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| This Month in CAS | ||||||
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| Monday, November 30, 2020 | ||||||
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Dear Colleagues, A remarkable semester is drawing to a close. Face-to-face instruction has ended, and all courses will meet online for the remainder of the term. The final weeks of the semester have coincided with enhanced mitigation measures intended to suppress the spread of the coronavirus. Throughout the state of Illinois, we are not allowed to dine indoors at restaurants or gather for face-to-face events or indoor performances. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of all members of the SIUE community, but we have overcome many challenges and adapted to numerous changes in our lives. Tens of millions of Americans participated in the November 3 election by casting absentee or mail ballots or by voting early. Despite the pandemic, a greater percentage of registered voters participated in the 2020 election than in any other national election since 1900. The results of the election will be analyzed and debated for many months to come, and it is not clear how the outcome will affect SIUE. It is clear that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the first woman, the first Black person, and the first Asian American to serve in the nation’s second-highest office. |
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“In a perfect world, what would you like to do?” It’s a question, after having served and sacrificed, to get veterans to better envision a world of opportunities for themselves. Asking the question is Amanda Depew, Air Force veteran and social work graduate assistant with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program. During the pandemic, VUB continues to hep veterans prepare for postsecondary education, by providing counseling, advisement, basic skills review/enhancement and referrals to a variety of services and resources, according to VUB Program Director James Robbins. |
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SIUE’s Michael Shaw, PhD, distinguished research professor in the Department of Chemistry, was among the featured speakers at the 2020 LGBTQ+ STEM Conference held virtually in October. The five-day conference brought together “researchers in all fields of STEM to highlight and celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community, and to discuss a broad range of scientific topics and issues pertaining to equity, diversity and inclusion.” The event was organized in part by faculty from the University of Windsor who launched a resource group within the Canadian Society for Chemistry for LGBT+STEM, and featured 12 international speakers. Shaw presented: “Balancing a Chemistry Career and a Relationship: Reflections on Three Decades of Coming Out.” He recounted his career and he and his husband's 30-year relationship, and discussed his research and experiences from various institutions. |
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SIUE alumnus and MindsEye President and CEO Jason Frazier has been named a 2020 Diverse Business Leader by the St. Louis Business Journal for his work with MindsEye, an organization that offers a variety of services to those with visual disabilities throughout the St. Louis region. Frazier earned a bachelor’s in mass communications in 2011, and began working for MindsEye in 2012 as a part-time board operator, while simultaneously working for a local sports radio station. “My dream career was always working in sports media,” said Frazier. “However, the mission of MindsEye and the company’s impact on blind and visually impaired people in our region changed that. Using what I learned about broadcast and applying it to a reading service became appealing.” Read the article. |
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The SIUE Graduate School has added a fully online option for a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree starting fall 2021. This existing program will continue to offer a hybrid option along with the new fully online option.
“All industries benefit from strong leadership, which makes MPA graduates highly sought after,” said Nancy Huyck, DPA, associate professor and chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy Analysis. “Historically, graduates of SIUE’s MPA program have been highly competitive in the job market. The department’s strong network with employers in Illinois and the St. Louis metropolitan region is beneficial.” |
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The fall 2020 Vaughn Vandegrift URCA Research Mentor of the Semester Award was presented to Myron Jones, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry. Kristin Best-Kinscherff, assistant professor and head of dance in the Department of Theater and Dance, was presented with the URCA Creative Activities Mentor of the Semester Award. URCA students Blessing Udoh, of Ota, Ogun State in Nigeria, and Kenzie Holzinger, of Highland, were also recognized for their exceptional work this semester. Udoh, a junior biological sciences major, earned the Research Assistant of the Semester Award. Holzinger, a sophomore majoring in art and design, received the Creative Activities Assistant of the Semester Award. |
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SIUE’s Library and Information Services (LIS) will soon be home to the 10-CD set, Ruth Slenczynska: Complete American Decca Recordings. On Friday, Nov. 13, Eloquence released the CD set featuring the internationally renowned concert pianist and former SIUE faculty member. SIUE will receive two sets of the Slenczynska recordings with one set to be added to the Ruth Slenczynska Collection at Lovejoy Library, and the other to circulate to the public once cataloged. “The recorded performances represent some of the finest piano performances of Slenczynska’s early adult professional career,” said Therese Dickman, fine arts librarian and associate professor. Dickman and colleagues also worked with Australian producer Cyrus Meyer-Homji to contribute 12 images from the Ruth Slenczynska Collection for inclusion in the CD set. |
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