), presented on their collaborative, award-winning Strategies for Policing Innovation (SPI) site project. The project, SkyCop Mobile Surveillance Unit, won the 2020 Phil E. Keith Project of the Year award from the International Association of Law Enforcement Planners.

Read the article.