Dear Colleagues,

A new semester has begun at SIUE. Even though COVID-19 is still with us, the campus is remarkably different than it was a year ago. Last year, most classes were being offered online. This year, about half of our courses are being offered either fully face-to-face or with a face-to-face component such as a lab session.

About 1,900 new first-year students have joined the SIUE community, and the campus is humming with activity. We have adjusted to the need to wear masks and to keep our distance from other people. Most of us are vaccinated, and that further reduces the risk that people will contract COVID or develop serious illness if they do contract the disease. If you have not yet been vaccinated, I encourage you to go to a pharmacy at your earliest convenience.

Read Dean Leonard's full letter.

“It takes one to know one.” That expression forms the foundation of Amanda Depew’s dedication to positively impacting the lives of women veterans like herself. After dedicating much of her life to military service, she now uses her lived experiences to drive her passion for community service. Her incredible story of perseverance and fierce commitment to veterans has resulted in the SIUE graduate student being named Illinois’ 2020 Student Veteran of the Year.

“My own life experiences are what make community service important to me,” Depew shared. “I have been the homeless veteran, when my family and I found ourselves homeless within a year of my separation from the Air Force. I have dealt with, battled and won against suicide and substance abuse, and mental health issues. I’ve pretty much been the poster child of nearly all of the negative things a veteran can go through after transitioning from the military back into civilian life. It’s important for me to ensure as many veterans as possible avoid those experiences. But, if there is a veteran going through any of those challenges, I want to be there to walk alongside them and see them through.”

Read more here.

CAS alumnus Justin Schulz has been recognized as the 2020 Officer of the Year by the Gulf Shores Police Department (GSPD) in Gulf Shores, Ala. Schulz earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice studies in 2014.

“It was an absolute honor to receive this award knowing there were several other officers in contention who hold high caliber standards,” Schulz said.

This is not the first time Schulz has been recognized by his department. Along with being selected as Officer of the Month several times during his career with GSPD, he and another officer were also awarded the 2019 Lifesaving Award for their efforts in performing lifesaving procedures for an individual who went into cardiac arrest.

Read the article.

SIUE Professor of Chemistry Leah O’Brien, PhD, has won the American Chemical Society’s St. Louis Section 2021 Saint Louis Award.

“This recognition reminds us that the Department of Chemistry and the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences offer SIUE students the opportunity to learn alongside excellent researchers," said CAS Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD. "Our students emerge from the labs of Dr. O’Brien and her colleagues with the knowledge and skills necessary to move directly into positions in industry or into graduate programs.”

Since August 1990, O’Brien has been making important contributions to determine and understand the molecular electronic structure of diatomic transition metal ligand molecules and their excited states. These studies guide the development of high-level computational methods to predict the properties of new molecules and materials. Her work has provided fundamental insights into the nature of metal bonding involved in chemical synthesis and catalysis, as well as the structure and properties of the nucleus important in nuclear physics known as electronic field shift effects.

Read the article. 

SIUE has announced the creation of the Jim and Julie McPike Scholarship Endowment with an initial gift of $432,000 to support students in STEM. The scholarship will cover one year of tuition and fees for junior or senior students, with preference given to qualifying women, majoring in math, science or engineering within the College of Arts and Sciences or the SIUE School of Engineering.

“Despite recent advancements, women are still significantly underrepresented in engineering and computer science-related disciplines," said SOE Dean Cem Karacal, PhD. "The McPike scholarships will definitely help to attract more women to pursue rewarding careers in STEM professions. Their perspective and participation in solving the many challenging technical problems facing civilization add great value when advancing engineering and computer science solutions.”

Read the article.

SIUE Adds Bachelor’s in Chemistry with Specialization in Pharmaceutical Chemistry

CAS and the School of Pharmacy are collaborating to add a bachelor’s in chemistry with a specialization in pharmaceutical chemistry that will be available for students in fall 2021.

SIUE Announces Political Science and MPA Accelerated Combined Degree Option

CAS has announced a new accelerated combined degree option within the Departments of Political Science and Public Administration and Policy Analysis allowing students to earn both a bachelor’s in political science and a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) in just five academic years.

Segue is a 30 minute radio program airing on WSIE 88.7 The Sound on Sundays at 9 a.m. and is hosted by Kevin Leonard, PhD, CAS dean, as well as Chancellor Randy Pembrook, PhD. This show features interviews showcasing campus and community leaders and discussions about issues and ideas on the SIUE campus and within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Some recent guests include: 

• Jason Stacy, PhD, professor in the Department of History
• Nancy Huyck, DPA, associate professor and chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy Analysis
• Peter Cocuzza, retired professor and former chair in the Department of Theater and Dance

Listen live at siue.edu/wsie. 
Listen to past episodes at siue.edu/segue.

Do you have any neat projects, important research, department updates, and/or student news/awards/projects? If so and you'd like the story to be featured in a future publication, CAS news, and/or social media, please submit it via email for consideration: cascommunications@siue.edu