Students Say Goodbye to Preschool; Parents Thanked for Support

It was a day to look ahead. A day to celebrate. A day of moving up! More than 100 preschoolers experienced the first graduation during Moving Up Days on Tuesday, May 20-Wednesday, May 21 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) Centers throughout the Metro East. 

“Moving Up Day is the day that we recognize all of our Head Start preschoolers’ advancement to kindergarten for...

Here are some of the stories recently published featuring Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty and students:

1. WalletHub: Best Credit Cards to Build Credit
   
   WalletHub featured Riza Demirer, PhD, Graduate Program Director and professor at SIUE, in a guide to credit-building. Demirer emphasized the value of responsible credit card use, smart budgeting, and utilizing secured cards to build strong financial foundations. 
   
   Read the feature on WalletHub.
   
   Photo: Riza Demirer
   
   
   
2. Nepal Raib...

Dr. Denn Receives the 2025 Faculty Award from the St. Louis Chapter of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics  

From a young age, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Michael Denn, PhD, has loved aviation and rocketry. Denn, instructor in the SIUE School of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Mechatronics Engineering, has taken his passion for and years of expertise in the aerospace industry and propelled them into an impressive pedagogy that has caused ma...

SIUE graduate guard Ray'Sean Taylor, the most successful and most decorated player in SIUE men's basketball program history is adding another honor. Taylor was selected as the Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year, announced Thursday by the Conference.

Taylor becomes SIUE's first-ever OVC Athlete of the Year selection and is the 50th selection since the first award was given out following the 1976-77 season (there have been multiple award winners in some years).

In his final season...

Seven SIUE baseball players earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors, including an OVC-best four first team selections.

Chase Bloomer, Daniel Gierer, Mack Mitchell and Ryan Niedzwiedz were named to the first team while pitchers Liam McKillop and Spencer Stearns were each named to the second team. Tim Teixeira earned selection to the All-Freshman team.

Bloomer is tied for fourth in the OVC in home runs with 14, which is a career high. He is tied for seventh with 47 RBIs while batting .297. Bl...

“I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for SIU,” said Major Elester Latham (’75). “SIU was everything to me.” Latham, who graduated 50 years ago with a degree in theatre  was one of more than 40 Golden Graduates at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 2025 spring commencement exercises on Saturday, May 10. Latham, began his career as a United States Air Force and commercial airline pilot eventually returning to his first love ...

Situated quite fittingly in the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, Fuller Dome at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, energy specialists convened for a “Energy Water Food Nexus” during an afternoon symposium on April 24. The SIUE School of Engineering’s Serdar Celik, PhD, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and Chair of the Climate and Sustainability Advisory Board and Curtis “Drew” Hoelscher, Interim Dire...

SIUE baseball has earned the No. 2 seed in the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship presented by SERVPRO. The event will be held May 21-24 at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. This year marks the 46th OVC Baseball Tournament (the first elimination style event was held in 1979).

The venue opened in 2007 and was previously known as Rent One Park. It is now home to the Prospect League Team the Thrillville Thrillbillies, who began play in 2023. This year marks the fourth time the ...

SIUE sophomore Daniel Gierer (Glen Carbon, Illinois) has been named the OVC co-Player of the Week Monday following an outstanding final week of the regular season. Gierer shared the award with Tennessee Tech's Jackson Green.

Gierer was the driving force behind an SIUE offense that hit .355 over the final three games of the regular season, hitting .615 (8-13) with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He recorded an on-base percentage of .643 and a slugging percentage of 1.615 for the week.

Gierer home...

Messages of girl power, positive self-esteem, healthy body image, community activism and more were packaged in sparkly, eye-catching motion and decorative costuming during the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts’ (ESLCPA) 2025 Spring Dance Recital. 

Students took to the stage at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15 in the Multipurpose Room of Building D of the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Center. Social justice was the theme of the d...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been nationally recognized by Money.com, with its School of Engineering (SOE) ranking among the top 50 master’s programs in the country. Highlighted for its academic excellence and exceptional value, SIUE’s SOE stands out for providing students with strong career outcomes and affordability. This recognition reflects the dedication and hard work of SOE’s faculty and staff and reaffirms the University’s unwavering commitment t...

Burgess Interested in Majoring in Mechanical Engineering at SIUE

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s Building Futures Program student Keshon Burgess graduated from high school this month and wants to eventually attend SIUE. Burgess lives in East St. Louis and has an interest in obtaining a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from SIUE. Here, the 18-year-old shares his reflections on his time so far in the Building Futures Program. 

I’ve enj...

The Illinois Invent2Prevent statewide partnership between Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, EdVenture Partners, and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security will convene to establish the Invent2Prevent program in Illinois. This inaugural Illinois Invent2Prevent statewide symposium and competition that highlights interventions by high school students to reduce targeted violence and hate crimes in their communities will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ...

 Parents and Friends of Collinsville High School Students Applaud Successes   

“This was the best decision of my life,” said 16-year-old Collinsville High School (CHS) sophomore Lillian O’Donnell. O’Donnell won medals and trophies at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Upward Bound Scholars Academy’s (UBSA) annual Awards Ceremony Thursday, May 8 at the CHS Auditorium.  

“Enrolling in Upward Bound Scholars Academy has open...

Friends and Family Cheer for Graduating Students During the School’s Commencement Ceremony   

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) provided pomp, circumstance and a chance for graduating seniors to revel, strut and shine during the school’s 2025 Commencement Ceremony. 

CHS graduated 28 seniors on Friday, May 9 in the middle of campus at the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Center. The commencement speaker was Nate Wi...