College of Arts and Sciences

On this week’s episode of Segue, SIUE’s weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, WSIE celebrates the show’s 500th episode with a 50-minute broadcast. Throughout the show, Chancellor Randy Pembrook and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard interview a variety of guests integral to Segue's lasting success.

This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22. Listeners can tune in to WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie.

Segue was created by Aldemaro Romero, PhD, former dean of CAS. His vision was to talk to various members of SIUE’s faculty while highlighting the four separate areas of CAS: fine arts and communications, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. He ended his Segue host duties after the show’s 200th episode.

Greg Budzban, PhD, was another former CAS dean essential to the radio show’s advancement. Budzban hosted the show for five years and invited Steve Hansen, PhD, former interim chancellor, to co-host the show every other Sunday.

“When I joined SIUE as chancellor in the fall of 2016, I was asked if I would like to continue hosting Segue as Chancellor Hansen had done on alternating Sundays,” says Pembrook. “I was excited to do that, as this show provides a great opportunity for me to get to know more about guests from the University, the community, and across the country.”

Joining the show’s two hosts for Sunday’s episode is Jason Church, general manager of WSIE.

“Jason, you’re one of the main voices of WSIE,” notes Pembrook. “From your perspective, what is the main purpose of Segue?”

“Segue provides a unique opportunity to reach out and educate the public about what’s going on at SIUE while offering entertaining information to listeners around the globe,” explains Church. “The topics can range from anthropology talks from Dr. Julie Zimmermann to Fred Gray discussing his experience during the Civil Rights movement.”

The first Segue episode aired on March 6, 2011, featuring world-renowned pianist and instructor Ruth Slenczynska. Heralded as the first child prodigy since Mozart, Slenczynska began playing the piano at three years old and played with a full orchestra in Paris at age seven. She came to SIUE as an artist-in-residence and taught classes at the University until 1987.

When asked about her teaching experience at SIUE, Slenczynska praised the students she taught throughout the years. “I had the pleasure of teaching so many young people,” she explains. “Many of them have gone ahead to win prizes and earn their living through their music. When I went to Korea, I found four students who are now professors at various universities there. When I went to Australia, I found two who had been my students at SIUE.”

After playing snippets from Segue’s first broadcasts, the hosts went on to describe some of Romero’s favorite moments throughout his time hosting the show. Memorable moments included an episode which involved interviews from those rebuilding Joplin, Mo., after a devastating tornado, which Romero described as a special human experience.

“The idea of Segue began when I started meeting many people throughout the college,” shares Romero. “It was a large college with 19 departments and 335 faculty members with plenty of experiences and material to share. While I was reading about the faculty’s experiences both teaching and doing scholarship, I realized all of these stories would sound better told by them.”

After working with the Department of Mass Communications to set up the show, a slot was prepared at 9 a.m. every Sunday morning for Romero to share the stories of CAS faculty. Since the show’s inception, the pool of guests has grown to include SIUE alumni, speakers visiting the University, faculty outside of CAS, and students.

“What is it that makes hosting Segue enjoyable?” asks Pembrook.

“It’s great to get to know the wonderful people who work here at SIUE, including our alumni and those who visit us,” responds Leonard. “A highlight for me was being able to interview Ilyasah Shabazz, one of the daughters of Malcom X and Betty Shabazz. It was a delightful interview, and she was able to tell me many things about her parents that you can’t find in books.”

“Do you have a vision for the next 100 shows?” inquires Pembrook.

“My vision for the future of Segue runs parallel to my vision for the future of CAS,” answers Leonard. “I see the program becoming even more inclusive. I work to make sure my guests reflect the increasing diversity of our student body, staff and faculty, and I always ask my guests questions about their efforts to advance equity and inclusion. I also see the program expanding its emphasis on community engagement.”

Tune in at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22 to WSIE 88.7 The Sound to hear the entire conversation.