Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the spring semester of 2020! As I write this, it is 19 degrees outside with a wind chill hovering around 10 degrees, so spring seems to be off in the distance, at least for now. Hopefully, these shining stories of the accomplishments our students, faculty and alumni will warm your day.

Read Dean Budzban's full letter.

When Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduate student Dana Lewis embarked on a project last fall to bring light to the archaeological collections within the SIUE University Museum, she had thousands of places to start. That’s because the museum’s collections encompass 32,000 objects, ranging from archaeological material to fine art to furniture, located in its warehouse and also in 60 buildings spread out across the three SIUE campuses.

“Being in the museum and walking through the stacks all the time, I get to see all of the objects that many people don’t get to see because we don’t have a permanent exhibition space,” said Lewis. “It gave me an idea. What if I did something to showcase all of this archaeological material without having to bring it outside the museum?” Read the article.

For the first time in its 34-year history, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Arts & Issues series is welcoming an SIUE faculty member as its headlining performer. Angela Kim, DMA, assistant professor of piano in the Department of Music, along with New York-based artists Michael Robert Boswell and Peter John Kearney, will be debuting Chaos Magick on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dunham Hall Theater.

This evocative, multimedia production will take the typical concert performance to a new level. Through a collaboration between Kim, an internationally acclaimed pianist, Boswell, a graphic designer, and Kearney, a motion designer, the production will feature Kim’s piano performance integrated with design, animation, electronic sound and dance. This premier performance of Chaos Magick also will incorporate the work of composer Dan VanHassel and choreographer Kevin Hockenberry, assistant professor in SIUE’s Department of Theater and Dance. Read the article.

Lieutenant DeAngelo Franklin (’16 and ’19) was born with law enforcement in his blood. He comes from a long line of relatives who served in the line of duty, from the U.S. military to the Department of Corrections. For the two-time Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus, it was only natural for him to follow suit.

“I chose to go into law enforcement because of the long line of relatives who served in law enforcement when I was growing up,” explained Franklin. “I’m proud to say that all of them retired as high-ranking officials. These family members influenced me to pursue my own career in law enforcement.” Read the article.

When Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty and students from the Departments of Political Science and Environmental Sciences were selected to present at the 2020 Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jan. 9-11, none of them anticipated the earthquakes that would rock the small island during their visit.

Despite the earthquakes, the SPSA Conference continued as planned. In a hotel powered by generators, SIUE Political Science Professors Laurie Rice, PhD, and Ken Moffett, PhD, presented their research on how involvement in the MeToo movement correlates with increased civic engagement among young adults. SIUE Political Science and Environmental Sciences Professor Nicholas Guehlstorf, PhD, also attended the conference with his students, SIUE Environmental Sciences graduate student Krista Russell and SIU Carbondale Environmental Resource and Policy doctoral student Courtney Breckenridge. The group presented the research paper they co-authored, “Renewable Fuels and Agriculture Land Use: Questioning the Corn-ethanol Causation.” Read the article.

University professor and founding member of a professional classic rock band. These might seem like divergent career paths, but not for Roger Boyd, PhD (’97 and ’98). The retired faculty member in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Social Work was also a founding member of the legendary rock band Head East. According to Boyd, these careers fulfilled two of his lifelong dreams.

“When I left the University of Illinois in 1970 to play music, the School of Engineering dean told me I’d never come back,” said Boyd. “My greatest accomplishment in my education was returning to school in 1995 and continuing on to earn my PhD.” Read the article.