A Message from the Dean - November 2020
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.
Changes in national politics reflect activism at the local level. Graduate students in the Department of Social Work have created Cougars for Changing Campus Culture, a student organization committed to weakening and then eliminating oppression in the SIUE community.
In addition to social, civic and political responsibility, SIUE values sustainable practices in environmental, financial and social endeavors. Rolland, Inc., a manufacturer of recycled paper, recently featured SIUE Creative Director Heather Kniffel, BFA '95, MFA '13, in its “Conversations with Green Champions.” Kniffel highlighted the university’s commitment to energy efficiency and green power.
CAS students, faculty and alumni continue to earn recognition and educate and serve the academic community. Amanda Depew, an Air Force veteran and a graduate student in the Department of Social Work, serves as a graduate assistant with the SIUE East St. Louis Center’s Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program. VUB provides counseling, advising, basic skills review and enhancement, and referrals to a variety of services and resources. Depew helps veterans to complete forms, serves as an intermediary between veterans and SIUE’s Military and Veteran Services, and works to guarantee that each veteran is connected with the right staff on campus.
Michael Shaw, PhD, distinguished research professor in the Department of Chemistry, was among the featured speakers at a virtual conference in October. The five-day 2020 LGBTQ+ STEM Conference included researchers from all STEM fields. Sessions highlighted and celebrated the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and facilitated the discussion of a range of scientific topics and issues pertaining to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Jason Frazier, who earned a bachelor’s degree in the Department of Mass Communications in 2011, was recently named a 2020 Diverse Business Leader by the St. Louis Business Journal. Frazier has worked for MindsEye, a nonprofit organization that provides services to people with visual disabilities, since 2012. He became the president and CEO in 2018.
The College of Arts and Sciences continues to add programs to meet the demand for online degrees. In fall 2021, the Department of Public Administration and Policy Analysis (PAPA) will begin offering a fully online option for a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree. SIUE’s nationally accredited MPA program serves students who have recently completed a bachelor’s degree and students who have worked in the public or nonprofit sector who wish to upgrade their skills and knowledge.
Congratulations are in order for Myron Jones, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, and Kristin Best-Kinscherff, assistant professor in the Department of Theater and Dance, who were recognized for their work with the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) program. Jones was named the Vaughn Vandegrift URCA Research Mentor of the Semester for fall 2020, and Best-Kinscherff was named the URCA Creative Activities Mentor of the Semester. Blessing Udoh, a junior biological sciences major, was named the Research Assistant of the Semester, and Kenzie Holzinger, a sophomore art and design major, was named the Creative Activities Assistant of the Semester.
SIUE's Library and Information Services (LIS) will soon be home to the 10-CD set, Ruth Slenczynska: Complete American Decca Recordings. On Friday, November 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.
Segue, SIUE’s public affairs radio program, airs every Sunday at 9 a.m. on 88.7 WSIE FM. Recent guests have included the afformentioned Michael Shaw, PhD, and Jason Frazier as well as Brittany Peterson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. If you missed an episode, or if you want to listen again to a program you heard, past episodes are archived digitally and are now available here.
Please read more about these individuals and their accomplishments in This Month in CAS.
I hope that the holiday season brings you joy and that we see an end to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Kevin Leonard, PhD
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
