Dear Colleagues,

October is nearly gone. The sun is rising after 7 a.m., and it is setting shortly after 6 p.m. In less than two weeks, daylight saving time will end. The yellow, orange and red leaves on the trees and bushes on campus remind me that the warm, long days of summer are gone. I know that cold weather and long, dark nights lie ahead. And yet, as we look forward to the end of the fall semester, classrooms, studios and labs continue to buzz with activity.

Two weeks ago, I saw the Department of Theater and Dance’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. Last week I attended performance by the Department of Music’s Concert Choir, Treble Ensemble, Concert Band, Wind Symphony and University Orchestra. I’m thrilled to be able to watch and hear our students perform in Dunham Hall.

Read Dean Leonard's full letter.

Two hands raised in answer to the question of how many students were interested in careers in media and mass communications. At the conclusion of the East St. Louis Charter High School visit to the television station, radio station and student newspaper at SIUE, eight of the 12 students’ hands shot up when the question was asked again.

“The trip was absolutely amazing,”said CHS English instructor Colin Neumeyer. “The students not only saw the impressive offerings and opportunities that the University has to offer in this field, but they also saw generous and inviting people who made them feel they could be a part of the program, if they choose to go to SIUE.”

Read the article.

Jeffrey Manuel, PhD, professor in the Department of History, has been awarded a prestigious position as a Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Energy Transitions and Deindustrialization. He will spend spring 2023 at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, conducting research with the history department on energy transitions over time. He will also be contributing to a large, multinational research project looking at the connections between deindustrialization - the collapse of heavy industry in many parts of the world - and the rise of populist politicians, such as Donald Trump in the U.S.

Read the article.

Researchers in the Department of Political Science have been awarded a $332,491 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to develop a local framework for mitigating violence under the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program. The researchers team includes Associate Professor Suranjan Weeraratne, PhD, Professor Laurie Rice, PhD, as well as Chair and Professor Kenneth Moffett, PhD.

They will collaborate on the two-year project entitled, “Enhancing Local Capacity to Prevent Targeted Violence in Southern Illinois. The grant is in response to the rise of domestic terrorism and extremist violence in the U.S.

Read the article. 

Suman Mishra, PhD, attended the 2022 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference in Detroit in August to present a scholarly paper, entitled “Smart Assistants for Smart Living: Ideology and Mythology in AI-powered Smart Speaker.” The paper, which she co-authored with Rebecca Kern-Stone, PhD, of Manhattan College, was awarded 2022 Top Faculty Paper in the Cultural and Critical Studies Division.

“During the pandemic, most conferences moved online, so I still managed to attend and present my research,” said Mishra. “This was the first in-person conference I have attended since the pandemic began. To present to a live audience, see their reactions in real time, and interact with them afterwards exchanging ideas and networking was extremely rewarding.” 

Read the article.

The Arts & Issues series will present a lecture by Andrew Theising, PhD, entitled, “Learning Lessons from East St. Louis” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, following a reception at 3:30 p.m., in the Morris University Center’s Conference Center. 

Theising, who retired in 2022 after serving as a professor for 25 years in the Department of Political Science, will speak as part of the Emeriti Faculty Association’s “One More Thought…” lecture series.

“We often hear the negative of East St Louis, and I want to remind us all that there are positives as well,” Theising said. “In fact, SIUE can learn some really important points from East St Louis. I want to focus on a few of those. For instance, East St Louis is the city of champions. They celebrate their champions in many ways. How does SIUE celebrate its champions? Which champions get celebrated? How do we encourage them? I want to explore that."

Read the article.

Segue is a 30 minute radio program airing on WSIE 88.7 The Sound on Sundays at 9 a.m. and is hosted by CAS Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD. The 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: 

• Terry Ganey, BA mass communications ‘70 and recent SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame inductee
• Erin Litteken, BA history '03 and author of "Memory Keeper of Kyiv"
• Evan Smith, MFA candidate and recent recipient of the International Sculpture Center's 2022 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award

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