September 17, 2007
Dear SIUC Faculty and Staff:
 The first day of the class is behind us and Labor Day has come and gone. By now, I would expect that most of us have settled into the fall semester. Thanks to all of you who pitched in on Move-In Day. I know our students and their parents appreciated all the extra help.
I also want to acknowledge the hard work of everyone associated with the continuing efforts to improve our enrollment picture. As you may know, the number of students attending class on the SIUC campus this semester is up by more than 300. It took a coordinated effort on the part of our admissions officers, deans, department chairs and student advisors as well as many others on campus. Special thanks to Carmen Suarez for her leadership in this vital area.
I should note that Victoria Valle is our new Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management. She began her new duties at the beginning of the month and I hope you all will give her the support she needs to continue the work started by Carmen and others across campus.
My first few weeks of the fall semester have been very busy. I have had the opportunity to tour Plant and Service Operations and visit several of the colleges in an effort to understand the goals and challenges of each. I plan to complete the college visits and a tour of several of our research facilities before the end of the semester. In addition, I have had the pleasure of attending several campus events and meeting new people from the campus and surrounding community.
Many of you took the opportunity to attend the lecture delivered by Chris Gardner at the SIU Arena a few weeks ago. Gardner's real-life story was the subject of "The Pursuit of Happyness," a motion picture starring Will Smith. Many of our students, faculty and staff found Gardner's thoughts and anecdotes to be very inspiring.
It was less than a year ago that NASA astronaut and SIUC alumna Joan Higginbotham boarded the Space Shuttle Discovery for a mission to the International Space Station. In just a few weeks Joan will be here on the SIUC campus participating in our Homecoming activities. She'll deliver a lecture at the SIU Arena on Oct. 4 and serve as the Grand Marshal in the Homecoming parade on October 6. I hope you get the chance to meet this very accomplished Saluki.
It was my honor to host a reception and dinner at the Student Center last month where 94 people were recognized for their service to the University. I should note that Bill Shields, an assistant professor in Workforce Education and Development, has been with the University for 45 years. That same evening, SIUC honored 136 employees who retired in the past year. Thanks to Jack Tichenor of SIUC's Broadcast Service for acting as Master of Ceremonies. .
Congratulations to Jay Brooks, SIUC's superintendent of building services. In May, Jay received the Illinois Rehabilitation Association's Rehabilitation Service Award — equivalent to employer of the year — for his commitment to hiring people with disabilities and seeing they receive the necessary support. This month, Jay will receive the National Rehabilitation Association's Organizational Award during the group's annual conference in Tucson, Ariz. A statewide initiative, the Supported Program seeks to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Brooks' efforts enabled 17 people to find work on the SIUC campus out of 39 people in the program in the state.
If you haven't visited the University's new "Legacy of SIU" Web site, please take time to do so. Created by University Communications, the site looks at SIUC's history and those who contributed to its success. The site features a timeline, some great pictures, and a place where you can submit your own campus memories. You'll find it at: http://www.siuc.edu/legacy/.
The community outreach and public information programs conducted by SIUC's Department of Public Safety have resulted in statewide honors. For the second time in four years, the department won first place in the college/campus division of the Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge, which is sponsored by the Illinois Association of Police Chiefs
The department's accomplishments include DUI education and crime prevention programs and traffic safety programs, including the Illinois Department of Transportation's Mini-Grant Alcohol Enforcement Program. Congratulations to Director Todd Sigler and the entire 38-officer force.
The football Salukis, led by coach Jerry Kill, are 3-0. The Dawgs have posted impressive wins over Quincy and Southern Utah and the victory over Northern Illinois has to be one of the most exciting in Saluki history.
The Salukis return to McAndrew Stadium Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. match-up with Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
As always, thanks for reading the Chancellor Communiqué. There are a lot of people doing a lot of hard work on behalf of the University and its important to recognize at least some of those efforts when we can. If you have something for the Communiqué, send an email to chancomm@siu.edu.
Sincerely,
Fernando M. Treviņo
Chancellor |
