News

February 2012

• Nursing School Open House Set For March 24
• Annual Antiques Show Benefits Lovejoy Library
• Free Tax Preparation Available Through SIUE
• Xfest 3.0 Brings National Experimental Theater Back To SIUE
• SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School Dedicates STEM Classroom
• Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country Panel Discussion Sunday
• SIUE Chancellor Recognized Among Most Influential St. Louisans
• SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School To Open STEM Classroom
• SIUE FOTAD Series Ends Year With Local Staging Of 'Rumpelstiltskin'
• SIUE Nursing Faculty Awarded Fellowship for Teaching
• SIUE Chancellor Search Advisory Committee Seeks Community Feedback
• SIUE Music Faculty Featured Through HEC-TV's I Love Jazz: February 2012

Nursing School Open House Set For March 24

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing Regional Nursing Program will host an open house for prospective students and their families/guests from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 24 at the Old Main Lounge in the Student Center on the SIU Carbondale Campus.

Students considering application to the SIUE School of Nursing Regional Nursing Program will be able to meet the nursing faculty and staff, ask questions of an academic advisor for nursing, talk with current nursing students and observe simulators in action that are used in the program's Simulated Learning Center.

All classes of the Regional Nursing Program are held on the Carbondale campus, with a Bachelor of Science/Nursing (BSN) conferred upon completion of the program by the SIUE School of Nursing. Clinical experiences for the Regional Nursing Program take place in the Southern Illinois and Carbondale region.

For more information on the SIUE School of Nursing Regional Nursing Program, please visit siue.edu/nursing/siue-nursing-carbondale.shtml or contact Mary Smith, msmitag@siue.edu or (618) 453-3363.

Annual Antiques Show Benefits Lovejoy Library

The 41st Annual Friends of Lovejoy Library Antiques Show & Sale at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Student Fitness Center takes place Friday and Saturday, March 9-10. Since 1970, the Friends of Lovejoy Library at SIUE have conducted an Antiques Show to raise funds for the purchase of books and materials for the library.

"For 41 years, the Antiques Show has provided a great service to our students and the general public that attend." said LIS Director of Development Kyle Moore. Over the years, the Antiques Show has grown dramatically and now annually raises $40,000 for Lovejoy Library.

"Shopping for items from the past helps to inform our future leaders" said Antiques Show Co-Chair Carol Nativi. Approximately 3,000 attendees take advantage of this event each year to price their antiques and shop for rare and unique items. Forty local and national dealers will be on hand for this year's show.

Tickets are $6 for adults and children under the age of 13 are admitted free. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. An Early Bird session is set for Friday from 3-5 p.m. with tickets priced at $10. The show is sponsored by the Belleville News Democrat and the Friends of Lovejoy Library. For show times and directions, please visit www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/friends or contact Kyle Moore at 618-650-2714.

Free Tax Preparation Available Through SIUE

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business has partnered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to offer free tax assistance to the metro-east community. The program provides one-on-one assistance to United States residents to help prepare basic tax returns (1040 EZ and 1040 A). The program will be available through April 11 in the SIUE Department of Accounting on the second floor of Founder's Hall.

SIUE is one of the few universities in Illinois to be licensed by the IRS to be a VITA partner. Through this program, accounting students at SIUE actually prepare tax returns for the community free of charge. VITA is a great way for students to gain real-life tax experience and cultivate community involvement.

It should be noted that VITA personnel only prepare returns for U.S. citizens and that no dual state income tax returns will be prepared. Volunteers can only prepare a state return if the person lived and worked in the same state for the entire year.

People seeking tax preparation assistance are asked to bring the following items with them:

-Social Security Card

-Driver's License

-Form W-2,

-All relevant 1099's

-Copy of income tax return for 2010 (if available)

The VITA workshops dates for spring 2012 are: February 10, 2012 through April 11, 2012 (EXCEPT FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 5-11)

-11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays

-11 a.m.-2 p.m. Fridays

-9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays

VITA workshops are held at Founder's Hall. For more information, call (618) 650-2633.

Xfest 3.0 Brings National Experimental Theater Back To SIUE

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Department of Theater and Dance will celebrate its third four-day festival of experimental theater performances and workshops June 6-9, 2012 with Xfest 3.0.

From puppets to dance, drama to comedy, the festival is filled with something for everyone. Conceived in 2009 by Peter Cocuzza, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theater and Dance, and Chuck Harper, associate professor of theater and dance, Xfest invites artists and theater companies from around the nation to the SIUE campus for performances and workshops in order to share the world of non-traditional theater styles with fans of the performing arts in the Midwest and beyond.

Xfest 3.0 is expected to be more diverse than ever with opportunities for area colleges and new theater companies to premiere 15-minute alternative theater pieces. Additionally, five theater companies from across the country will perform during the week:

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 6­­-- Edwardsville: The Opera , performed by Pittsburg's Squonk Opera in Dunham Hall Theater;
• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7 -- Violators Will be Violated , performed by Casey Smith from Los Angeles in Metcalf Theater;
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 8-- Grim and Fischer , performed by Portland's Wonderheads in Metcalf Theater;
• 3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 9-- X-hibitions , performed by SIUE's own Theatre 310b in Metcalf Theater;
• 8:00 p.m. Saturday, June 9-- Would You Still Be You? , Luis Tentindo Puppet Theatre from New York City in Dunham Hall Theater.

Talk back sessions will be conducted following each performance, with directors and cast members fielding audience questions. Workshops will be offered each day for "college days" attendees of the festival who are interested in educational theater opportunities. For more information, visit siue.edu/xfest or call the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance, (618) 650-5614.

SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School Dedicates STEM Classroom

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony today celebrating the opening of its nearly $1 million cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classroom. The event marks a special donation from Robert H. Graebe, an East St. Louis native, and his wife, Norma J. Graebe. The couple lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The gift made the new state-of-the art facility, named the William Frederick Graebe Sr. STEM Learning Center, a reality.

The Learning Center features the latest technology, including a 70-inch multi-touch SMART interactive LCD board, 3D scanning and printing, and HD teleconferencing capabilities. It also includes a fabrication laboratory that allows users to design and create prototypes with moving parts that can be tested.

"This Center will provide the next generation of professionals with access to competency in the STEM disciplines, which are so critical for obtaining gainful employment in the global economy," said SIUE Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, which was sponsored by the Chancellor, the SIUE Office of the Provost, the SIUE Foundation and the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, took place in Building B of the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. "The STEM Learning Center will ensure that our students are stronger in math, science and technology," said SIUE Associate Provost for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and Executive Director of the East St. Louis Center Dr. Venessa Brown. "This is their key to academic access and success."

The gift is part of Defining Excellence: The Campaign for SIUE . The new center will be a "model, high-technology STEM classroom" to provide students access to the latest technology, equipment and curricula, and will support teachers in providing students with hands-on, "minds-on" science learning, said Sharon Locke, director of the Center for STEM Research, Education, and Outreach in the SIUE Graduate School.

Locke said the Learning Center, which is part of the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, also will be used as a training facility for teachers throughout the region. "The Center will be designed to promote 21st Century skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork and technology literacy," Locke said, adding it should draw regional and national interest.

She added SIUE faculty, students in STEM disciplines and teacher candidates will work with the Charter School to support high quality STEM education and study the use of technology in the classroom and its broader impact. "The investment goes far beyond the technology and equipment that will be put in place-it is also a commitment to the teachers who will teach the students," Locke said. "Strong STEM education is one of the foundations for a vibrant regional economy."

SIUE has existing programs in STEM in East St. Louis, such as the Upward Bound Math & Science program, which provides enrichment in science and mathematics for high school students from East St. Louis and nearby cities. Upward Bound includes a residential program at SIUE in the summer and Saturday programs during the school year. The new Learning Center is part of SIUE's strong commitment to STEM education in the greater St. Louis region. The University's STEM initiatives provide students with a strong foundation to succeed in college.

Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country Panel Discussion Sunday

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Lovejoy Library will host a panel discussion at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 in support of the American Library Association's (ALA) traveling exhibition: "Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country."

The event begins the final week of the exhibit, which concludes its run at Lovejoy Library on Mar. 2. Participating in the panel will be:

• Brad Winn, director of the Lewis and Clark Historic Site; "Lewis and Clark Meet the Neighbors: Diplomacy, American Indians and the Lewis and Clark Expedition."

• Gregory Fields, SIUE professor of philosophy; "Coast Salish Cowlitz Cultural Revitalization."

• Rowena McClinton, SIUE professor of historical studies; "The Corps' Encounters During the 1804 Winter with Mandans and Hidatsa."

• Robert Paulett, SIUE assistant professor of historical studies; "Orienting the Explorers: Lewis and Clark's Cartographic Context."

The exhibit, which opened at Lovejoy Library on Jan. 18, tells the story of the explorers' historic 1804-1806 expedition from a different point of view-that of the Indians who lived along their route. During their journey to the Pacific coast and back, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their small group of voyagers crossed the traditional homelands of more than 50 Native American tribes. The exhibit examines this monumental encounter of cultures and examines the past and present effects of that encounter on the lives of the tribes which still live in the region.

"Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country" draws upon original documents in the rich Native American collections of the Newberry Library, and in the collections of the Washington State Historical Society, the Minnesota Historical Society and other institutions. Photographs of handwritten documents, maps, paintings and drawings provide a colorful background for the story of the encounter.

Organized by Chicago's Newberry Library in cooperation with the ALA Public Programs Office, "Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country" was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): great ideas brought to life. Additional support came from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Sara Lee Foundation is the lead corporate sponsor; Ruth C. Ruggles and the National Park Service also supported the exhibit.

The library is located on the SIUE campus. Parking for Sunday's program is free. Contact Library and Information Services, (618) 650-4636 or email kbouman@siue.edu or visit www.siue.edu for more information.

SIUE Chancellor Recognized Among Most Influential St. Louisans

The St. Louis Business Journal has recognized Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift among its Most Influential St. Louisans class of 2012. "We are so grateful for his leadership and hard work…" SIU System President Glenn Poshard has said of Vandegrift.

The article from the Journal stated: "This year's Most Influential St. Louisans class of 2012 features more than 250 of the area's top minds in business, banking and finance, law, government, entertainment, education and health care. But in addition to their professions, these leaders have also illustrated their impact in the local community, too."

A link to the complete article is available at bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/2012/02/slideshow-most-influential-st-louisans.html.

SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School To Open STEM Classroom

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its nearly $1 million cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and mathematics classroom at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23.

The event marks a special donation of $1 million for a new state-of-the art facility that features the latest technology, including a smart board and HD teleconferencing capabilities.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, which is being sponsored by the SIUE Chancellor, the SIUE Office of the Provost, the SIUE Foundation and the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, will take place in Building B of the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus.

SIUE FOTAD Series Ends Year With Local Staging Of 'Rumpelstiltskin'

A Season for the Child (SfC), the family-oriented live theater season-sponsored by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Friends of Theater and Dance (FOTAD), TheBANK of Edwardsville and the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation of St. Louis (FPACF)-ends its 23 ^rd season with the popular Grimm fairytale Rumpelstiltskin on Saturday, March 17. The performance, staged by Curtains Up Theater Company of Edwardsville-Collinsville, begins at 7 p.m. that Saturday in the theater in SIUE's Katherine Dunham Hall.

Although the FOTAD series usually features professional theater troupes from St. Louis staging adaptations of various children's stories, FOTAD also recognizes Curtains Up as a company that is dedicated to providing quality productions in a professional manner.

Rumpelstiltskin is the familiar story of the impish creature who spins straw into gold for a miller's daughter but exacts a very high price for doing so. But she can avoid the problem by just saying the imp's name.

FOTAD, a support group for the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance, uses the proceeds from SfC to help fund merit awards for talented SIUE theater and dance students. Each year, the organization awards some $5,000 in merit scholarships to qualified students. FOTAD also funds scholarships for new freshmen entering the theater and dance program.

The support organization also holds an endowment to help fund the merit scholarship program. Those interested in donating to the endowment may contact Greg Conroy, (618) 692-0874. Tickets for the March 17 performance are $5 per person and are available through the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774. FOTAD's 2012-13 season will begin in October with a show to be announced.

SIUE Nursing Faculty Awarded Fellowship for Teaching

Amelia Perez, assistant professor of Primary Care and Health Systems Nursing through the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing, was among 18 nursing faculty at Illinois colleges and universities who were recipients of $10,000 fellowships awarded by the Illinois Board of Higher Education at its December meeting.

The fellowships may be used as salary supplements or to fund professional development activities.

The state of Illinois faces a shortage of well-trained nurses, along with a shortage of highly qualified nursing faculty to educate new nurses. The Illinois Nurse Educator Fellowship Program rewards well-qualified faculty for remaining in the classroom rather than relocating to better paying private sector positions.

Laura Bernaix, professor and chair of the SIUE Department of Primary Care and Health Systems, explained the importance of this award for Perez and the SIUE School of Nursing. "The IBHE Nurse Educator Program is an excellent way to provide new faculty with opportunities for development and to help ensure their retention in academia," Bernaix said. "Dr. Perez plans to use her fellowship funding to attend various continuing education conferences and workshops to learn best practices for incorporating diversity, culture competence and health care, specific to the Hispanic population, into our nursing curriculum, and to develop her skills as a teacher-scholar. The knowledge and skills gained as a result of this fellowship will help to ensure that the SIUE School of Nursing is continuing to meet the learning needs of our students."

Fellows are nominated by Illinois institutions of higher learning with a nursing program approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission.

SIUE Chancellor Search Advisory Committee Seeks Community Feedback

Last November, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Search Advisory Committee was formed to assist in efforts to find the replacement for Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift, who, after eight years of distinguished service plans to retire at the conclusion of Academic Year 2011-12.

The committee is seeking participation and feedback from the SIUE, Edwardsville and Glen Carbon communities, which will be vital in the new Chancellor selection process.

A form to submit comments or items that are considered important in the search process to the committee has been added to the Chancellor Search site: siue.edu/chancellorsearch/contact.shtml.

On-campus interviews of the finalists are currently scheduled for the end of March and early April, with the naming of the new chancellor planned for the May 2012 SIU Board of Trustees meeting.

SIUE Music Faculty Featured Through HEC-TV's I Love Jazz: February 2012

Higher Education Channel Television (HEC-TV) has Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the spotlight this month, featuring the University's jazz programs.

Musical guest SIUE Professor of Music Rick Haydon, who manages the recording studio and is the director of Jazz Studies at SIUE, talks about jazz during the segment and performs with a quartet. In the channel's education segment this month, Building Blocks of Jazz, Haydon joins HEC-TV's Phil Dunlap to discuss rhythm guitar in jazz music. From the station's Don Wolff's archives, Jazz Gem features 7-string guitarist, Bucky Pizzarelli. According to the station, audiences will meet the "Rising Stars of Jazz," who are students from the SIUE Jazz program.

As St. Louis' leading producer of education, arts and cultural television programming, HEC-TV is the only television station in the metro area with the mission statement "to strengthen and promote the education, arts and cultural communities in the St. Louis Metropolitan area." Major funding for the station comes from the St. Louis County Commission for Educational Media. It is programmed by the Higher Education Consortium, which is a compilation of the 12 colleges and universities and 62 cooperating school districts in Greater St. Louis. The HEC-TV Board of Directors is comprised of the presidents, chancellors and leaders of member colleges and universities.

Haydon, who is one of the first SIUE jazz program graduates, said he has been pleased with its evolution since its inception in 1982. "We've had a great thing here. I think there are folks who come here specifically for our jazz program. Students have said they've heard our professors on CDs and it has influenced their decision to come here. As faculty members, we're all performing all the time and I think that's one of the attractions to this program."

According to HEC-TV's website, its programming reaches 630,000 subscribers each minute of each day. Programming is available for general viewing, as well as to teachers for use with appropriate curriculum and classroom materials. The site continues, "Winner of the prestigious Station of Excellence from the Mid America Emmy association in 2010 and 2011, HEC-TV is committed to producing and presenting programming that engages the audience, illuminates subjects, and challenges viewers."

For more information, visit hectv.org/programs/series/i-love-jazz. For show times click on the "TV Schedule" tab.