|
December 5, 2007
Dear SIUC Faculty and Staff:
It's hard to believe that the end of fall semester is almost here. Finals week is just around the corner and our winter commencement exercises will put a ribbon on what has been a very active fall term, my first here at SIUC.
First up, I cordially invite you to share in the joy of the season and join me for a Holiday Coffee, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, in the Student Center, Ballroom D. I look forward to seeing you there.
This is a good time out to recognize some of the important work undertaken by our faculty, staff and students
Alejandro Figueroa is one of the many students who will graduate from SIUC this month, but his story is quite remarkable. A car crash in 2000 left Alejandro with a traumatic brain injury. He was in a coma for six weeks and had to learn to walk and talk all over again. Alejandro didn't let any of that stop him. He enrolled in SIUC's College of Business and Administration in 2004 and now will become the first college graduate in his family. It is quite a story, and the folks from NBC's Today Show think it is, too. They'll be on campus this week to produce a story about Alejandro. The air-date hasn't been announced yet, so watch your local TV listings.
Engineering professor Ramanarayanan Viswanathan, or "Vish" as many people call him, has been designated a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). His selection is a great distinction for SIUC and our College of Engineering as less than one tenth of one percent of the membership of IEEE can be designated as a Fellow. Of the 370,000 IEEE members worldwide, Vish was one of only 295 who were selected to receive this fellowship. Viswanathan is also president of the SIUC Faculty Senate.
Peggy Stockdale, a professor in SIUC's psychology department, has been selected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Election to Fellow status requires evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology and requires that a person's work has had a national impact on the field of psychology beyond a local, state, or regional level. Dr. Stockdale is also vice-president of SIUC's Faculty Senate.
Congratulations to professors Viswanathan and Stockdale!
Congratulations are also in order for the Flying Salukis, SIUC's competitive aviation team. For the first time in three years, the Flying Salukis won the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Region VIII competition held in November, beating out other teams from the University of Illinois, Lewis University, Purdue University and Indiana State. The victory gives the team an automatic berth to the national competition, which is set for May 4-10, 2008 at Smyrna Airport in Smyrna, Tenn. It is the Flying Salukis' 38th national appearance in the past 39 years.
Thanks to all who are assisting with SIUC's annual Saluki Finals Finish. This is the ninth year for the event, which helps our students get ready for finals week. The big event starts Sunday and runs through Tuesday at the Student Recreation Center. Thanks to the help of faculty and staff volunteers, this great SIUC tradition continues to get better every year. Just ask the thousands of students who participate!
We should all be proud of Ian Michael Pendergast-White who works over at the Rec Center. Ian, who is pursuing a Master's degree in forestry, was named the Dream Team Employee of the Month for Recreational Sports and Services. Earlier this fall, he led the rescue of three teenage Boy Scouts stranded on a large freestanding rock formation in the Shawnee National Forest.
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize SIUC's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures for organizing and hosting the Foreign Language Film Conference in October. More than 40 scholars in the disciplines of international languages, literatures, cinema studies, and pedagogy attended the three-day event here on our campus. The conference was the first of its kind and earned SIUC recognition as a place of innovative and interdisciplinary critical dialogue.
I should point out that various departments at SIUC held a number of special events in the past month or so. They ranged from the Law School's National Health Law Moot Court, to performances in our School of Music and performances staged by the Theater Department to exhibitions hosted by the School of Art and Design. In addition, a group of our engineering students made a respectable showing at a recent national robot-building contest and our radio-television students brought home additional Emmy awards for the TV news magazine alt. news :26:46. These are just a few of the great accomplishments achieved by members of the SIUC family in recent weeks. These events and competitions show off the talents and skills of our students and faculty and serve to remind all of us that SIUC is one of the best universities in the nation.
Krystal Stein, a senior studying speech communication in the College of Liberal Arts, is the 2007 Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureate representing SIUC. The Lincoln Academy of Illinois annually recognizes one senior undergraduate student from each four-year, degree-granting institution in the state, naming that person a student laureate. In addition, Ms. Stein was given the distinct honor of delivering the keynote address on behalf of the 2007 Student Laureates in Springfield on October 27th.
Don’t forget that Dec. 7th is the last day to contribute to the Book in Every Home campaign. Erika Lowery, wife of men's basketball coach Chris Lowery, chairs the campaign, which seeks to collect enough books so each of the 433 children enrolled in SIUC's seven area Head Start centers will receive at least one book to take home and call their own. Collections boxes are set up at the Chancellor's Office, the Law School, the Student Center, Woody Hall, Colyer Hall and Coach Lowery's office at the SIU Arena.
It appears that SIUC is on the right track when it comes to the enrollment issue. Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Victoria Valle reports that, thanks to a lot of hard work over the past year or so, spring enrollment projections are up from last year. Of course, official numbers won't be available until next month, but total applications, admissions and enrollment numbers are moving in the right direction.
The athletics office wants to "Pack the Mac" at Saturday's semi-final game when the football Salukis will take on Delaware in their quest for a national title. Coach Jerry Kill and the entire football team have given us much to be proud of this semester and they deserve our support. Let's hope a spirited crowd at McAndrew Stadium can send the Dawgs to Chatanooga and the chance for a football championship.
The Saluki men's and women's basketball teams are well into their seasons now. I'm sure they will give us a lot to cheer about as we go through the holidays and into the New Year.
Thank you for your support in making my first semester at SIUC an enjoyable one. I have met many great people and have learned much about this great institution since I arrived in July.
As always, if you have any comments about the Communiqué, send an email to chancomm@siu.edu.
I wish all of you’re a happy holiday season and best wishes for 2008.
Sincerely,
Fernando M. Treviño
Chancellor |
